All things being equal, we suspect drivers in the Subaru BRZ and Mazda MX-5 would prefer twisting canyons to the sticky straightaway of a prepped drag strip. That doesn't mean an old-fashioned drag race isn't fun, and we've seldom seen these two lightweight sports cars battle it out for quarter-mile dominance. This video from Motor gives us no less than six races, and each one is delightfully close.
On paper, Subaru holds a slight advantage. Its 2.4-liter naturally aspirated flat-four generates 228 horsepower (170 kilowatts) and 184 pound-feet (249 Newton-meters) of torque. The Miata isn't quite as stout, posting 181 hp (135 kW) and 151 lb-ft (205 Nm) from its 2.0-liter four-cylinder mill. However, the Mazda is lighter by upwards of 400 pounds, creating a near-equal power-to-weight ratio. And both cars utilize power the old-fashioned way – sending it rearward through a manual transmission.
