Dear 001,

I think I may have uncovered the hottest scoop of the year.

Last week at a super-secret focus group location in Hollywood, I got a glimpse of one of the hottest little sport coupes I’ve seen in a long time.

It was only shown in concept form but boy was this thing hot!

Imagine a cross between the RX-8 and the Aston Martin DB9 but in a much smaller package.

From the side and rear view it is pure Aston and from the front it’s a more radical RX-8.

It has big bulging front wheel surrounds.

Even more pronounced than the RX-8.

In the same room with the new little coupe, were the potential competitors surrounding it.

The Acura TSX, Scion TC, Honda Civic, Mazda RX-8, Mazda Miata, Mitsubishi Eclipse and the G35 coupe rounded out the list.

They were looking for customer feedback about the pros and cons of each cars interiors and exteriors.

Needless to say, the new Coupe made EVERY car look obsolete except the G35 coupe.

The G is not as cool looking but it is more refined, elegant and looks more expensive.

But this new coupe, which we will coin the code name of DB1 from this point forward, really made the biggest statement.

Even though it is still in concept form (not even a working mockup) I was able to get the exact specs:

4 cyl. 2.0 liter engine
161 HP
129 Torque
2436 lbs.
18” tires

Aside from the radically cool design a few totally new features were being tested to see if there was interest from consumers.

One was the fact that it is the first car I know of where the front and rear passenger seats were WIDER than the driver and rear drivers side passenger seat.

The reason for this was two-fold.

The front seat back folded forward turning the front seat into a mini table or foot ottoman for the rear seat passenger.

Plus the rear passenger seat reclined.

Finally, the front windshield went back halfway across the whole roof (like a combo pano windshield roof) and there was a pop up spoiler above the rear window.

But the best part was the base price they were projecting of between $18-$20K!

Any negatives?

The only one I could see is that anyone over 6’2” won’t find much room in this compact coupe.

It was WAY smaller inside than the Civic’s, Scion, TSX, etc.

But it was one GORGEOUS design!!!!

I’ll pass along more details as I get them from my mole within Mazda.

Gary D.

The pursuit of dreams and confident self-expression are becoming more widespread among mature drivers. Mazda SENKU, 'a four-seater rotary sports car for adults', offers a radical new departure in satisfying these desires. Its overarching design concept is "sharpness and mellowness," and these contradictory factors are cleverly integrated to create a next generation design standard. The features include an ultra long wheelbase, minimal overhangs, a unique "floating" appearance supported by large tires, a smoothly dignified shape devoid of all ornamentation, and large "flying wing" electric powered sliding doors. These elements come together in a revolutionary coupe form that is both dynamic and supremely elegant. In the cabin, personal space was designed to give priority to the people seated in the front seats, and interior trim was executed in supple, high quality leather.

Located between the front and rear axles is the next generation 13B DI direct injection gasoline rotary engine with a hybrid unit.

This direct injection RE hybrid achieves high power output and lower fuel consumption along with the ideal 50:50 front/rear weight distribution and a low center of gravity, characteristic of Mazda sports cars, providing fun and dynamic driving.

The name "Senku" is a Japanese term meaning "pioneer", depicting Mazda's spirit of pursuing unique and exciting ventures - such as the rotary engine.

Designed at Mazda's design center in Frankfurt, Germany, Mazda SASSOU is the first design concept derived from a unique approach to show cars for Mazda Motor Corporation this year.

Besides the Frankfurt Motor Show, the Tokyo Motor Show and the 2006 North American International Automobile Show will also feature a Mazda design concept created at each regional design center.