Somewhere between a screen and a race track, a digital artist has imagined a wider, lower version of an old favorite, a small roadster that has long lived more in the imagination than on the grid. Jon Sibal's rendered Miata borrows its spirit from Japanese touring-car racing, a tradition with a history stretching back to 1993, and it asks the viewer to dream without ever claiming to be real. Behind it sits a quieter story about Mazda, whose newer, pricier crossovers are slipping while its older models find fresh loyalty. In that gap between the imagined and the sold, the car has become a small
Widebody CGI Mazda MX-5 Miata Concept Eyes Pikes Peak 2027 — Though Not as a Real Entry
It is not real, but it is a Miata dressed for racing
Mark
So is this car going to Pikes Peak?
Mimi
No. It's a rendering by Jon Sibal. The Pikes Peak angle is just the framing, and the article says that isn't really the point.
Luke
Right, and worth stressing: nothing here says Mazda or anyone else plans a Miata entry. It's unofficial and hypothetical.
Mark
What is the design actually based on, then?
Mimi
JGTC racing, the Japanese touring car series from 1993 that became Super GT in 2005. Widebody, slammed, a racing-flavored ND Miata.
Mark
And why bring Mazda's sales into it?
Mimi
The piece argues older models are carrying the brand. Mazda3 is up over 42%, the Miata over 4%, CX-50 almost 20%, while CX-70 and CX-90 are each down more than 21%.
Luke
Careful with the causal link, though. The article implies artists are drawn to older Mazdas because of those trends, but that's the writer's inference. Sibal doesn't say it.
Mark
What about the CX-70 retirement?
Mimi
It's a rumor for 2027 in the US, with the CX-90 taking over.
Luke
Exactly, and it's unconfirmed. Also unknown is whether the extra variants Sibal mentions will actually appear.
El Pulso
- A widebody, slammed Miata has erupted across car circles, and nobody built it.
- Sibal's rendering borrows the fierce look of JGTC touring cars, pulling a 2027 Pikes Peak banner into a story it was never meant to lead.
- Mazda's year-to-date sales sit nearly three percent behind last year, and the company is racing to claw back ground before the year closes.
- The CX-70 and CX-90 are sliding more than 21%, while the Miata and Mazda3 climb, and a rumored CX-70 exit hangs over the lineup.
- Sibal promises more details and variants soon, and the fourth quarter will reveal whether Mazda's older favorites can carry the year.
Somewhere between a screen and a race track, a digital artist has imagined a wider, lower version of an old favorite, a small roadster that has long lived more in the imagination than on the grid. Jon Sibal's rendered Miata borrows its spirit from Japanese touring-car racing, a tradition with a history stretching back to 1993, and it asks the viewer to dream without ever claiming to be real. Behind it sits a quieter story about Mazda, whose newer, pricier crossovers are slipping while its older models find fresh loyalty. In that gap between the imagined and the sold, the car has become a small mirror of what people still want from a driving machine.
A widebody, slammed Mazda MX-5 Miata has started circulating online, and it does not exist outside a screen. It comes from Jon Sibal, a virtual car artist known for Japanese-style builds, and it reimagines the ND-generation roadster as though it were heading to the 2027 Pikes Peak hill climb.
The Pikes Peak link is more of a costume than a plan. The design is inspired by the JGTC, the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship, which began in 1993 as Zen Nihon GT Senshuken and became Super GT in 2005. Sibal calls his car only slightly modified, and the result is a wide, low machine in the spirit of those touring racers. It is an unofficial exercise, not an entry bid, even as Pikes Peak prepares for its 105th edition.
Sibal says he is finishing a few more details and that more variants may follow, though nothing is confirmed.
The project arrives during a mixed stretch for Mazda. Sales are just under 310,000 units for the year, nearly three percent behind last year's pace. The strength lies in older models: the Mazda3 is up more than 42%, the MX-5 over 4%, and the CX-50 nearly 20%. The newer CX-70 and CX-90 have dropped more than 21%, and an unconfirmed rumor suggests the CX-70 may leave the US market in 2027. Against that backdrop, it makes sense that artists are drawn to Mazda's older cars, and the Miata is an easy one to love. What comes next is whether the promised variants appear and whether the final quarter closes the gap.
A widebody, slammed Mazda MX-5 Miata has appeared online, and it is not real. It is the latest digital rendering from Jon Sibal, who posts as "jonsibal" and is one of the better-known virtual car artists, a creator who usually works with Japanese-style cars. His new project is an ND-generation Miata, the model code for the fourth iteration of the roadster, dressed up as if it were headed for the 2027 Pikes Peak International Hillclimb.
The Pikes Peak framing comes with a caveat. According to autoevolution's account, that event is not really the target. Sibal describes his car as a "slightly modified" Miata, and the design draws on a different tradition: the JGTC, the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship. That series began in 1993 under the name Zen Nihon GT Senshuken and was renamed Super GT in 2005. The result is a wide, low car in the spirit of those touring racers. It is an unofficial, hypothetical design exercise, not a bid for a place on the starting roster. Pikes Peak itself will mark its 105th edition next year.
Sibal says he is still working on "a few more details but should be done with it soon." That suggests more variants of the project may follow, though nothing has been announced.
The timing lines up with a mixed year for Mazda. Year-to-date sales total 310,268 units, almost three percent below the first nine months of last year. The company needs a stronger final quarter to close that gap.
The weakness is not spread evenly. Several older models are doing well. The Mazda3 series is up more than 42% over the nine-month period, and the MX-5 Miata is up by more than 4%. The CX-50 has climbed almost 20%, and it now sits less than 1,000 units behind the all-new CX-5.
The newer, pricier models are going the other way. The CX-70 and CX-90 are both down more than 21% from last year. A rumor circulating in the industry says Mazda will retire the CX-70 from the US market in 2027, leaving the two-row CX-90 to take its place. That is unconfirmed.
Against that backdrop, autoevolution notes, it is not surprising that digital artists are turning their attention to Mazda's older cars. The Miata, one of the company's steadier sellers this year, is an easy subject for that attention. What to watch next is whether Sibal releases the additional variants he has hinted at, and whether Mazda's fourth-quarter sales recover the ground lost so far.
Citas Notables
He's still working on a few more details but should be done with it soon.— Jon Sibal, digital artist (paraphrased)
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