pparaska Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 I've driven Miata's. Fun little go kart. But the lack of power was really obvious to me. I'd need at least twice the torque curve numbers to be even acceptable to me as a daily driver. Too bad Mazda never made a real "performance" version - I'd think people would pay thousands more for one with more guts under the hood. But I'd love to know what the weight and weight distro is in that LS V8 Miata. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 Cool pic, Aux! I think our Z cars fit us better then the Miata. Still, if I was a short man, I would think about buying one! Stock, the Miata is underpowered, but that can be improved. Remember the Monster Miatas of the early 1990's? Ford powered cars if I remember right. Weight disty was not too good either if memory serves. Still, this is a cool concept! Love the LS1. Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ON3GO Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 there was a guy in tampa with a monster miata. 302 built motor with a supercharger and nitrous. thing was sick, wide body and all. it was by far the fastest thing i ever saw take off from a 30 or so MPH roll intall i saw that one video thats going around the net with the white MR2. i love miatas, i want one so bad.. a nice CA18 in there with a big F'en turbo.. yummy. mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strotter Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 Actually, there *is* a big difference between stuffing a SBC into that Mazda and stuffing one into a Z. Both the Z and the Miata are sweet-handling cars from the factory. A Z with a SBC is sweet-handling too, center of mass hasn't been moved much. However, as was mentioned above, look at the center of mass of that motor relative to the front axles - it's right on top of 'em. That car is a pig on skates when the curves come up. The cool thing about the Z is that, from a hybrid point of view, you can have it all. That car has only one thing - power. Also, Cusp is totally correct in his assessment of the Z. (History lesson begins:) Remember, in 1969, the Japanese car industry was *not* taken seriously in this country. Honda didn't sell cars here yet (and when they did, in '72, they were a joke, ultramicro two-cylinder 600's). The only players that counted were Toyota and Datsun. Quality was considered iffy at best, and the designs appealed to the, let's say "alternative" buyer. They sold ultra-conservative ultra-low performance econo-boxes competing with Vegas and Pintos. The 2000 wasn't available in any numbers, and was actually rather expensive - I recall in the $5000 range. The Z was an *amazing* departure for a Japanese (or any) company - good looking, seemingly well built, incredibly affordable. Really fun too, something the Japanese manufacturers had never before provided. It gave better value and overall performance than the Triumph TR-6 or Spitfire, or the MGB, the Saab Sonnet, or the Porsche 914. They were also unique looking - you could say it was "inspired" by the XK-E, or it had a "bloodline" to the Cobra, but that was all, it wasn't a copy of anything (unlike the Miata, which is a straighforward ripoff of the Lotus Elan, arguably the first "retro" design sold to the public). The kicker was that it was one of the most reliable cars in America at the time, which got a lot of people looking closer at the Japanese cars in general. Then with the big Gas Crunch of '73, the Japanese industry really took off, partially as a result of the respect garnered from the hardcore sports-car freaks by the 'Z. (History lesson ends). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
labrat Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 I have a stock '99 miata sport, and it's about as underpowered as my stock 280ZX was! Yeah, they do seem like a slug until you get over 4k, then they really shine. Redline isn't till 7k, with the rev limiter at 7250. And these little japanese motors will live at 7k all day long. These cars really get into their element powering out of a curve at 70 mph in 3rd gear on a mountain road, with my girlfriend white-knuckled and ashen faced in the seat beside me, with the top down and the wind blowing through my hair, under the texas sun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bang847 Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 I thought the 2000gt was around $50,000 not $5,000 I believe it was completely aluminum and was featured in a bond film.. but it was not the right combo for a company that had no reputation in the states at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moridin Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 It was somewhere between $5000 and $8000 which was very expensive at the time for the type of car. There is a guy around here that does the Ford 302's in the Miatas, or at least a guy that drives one. The Miata chassis has been considered one of the best for years, and now you can put some power under the hood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.