Solved - NEH 4273: IAD V705 - 1985

[Carnut]

What's this car, who built it and when, for 1 point?:

Remember - solving puzzles using 'Google Search by Image' is BANNED on AutoPuzzles!

[Carnut]

Experts?

[wingroad]

Mazda MX5 prototype

[Carnut]

Mazda MX5 prototype

That was of course its purpose, but it's not as straightforward as that and that's not the answer I'm looking for..
Who built it, when and what was it called?

[wingroad]

MX-5 prototype done by Mazda design in Irvine in California and was known as Duo101.  Dated circa1981

[Carnut]

MX-5 prototype done by Mazda design in Irvine in California and was known as Duo101.  Dated circa1981

Not according to my information...

[wingroad]

Mazda MX-5 Roadster designed in California project  P729 .Americans wanted to call it 1600s while the japanese wanted RX-5.

[Carnut]

Mazda MX-5 Roadster designed in California project  P729 .Americans wanted to call it 1600s while the japanese wanted RX-5.

It was an MX-5 prototype but it wasn't designed or built by Mazda nor was it designed in California..

[wingroad]

IAD ? UK ?

[Carnut]

IAD ? UK ?

That's right, yes!
So I'll lock it for you to fill in the rest of the details: full name and date of build.

[wingroad]

1985 V705

[Carnut]

1985 V705

That's it!
Very good.

Pictures of not exactly the same car but another version of it:

[oko94]

According to "Mazda MX-5 Miata: The Book of the World's Favourite Sportscar" by Brian Long and Takao Kijima, and "Mazda MX-5 Miata Roadster" by Toshihiko Hirai and Takaharu Koby Kobayakawa, this the "FR" mock-up made by Mazda North America in 1984 for the LWS (Light Weight Sportscar) project. You may find both sources on Google Books.

There is indeed one website that credits it to IAD but I think it's wrong. Apparently IAD was commissioned to make a functional prototype out of this proposal, but this static mockup was made without IAD input.

[Carnut]

Thanks.
Actually I got the original picture from a magazine article (clipping reproduced below).
I dug into a lot on the Internet but didn't find a great deal about the IAD car there, just a mention or two which seemed to bear the ID out.
With the passage of time true facts tend to get a little fudged and are generally distorted to suit their own agenda and what they would have liked to have happened..!
So whether this is correct or not must be open to discussion..

[oko94]

Excerpts from both books mentioned earlier that show the difference between the MANA LWS FR mock-up (the actual puzzle car) and the IAD V705 running prototype.

First, MANA LWS FR mock-up :

[oko94]

IAD V705 running prototype

[Carnut]

I'm very hard pushed to spot the difference between my puzzle car and other pictures captioned as IAD V705 running prototype, apart from the colour of the door mirrors..

Although I picked up the other pictures I posted from the 'Net described as ID V705, that's most likely incorrect and they are not pictures of that car; but then they were not the puzzle...