MX-5 Track Toy

[fido]

First viewed this car in 2019 with the intention of making it into a weekend and occasional track-toy. It was then with the second owner who had upgraded it with a BBR Turbo Stage II (308bhp). It passed through two more owners before I spotted the car again on eBay during lockdown. After a few calls and a small dent to my bank balance I had the car delivered to storage where it was checked over until I could get my hands on it.



The car had been serviced as part of the sale and it looked pretty good at first glance. After washing the car I found a few stone-chips around the windscreen and a tiny bit of scraping under the front bumper. I couldn't let this go so had it booked into the paint shop to get the former rectified.



As I left Guildford station car park I found out the reason for the latter - the suspension sits a tad too low for the horrid road humps and dips in roads. So i decided to book it into an MX-5 garage near Eastbourne to coincide with a weekend break (as you would in these staycation times). The day of departure provided the perfect weather for my first bit of top-down motoring in ages.



The little green monster now sits on adjustable BC Racing Coilovers which still feels quite OEM but does a much better job of keeping the car flat around corners. Just a note about the turbo powerplant. It feels quite old-school - as in the boost doesn't seem to appear until 3k rpm - but this linear power delivery makes it even more exciting to drive on your favourite B-road. Problem now is i'm spending too much time with it, even putting up with the uprated ACT clutch for trips to the supermarket and rush-hour traffic.

[Over over under steer]

Stunning, and my favourite colour for the NC. I had an NC2 2.0 and loved it, never modified it as I was knee deep in a first house purchase at the time, however always wished I did. The BBR turbo kit looked mighty appealing, and with your spec it's perfect. I moved onto a Lotus S3 Cup then a Boxster 981 and still look back at that MX5 as such an accessible fun car, I'd have another in a heartbeat.

[aka_kerrly]

I've never seen a MX5 in that colour before, I quite like it! The black wheels and black detailing in the bumpers help balance the green.

Turbo kit an BCs are ace upgrades to have, I expect it's an absolute hoot to drive!!!!!

[fido]

It looks a bit darker than the shade of green than in the photos - the lighter one that comes with small Vauxhalls(?) The MX-5 garage suggested the BC Racing coilovers and they are very good indeed. I was looking at a CSF radiator to complete the car but then the OH has strongly hinted I can only keep it for a few more months. It is very exciting to drive. I like to think of it as a poor man's Ferrari F40 - half the cylinders but not half the fun!

[Stevil]

Great looking car and I came close to buying a Stage 2 BBR Turbo MK3 last year myself. One thing I did read a lot of though is that BBR don't provide any sort of warranty/guarantee for track use and there's a few reports of them going pop when they've been used on track. Doesn't sound like you're going to be doing too much of that anyway but worth bearing in mind if it does get more serious.

[fido]

The Green Manalishi (with the two exhaust pipes) has passed a recent MOT with the odometer just ticking over 25k (so covering 2k in these restricted times). The MX-5 has become my favourite car to jump into for intra-day hoons. Here the boot is laden with my karting gear - from one go-kart into another!



The MX-5 especially in PRHT form can be enjoyed in all weathers, rain or sun .. or maybe not. With the days getting colder I have decided to give it a good clean and wax ready for winter storage. And then I discover some water ingress into the boot - might be via a rear lamp. Sigh. With my own work piling on and other things to occupy myself with I have tasked the garage to find the leak and hopefully it can be sorted before I take it out next.

[Rich135]

I bet that's a hoot to drive!

If you don't mind me asking, where do you go for the karting? My son is bugging me to take him....

Thanks

Rich

[fido]

Rich135 said:

If you don't mind me asking, where do you go for the karting? My son is bugging me to take him....

Daytona in Esher. They sometimes have 2-for-1 offers which is often the only way I'll get friends to come along!

[Rich135]

fido said:

Rich135 said:

If you don't mind me asking, where do you go for the karting? My son is bugging me to take him....

Daytona in Esher. They sometimes have 2-for-1 offers which is often the only way I'll get friends to come along!

Thanks very much Fido - I am in Guildford so not far for me to pop by.

I have one of the original MX5 competitors in the shape of a MK1 MR2, but with a lowly 120bhp it won't be half as much fun as your rocket!

[Jonstar]

What a brilliant car, severely underrated. I had a couple of mk3 mx5's and once modded they are great fun, drove a BBR turbo one too which was epic!

[trails]

That looks lovely, I would imagine it surprises unite a lot of quick stuff. That green really suits the body shape

[fido]

trails said:

I would imagine it surprises unite a lot of quick stuff.

Especially when combined with the little respect some people have for MX-5s - had an angry woman in a Honda Jazz try to undertake me! It has to be worked a bit, it's quick at lower revs, but once the tacho hits 4k it absolutely flies. I don't take it much past 6k rpm though and for extended hoons, or a few laps of a track, I would upgrade to a triple-pass radiator + oil cooler + possibly bonnet louvers (though I'm not keen on the modded look). There a few hilly roads near me that make interesting short-cuts, and even at 20mph (or thereabouts) you can instantly feel the heat from the engine.

Edited by fido on Sunday 18th October 10:24