The Mazda Miata isn’t just a fun little sports car that offers you the top down feeling you want at a great price. This car is one that has made a name for itself at the Mazda Raceway and been around this track since it was first introduced on the market. Recently this raceway in Monterey, CA hosted an even where there were 500 different Miata’s in attendance. Some of these were stock versions, but some were admirable models that were ready to race, while others had a bit of a different feel to them. Either way, here are five that came out as some of the fan favorites at this event, and here’s a video of that list.
2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata/V8 – Flyin’ Miata decided they had heard enough about how the Miata was powerful enough and the driving manners of this car was all that the company was interested in being concerned with. This team dropped a 6.2-liter V8 engine into the roadster and made it capable of pumping out 525 horsepower to rocket this beast down the track. This does add about 200 pounds to the car, but that horsepower boost can handle the added weight with ease.
Mazdaspeed MX-5 – This was a factory built Miata that came to the track in its original form. That original form was one that put a 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine under the hood to allow the car to have 180 horsepower. This was one of the highest power numbers Mazda has ever allowed the Miata to have on the market and it came before the 155 ponies we see on today’s cars. This Mazdaspeed version is a bit of a rarity to see and this one made the trip to the raceway for an event which was made to display this exceptional car.
Catfish – Underneath the body of this racing car that does appear to look a lot like a catfish from the front is a Miata. The powertrain and suspension are from the first generation and a space frame chassis is put over the working parts with a gorgeous racing body then put over this. This gives the owner a car that looks like nothing else we see on the market at all and is actually able to cut a lot of weight out of the car to gain additional performance which wouldn’t have been possible on a stock Miata.
Super Miata Racecars – A collection of the cars that have come to this event actually have been in races around the country and have seen a lot of action. The Miata is a fantastic car to race and can be upgraded and dialed in to give you the power you want to go along with the perfect balance. There is a racing series that’s just for Miata’s called the Supermiata Maxis racing series and it’s great for those who want to get out to the track. This series is limited to specific Miata models, but form what you can see at this event, it can be a lot of fun.
Exocent – Here is a vehicle that doesn’t appear to be a Miata at all, but in reality it could easily be a Miata without the skin on it. The owner of this vehicle removed the body, the drivetrain and suspension and put them into a chassis that’s made of space frame materials and put a car out there that looks like a cross between the Miata and a dune buggy. This car actually weighs 800 pounds less than the normal Miata and looks like it could be a lot of fun to drive.
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