Mazda Motor Corporation has pulled the sheets off the beautiful 2017 MX-5 RF a day before the New York Auto Show.

This model, dubbed the “RF”, boasts a retractable hardtop, a feature which has never been seen before on this model.  These two letters stand for “retractable fastback”, which is exactly what this hardtop does.

The roof can be opened or closed at speeds up to 10 km/h with a single press of a button and is neatly stowed away. Better yet, this hardtop doesn’t take any precious cargo room, as both this model and the soft-top model have the same amount of trunk space. How’s that for practicality!

The North American model will come equipped with a  2.0-litre SKYACTIV-G gasoline engine paired either with a six-speed auto or manual transmission (the latter being much more fun to drive around in). This will allow for a maximum of 155 horsepower with 148 ft-lbs. of torque.

The MX-5 RF has a 5mm height increase (49 inches) compared to the soft-top version, but retains its overall width (68.3 inches), length (154.1 inches) and wheelbase (90.9 inches) as the soft-top model.

This two-door convertible also has a few other nifty features such as i-Activsense technology which includes High Beam Control System and Advanced Blind Spot Monitoring.

Source: Mazda