MX5 with a Rotary Engine

[GravelBen]

its been done a few times down here in NZ too - one for sale at the moment:

www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=89800489&key=175198

[GravelBen]

Los Angeles said:

I wondered if another might pop up - never thought of new Zealand.

If theres a nutty engine conversion chances are someone here has tried it - As well as that 13B MX-5 I know of another which has been built as a race car, the same guy also rallies a 13B Mk1 Escort.

Nissan and Toyota motors are the most popular for transplants into most cars here though as they're so easily available and relatively cheap. Especially any old 80's Rwd car (Starlet/Corolla/Datsun/Escort/etc) can often be found powered something like a Nissan CA18DET or SR20DET, or Toyota 4A-GE or 3S-G(T)E. ETA: at the extreme end is a VG30DETT Escort which runs in the Targa rally.

For Example, this Starlet has a Honda S2000 motor and 'box in it


And this is a 400bhp mid-engined WRX-powered Subaru Justy:


Engine conversions are a wonderful thing

Edited by GravelBen on Wednesday 28th February 04:46

[wtd]

LOL you could really suprise a few people!!!

I remember seeing a post on here where some guy was shortening an impreza or something and grafting on an old ford or morris body (something very old though)

[GravelBen]

Its a sprint/hillclimb/rally car, built by a well-known Subaru dealer/tuner in Christchurch called Trevor Crowe (he used to successfully rally a V8 Skoda). I saw it running at the Race to the Sky hillclimb last Easter, was quick but kept breaking gearboxes.

*2.5 litre turbo WRX motor, mid-mounted
*Microtech engine managment
*5 speed straight cut WRX gearbox converted to 2 wheel drive.
*Weight 800kg.
*Brakes- 4-pot calipers on vented disks.

www.crowesport.co.nz (click 'news' and scroll down for latest reports on the car).

or email [e-mail]

Edited by GravelBen on Wednesday 28th February 04:48

[GravelBen]

Something else that may interest you from the same event:





Quadzilla - a 400hp winged hillclimb quad-bike

Pure unadulterated madness

[Pierscoe1]

that quad just looks like an extravagant way to kill yourself in about 0.32 seconds!!!

bonkers!

[thegreatsoprendo]

Shamelessly nicked from the MX-5 thread in GG...

A mk1 MX-5 with a Cosworth engine:





Love the way it looks relatively standard too! It's quite cool, but I do wonder what's the point of going to all that effort when you can quite easily get 250bhp from a turbocharged '5.

Anyway, it's for sale here: www.supercarclassics.com/

[GravelBen]

All good doing something different and no doubt veyr fast, isn't the Cossie engine quite heavy though? might have interesting effects on the handling.


In a year or 2 once I've finished uni I'll probably be looking for a toy to accompany my recurring Subaru station wagon habit, an MX5 (standard or otherwise) will be on the list of potential options. You can get them for sub-$5k NZ here too

[bint]

SLIGHTLY OT but I saw a battered up Skoda Favorit (might have been an older model skoda on reflection) with twin side exhaust exits and an RX7 lump go down the Pod 1/4 mile once. Rather impressive.

[mx-5 lazza]

With an MP62 supercharger or an FM2 turbo you can easily get 250bhp on the stock MX-5 engine and with a fully built engine both options will easily see +300bhp. With that in mind I can't see the point of an engine swap unless it brings something different such as a small-block V8. The rotary engine looks interesting but unless you are using it to get +400bhp I can't see the point of it. The Cossie engine is a nice option as 250bhp is easy and it's quite capable of much more power.

Really unless the conversion gives much more power than you can get from an MX-5 engine or it sounds great it's just a novelty.

[Pierscoe1]

I can see the point of putting the S2k lump in an mx5... no more power than an FM2 etc, but DOES bring 'something else' to the table.. namely it's 9000rpm limit..

speaking of swaps.. has everyone seen this months PracticalPerformanceCar....

LS1 RX7 !!!!

..I have just found my next car!

[GravelBen]

mx-5 lazza said:

With an MP62 supercharger or an FM2 turbo you can easily get 250bhp on the stock MX-5 engine and with a fully built engine both options will easily see +300bhp.

Is the standard motor really that strong? is that from the 1.6 or the 1.8?

[Road_Terrorist]

For a while during the 1990s there was an Australian company called Bullet Roadsters who essentially remade MX5s with your choice of 3 engines, either a 13B Turbo twin rotor engine, a 20B Turbo triple rotor engine or a 4.0L Lexus V8. Due to various emissions laws or something they only offer the Lexus V8 these days.

The Japanese tuning companies have also created a few rotary MX5s over the years as well.

[bigwithey]

There's this one, with a 230 Renesis out of an RX-8.
www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=15618