2012 Mazda

I bought this to run alongside my Caterham. The objective was to find something that provides similar thrills in a more practical package. Pretty much hit the nail on the head with a boosted MX5.

However, the Caterham has now gone and been replaced by an Exige Sport 350. This sadly made the Mazda surplus to requirements.

I always wanted an MX5 but after test driving a few I wasn’t too excited by the standard power or wobbly handling characteristics.

Having watched and read reviews of the BBR Turbo MX5’s, I knew I had to have one.

Luckily BBR had one in the perfect spec for sale...so I bought this car from them back in July 2018.

Full Mazda service History with a full fluid swap, brake upgrade and MOT carried out by BBR in preparation for the sale to me.

Spec is as follows:

2012 Mazda MX5 2.0 Venture Edition

BBR Stage 2 Turbo Kit (306bhp)

BBR/ACT Clutch

Koni/BBR dampers and springs

BBR adjustable anti-roll bars (front and rear)

EBC grooved brake discs all round

EBC Yellow Stuff brake pads all round

Japan Racing JR7 17x7.5” Wheels

Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric tyres

I fitted the wheels and tyres on day two of ownership so they are pretty much as new. These can be added to the sale for an extra £500 (cost me £900 new) if you wish. Otherwise it’ll be back to the standard and unmarked wheels with fairly new Uniroyal RainSport tyres.

So how does a BBR MX5 compare to a standard MX5?

Well, the power delivery is nothing short of shocking and the handling is (for want of a better phrase) go-kart like.

The whooshes and pops the exhaust emits always make me giggle.

I’ve had coilovers on a few previous cars which have been bouncy and sometimes crashy. The Koni/BRR damper and spring combo is anything but. It works so well on a bumpy b-road allowing for rapid progress to be made. Ruts and bumps are ironed out as the car flows with the road surface.

The ARBs have eradicated the infamous lean the standard cars have, making a lovely pointy machine.

Apart from the wheels, the only modifications I have done are spraying the rear lights.

I wasn’t fond of the standard Lexus style items so bought an E-Tech paint kit and sprayed them all red. This can easily be reverted back to standard by the removal spray provided with the kit.

To get a standard NC MX5 to this level of tune/performance you would need to spend around £10,000 on top of the car purchase price, so this is somewhat of a bargain…

Mileage is currently at 32,685.

Proof of full insurance needed to test drive otherwise I will be doing the driving.

The car is currently SORN and tucked up in the garage. However, I am happy to tax it for a potential buyer.