What is it?
2001 Mazda MP3
What's special about it?
Protégé: Zoom zoom? MP3: Boom boom. The MP3 is the sporty iteration of what is already a sport-oriented sedan, designed to incorporate that elusive "street appeal" for the young 'uns who seek a phat ride, dawg.
The appearance of the Protégé has been somewhat altered, with a larger air dam and integrated fog lights, 17-inch wheels shod in low-profile Z-rated Dunlops, a large rear spoiler and bright yellow or metallic blue paint. Inside, you'll find a dark charcoal interior with chrome accents, a Nardi steering wheel like that of the Miata, an abridged shift lever and a stiffer clutch.
Motivating the MP3 is Protégé's 2.0-liter inline four with a diddled ignition timing and air-fuel ratio to provide 140 horses and 142 foot-pounds of torque. And no more of that sedate purr from the engine, either - a Racing Beat exhaust system has been incorporated for extra aural pleasure. Racing Beat also modified the already excellent suspension setup with Tokico dampers, larger stabilizer bars and increased spring rates to boost torsional rigidity. Steering is further modified to provide greater gear ratio.
The MP3 is also the first vehicle to incorporate an MP3 player into its stereo system (and, of course, you came by these files legally, right? Wink wink, nudge nudge). You can hear tunes through a four-speaker 280-watt Kenwood system with a 10-inch trunk-mounted subwoofer.
Why should you care?
Wanna break from the Civic aftermarket multitudes and be a true OG? The MP3 includes many of the features that you'd spend major ducats for if you tuned it up separately, all at a prepackaged price of under $20,000. And that MP3 player will be a major draw for those hep and wid' it 'nuff to know of such things. Production starts at the end of January; the MP3 will be available in the late spring.
2001 Mazda MP3
What's special about it?
Protégé: Zoom zoom? MP3: Boom boom. The MP3 is the sporty iteration of what is already a sport-oriented sedan, designed to incorporate that elusive "street appeal" for the young 'uns who seek a phat ride, dawg.
The appearance of the Protégé has been somewhat altered, with a larger air dam and integrated fog lights, 17-inch wheels shod in low-profile Z-rated Dunlops, a large rear spoiler and bright yellow or metallic blue paint. Inside, you'll find a dark charcoal interior with chrome accents, a Nardi steering wheel like that of the Miata, an abridged shift lever and a stiffer clutch.
Motivating the MP3 is Protégé's 2.0-liter inline four with a diddled ignition timing and air-fuel ratio to provide 140 horses and 142 foot-pounds of torque. And no more of that sedate purr from the engine, either - a Racing Beat exhaust system has been incorporated for extra aural pleasure. Racing Beat also modified the already excellent suspension setup with Tokico dampers, larger stabilizer bars and increased spring rates to boost torsional rigidity. Steering is further modified to provide greater gear ratio.
The MP3 is also the first vehicle to incorporate an MP3 player into its stereo system (and, of course, you came by these files legally, right? Wink wink, nudge nudge). You can hear tunes through a four-speaker 280-watt Kenwood system with a 10-inch trunk-mounted subwoofer.
Why should you care?
Wanna break from the Civic aftermarket multitudes and be a true OG? The MP3 includes many of the features that you'd spend major ducats for if you tuned it up separately, all at a prepackaged price of under $20,000. And that MP3 player will be a major draw for those hep and wid' it 'nuff to know of such things. Production starts at the end of January; the MP3 will be available in the late spring.
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