Mazda is about to give the world a more powerful MX-5 and it’s coming real soon. According to a set of leaked documents courtesy of Road & Track and Mazda Canada (via Autoblog), Mazda is about to offer a sizeable 26 horsepower bump on the world’s best-selling roadster.

Maintaining its 2.0-liter Skyactiv-G engine, the 2019 MX-5 is said to make 181 horsepower making it the most powerful production MX-5 ever made. Not only will it slash the current roadster’s 0-100 km/h time of 5.9 seconds, but it’ll definitely close the gap to its main Japanese rival, the Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ.

In order to get the power, Mazda won’t be using any sort of forced induction. Instead, they’ll be relying on several tweaks and improvements for the Skyactiv-G engine including:

• Altered camshaft lift and valve size on both intake and exhaust
• Freer flowing exhaust
• Smooth and enlarged air intake
• Lighter pistons with lower crowns for better swirl in combustion chamber
• Lighter connecting rods
• Balanced crankshaft

The altered engine characteristics also means that Mazda will likely improve the transmission, ditching the single-mass flywheel or a low-inertia dual-mass flywheel.

These drivetrain changes have little or no effect to the MX-5’s overall weight. So considering that the current MX-5 weighs just 1,063 kilograms to the Toyota 86’s 1,285 kilograms, adding 26 horsepower brings the MX-5’s horsepower-per-ton figure to 170.27 (from 145.81) versus the Toyota 86’s 155.64.

Source: Road & Track, Autoblog