There is a saying in the automotive enthusiast community which states, "The answer is always Miata."
And it's apt, as the Mazda Miata is cheap, sporty, and offers the sort of fun that can be enjoyed by the newest of drivers, all the way to professional racers. It's why it's one of Mazda's most successful offerings, and why anyone with a Miata will talk your ear off until you relent and buy one yourself.
Having driven a number of them, however, I can say they're pretty solid sports cars.
Seemingly the only issue with The Answer is that it's underpowered and doesn't sound all that good. The latter of which is something that not even a nice exhaust can solve. But what happens when you toss a superbike engine between the front wheels? And what happens when you throw a 13,000-rpm screamer into a Miata?
You get a bananas-sounding machine and the envy of a thousand Miata-bois, that's what.
Bloody hell, that Miata sounds like a 1960s F1 car. Probably goes like a 1960s F1 car, too, given how little the NA Miata weighed, combined with how much power that Honda powerplant is making.
If you haven't yet guessed by the previous comment, powering this Miata is a Honda CBR1000RR engine that's capable of revving to a whopping 13,000 rpm. It's also swapped the Miata's original, very good manual transmission for a sequential unit and, honestly, yes. More sequential manual-shifted sports cars, please and thank you.
The resulting machine is a manic little thing, and one that likely weighs less than the original NA-generation Miata thanks to what appears to be extensive lightweighting, as well as a lighter engine and transmission than stock. The swap also moves the engine back even further behind the front wheels, almost into the firewall, which has to be awesome for the car's handling. Plus, you're essentially creating a mid-front engine car, which slaps when you're on track.
In a separate video, the builder of said superbike Miata took the car to the dyno and record 160 horsepower and 80 pound-feet of torque. That's 70 more horsepower than stock, for what it's worth. However, while I was scrolling the builder's YouTube channel, I found out he's also currently in the process of turbocharging the car.
So, yeah, not only does it make a lot more horsepower than stock, sound way better than stock, and weigh less than stock, but now it's also getting a turbocharger because, well, why not? I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out.
