This car has been out for a while, so it's not exactly news. But The New York Times reports that there's a bit more to the retractable hardtop version of the Mazda MX-5 Miata than appears at first glance. Or a bit less, depending on how you look at it—unlike other convertibles with hardtops, the Miata weighs just 2,573 pounds, with the hardtop contributing a scant 80 pounds to that figure.

"Mazda took a look at the drawbacks of power hardtops (increased weight, reduced luggage space, wonky styling) and decided that it would just have to make one without any of those problems," the report said, a bit tongue-in-cheek. "The Miata's stowed hardtop fits in the same space as the softtop, it looks great up or down and incurs a weight penalty of only 80 pounds—and those pounds are at the back of the car, improving weight distribution."

Mazda USA says that the hardtop opens or folds up in just 12 seconds. To alleviate safety concerns, structural bars behind the headrests and windshield header can support 2.0 and 2.7 times the vehicle's weight, respectively. (That's true for the soft-top version as well.)