300hp BBR Mazda MX-5 turbo for sale
Less than a month until the big day - time to think about treating yourself
For some fairly obvious reasons, most people aren’t really thinking about buying a new 300hp sports car on November 26th. The days are short, the nights are long and the temperatures low, just to start. Then there’s Christmas expenditure to think of, and it’s hardly like we’re bursting into spring once the new year is here. Which is usually when people do start thinking about sports cars; asking prices go up, and good examples sell faster than you can say the answer to everything.
So perhaps now is the time. Tuck it away for the winter weather or brave the elements, the choice is yours. Because this isn’t one to miss: an NC Mazda MX-5, with not very many miles, and near enough the whole gamut of BBR parts thrown at it. For not very much more money than a standard car. Hopefully enough has been written by now about the joy of a well-modified MX-5 to know why that idea might appeal an awful lot...
All being well, buying something like a BBR’d MX-5 after somebody has shelled out for the upgrades is the smartest way to do it. There’s no escaping the fact that meaningfully modifying a car is an expensive endeavour - just the turbo kit here would be £7k fitted - before thinking about cosmetic tweaks. That was always the argument against modifying nearly-new Mazdas; the performance had taken a drastic step forward into Porsche territory, but cheaper bits inevitably remained inside. And people do care about that - look at what Rocketeer is doing so successfully. And look at what a Rocketeer project will set you back…
But getting the drastically more exciting MX-5 experience without having to pay a huge amount seems like a real win-win. This 2013 car, as well as the Garrett GT blower, has been treated to BBR’s software, a stronger clutch, high-flow injectors and Iridium plugs, an uprated intercooler and a BBR-spec exhaust all the way from the manifold. Everything that you’d want in support of double the factory horsepower.
The advert doesn’t mention any suspension or brake changes beyond a set of lowering springs, so a new owner might want to invest in some extra bits to take full advantage of all that turbo power. That being said, there are four Goodyear Eagle F1s on it, plus a standard limited-slip diff from the factory, so maybe the MX-5 feels sorted enough as is. It’ll surely be a hoot finding out for certain.
Because that’s the real joy of heavily modified MX-5s, be they supercharged, turbocharged, or engine swapped. The massive power gain looks intimidating, like it might overawe the purity and accessibility of Mazda’s most famous car. But with the right supporting tweaks they can remain easygoing roadsters, yet with the performance to rival Caterhams for drop-top fun. There might be a couple of cosmetic changes here that are not to everyone's tastes, though all of those can be altered again. The hardware is what really appeals, especially at just £15k - or only a couple of thousand more than a standard NC MX-5 with 45,000 miles might cost. Someone has spent a lot here, so the next owner shouldn’t have to for a thrilling 300hp sports car; maybe it really is the season of goodwill after all…
However, an MX5 in such apparent fine fettle would just about be the last car I would use for Winter fun they basically corrode and dissolve beneath you, a spray of Lanoguard et al doesn't stop it; the inherent issues with design, chassis,.sills double skins etc.
TX.
TX.
that's always the right question with MX-5s, and i always think if you're selling one then you would save a lot of everyone's time if you took a photo of each jacking point/sill, each wheel arch, and ideally a photo of the bottom of the car on a ramp if possible.
people don't expect an MX-5 to be rust free, but you wanna know how good/bad it is before travelling 100 miles.
i've seen NDs with 20,000 miles that have more rust than NAs with 100,000.
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