The Mazda MX-5 Thread

With petrol prices sky high thinking of getting quite a few laptop batteries and converting my mx5 into EV.
 
Check out this single-seater Mazda MX-5 restomod

Original Mazda MX-5 becomes lightweight, single-seater barchetta with Mk4 power

Ever feel a touch... old? You see, apparently the Mk1 Mazda MX-5 is ancient enough to be restomodded. Not just modded, oh no: this is a classic car now, with three decades of driving under its belt, so modification must now go hand in hand with restoration.

But rather than do the more rudimentary ‘fix up, change powertrain, add a few fancy bits and put it on sale’ thing, Roman outfit Gorgona Cars has... well, you hardly need us to explain. It’s a Mazda MX-5 barchetta. Gorgona calls it the Concept NM, for ‘Naked Monoposto’.

As befits a barchetta, there’s no roof, no real windscreen to speak of, and no fripperies or excess weight. That’d be the ‘Naked’ part sorted. There is, however, an aerodynamic headrest fairing, half-height doors (much like the old Maserati Barchetta) and a duck-tail spoiler. And a hard tonneau cover that transforms it into a single-seater. There’s the ‘Monoposto’ bit covered.

So the NM is lighter, stronger and far less accommodating for passengers. But as a single-seater, surely that means it has a new intensity of focus?

 
You want your Mazda MX-5 to have this new BBR supercharger kit

Well, two kits actually: Stage One ups the ante to 225bhp, while Stage Two unlocks 250bhp…

An automotive success story based in Brackley? Nope, we’re not talking about Mercedes’ F1 team for a change, but a slightly smaller outfit just down the road: MX-5 tuning experts BBR GTI.

The company has been at it since the late Eighties, and it’s just announced what its decades of expertise has come up with for the current ND generation of the Mazda MX-5.

So here you have two kits based around a Rotrex supercharger: the first is named Stage One, which lifts power to 225bhp and peak torque to 200lb ft available between 3,750 and 5,750rpm.

That has the effect of dropping the MX-5’s 0-62mph time considerably, falling from 7.3 to 5.3 seconds. Not too shabby at all.


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Flyin' Miata Quietly Stopped Doing ND V8 Swaps Years Ago

Tightening emissions regulations and scrutiny on aftermarket mods led Flyin' Miata to abandon its LS conversions on new MX-5s "three to four years ago."

Yesterday, Road & Track published some disappointing news: Flyin’ Miata is officially out of the V8-swapped ND Miata game. Unless you can find a used one, you’ll have to look to other companies such as V8 Roadsters to satisfy your eight-cylinder Miata needs. But technically, this isn’t new news.

First, though, it is true that Flyin’ Miata will no longer stuff a GM V8 into your favorite Japanese roadster. The company’s help page includes a statement saying exactly that:

While Flyin’ Miata has an extensive history of building LSx-converted Miatas from 2008-2018 and churning out some of the most exciting Miatas to grace streets, autocrosses, tracks, and hill climbs all over the world, we have discontinued our V8 conversion service and are no longer offering turn-key builds or conversion parts for V8 builds. With emissions regulations becoming increasingly stringent and government entities seemingly eager to slap big fines on businesses that sell “emissions defeat devices,” we have made the difficult decision to lay our V8 program to rest.

But while the R&T article claimed this was posted earlier this month, when we talked with Keith Tanner, the owner of Flyin’ Miata, he told us his shop actually stopped building V8 cars “three to four years ago. It’s just that no one noticed until [yesterday],” he said.

 
2023 Mazda Miata Gets a Price Bump and Attractive New Color

Mazda Miata is always the answer, even when asking what models are being affected by inflation. But, hey, at least there's a good new color.

The 2023 Mazda MX-5 Miata is getting a price bump over the outgoing model, but Mazda is adding a new color option borrowed from the Mazda CX-50 as a consolation prize. The new Miata will start at $28,050 not including $1,275 for destination. That’s an increase of $750 compared to the 2022 Mazda MX-5, which started at $27,300 and also had a cheaper destination charge of $1,015.

All told, the latest Mazda Miata will start at $29,325 for a Sport model that sits at the bottom of the MX-5 lineup. That’s not a dig, because a base model Miata is still the answer to, well, a lot of questions car lovers ask themselves, and it remains one of the best pound-for-pound values on the new car market.

 
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