Mazda concepts wow SEMA audiences with a blend of heritage and contemporary design

At the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas, going on now, Mazda has brought a unique blend of 2014 Mazda3 and Mazda6 design concepts to the floor to pay homage to the automaker's racing heritage and awakened design direction.

The four concepts are a combination of beauty and performance and show how Mazda's California-based design team sees the vehicles in terms of the American customization market. They began with a Mazda3 and Mazda6 Club Sport conceptual duo.

The Club Sport treatment is a motorsports-inspired motif of external design and color finish along with engine tuning coming straight from Mazda's racing teams.

The Club Sport 6 Concept is a Mazda6 painted in an exclusive Composite Gray finish with a Brilliant Black rooftop. Under the hood is a Euro-spec SKYACTIV-D 2.2-liter clean diesel engine outputting 129kW at 4,500 rpm and 420 Nm of torque at just 2,000 rpm. It could be swapped with the North American diesel engine option the 6 will have later this year. The 2.2L diesel in the concept is the very same model which took the checkered flag nine times (straight) and championship honors at the GRAND-AM Rolex GX Series. The Club Sport 6 Concept also features a custom aero kit (front, rear, side diffusers and rear spoiler) in Brilliant Black to match the rooftop. The customized Mazda6 also features Rays 57 Motorsport G07FXX 20-inch Black and Machining-colored 10-spoke wheels and Yokohama S.drive 245/35R20 tires. An H&R spring kit and Brembo six-piston brakes finish off the chassis while a Racing Beat exhaust system boosts the Mazda6 diesel's already toned exhaust note.

The Club Sport 3 Concept is a modified 2014 Mazda3 in a Slate White exterior finish and more ambitious Club Sport paint scheme and custom graphics. Metallic Silver lines trace the wheel arches, side skirt base, and door and pillar contours. Glossy Light Gray and matte Black Mica complete these patterns in broader direction. This is topped with Vibrant Red vinyl. A similar aero kit adorns the Club Sport 3 Concept as does the 6 and this kit will be commercially available to consumers early next year. A red leather interior sets off the lighter colors of the exterior on this Mazda3 while under the hood, a standard 2.5-liter SKYACTIV-G engine is mated to a race-modified SKYCTIV-Drive six-speed manual transmission, which comes from the CX-5 compact SUV. A Wavetrac helical limited-slip differential adds more torque to the mix and performance is boosted through a CUSCO coilover kit, Racing Beat performance exhaust and Brembo six-piston braking. The same Rays 57 Motorsport wheels on the Club Sport 6 are on the Club Sport 3, but are clad in Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 235/35R19 performance tires.

Outside of the Club Sport concepts, Mazda's SEMA booth is featuring two more vehicles, one based on the 3 and the other the 6.

The Vector 3 Concept (pictured above) is all about being a fashion statement, taking Mazda's top-selling global platform (the Mazda3) and going into what Mazda calls "controlled aggression" with a fashion maven twist. The Soul Red color is stock Mazda, but has shades of Deep Crimson added in varying depths to highlight the vector pattern in the paint finish. This pattern was inspired by the runway, but follows Mazda's KODO facets on the car, blending nicely with the shape of the Mazda3. Rays Volk Racing Original G25 19-inch wheels and Yokohama S.drive 225/40R19 performance tires and and H&R spring kit and Brembo four-piston brakes finish off the Vector 3 Concept's look.

The Ceramic 6 Concept takes an unconventional design tack with the performance ideal meant for the Mazda6. Its striking exterior finish is a Ceramic White littered with tiny Taupe Silver accent stripes in a linear frequency pattern similar to that used in the fabrics of popular couture dresses today. The paint scheme is actually two layers of base metallic followed by a satin clear covering to achieve the matte finish it sports. Rays Volk Racing Original G25 10-spoke, 20-inch wheels in Taupe Silver and a Racing Beat dual exhaust finish the exterior look.

Inside, the Ceramic 6 continues this svelt offering with premium soft leathers and intricate stitching in overlapping wave patterns. All in unadorned White offset by black accents on the steering wheel, arm rests, e-brake, and center console. Metallic accents create transitions between these tones, as do the Light White Momo-style stiching and matching white leather strip at the high noon position.

All in all, Mazda brought its A-game to SEMA with these four beautiful concepts that showcase both power and presence.