Mazda MX-5 turbo | Spotted
A turbo kit for a new MX-5 is about £5k; what about a whole turbocharged car for that money?
More than 20 years after it went out of production, the original Mazda MX-5 is probably too nice a car - certainly too collectible a car - to be gutting and sacrificing for a track project. It’s seldom that good examples come up now at less than a few thousand pounds (see here for the most expensive, if you dare), and you’re likely to be working on a car that’s a quarter of a century old. Really, nowadays, it’s a delicate, classic roadster that needs to be preserved for the future, rather than transformed into anything more mischievous.
Which is a shame, honestly, because the MX-5 has made such a great tuning base for 30 years now. Even Mazda got in on the act early with the original Le Mans car of 1991. What to do, therefore, if you wish to embrace the potential in an MX-5 but are unwilling to send an original to slaughter?
Simple: get a Mk2 MX-5. Oh sure, it doesn’t look quite as cute as a Mk1, but the fundamentals of MX-5 goodness - low weight, rear-wheel drive, revvy twin-cam up front - are present and correct. There’s as wide an array of tuning bits available, too. There are still good cars on offer cheaply, the knowledge base is vast, the pitfalls well known. And, as the Mk1 has proved, that will likely only last so long.
This Mk2 ‘NB’ MX-5 is the perfect example of what can be achieved. Once a 1.8 S, it’s been treated to a Chinese TD04 turbo, new injectors, an uprated ECU and a chunky exhaust to liberate somewhere in the region of 280hp - certainly enough to be getting on with given the kerbweight will be c. 1,000kg. That it’s backed up with a tougher clutch, braided brake lines and better pads is all very encouraging, despite the suspension apparently going untouched.
What’s most heartening to see, though, is just how much detail has gone into creating the advert for a £5k MX-5. It talks of all the rust-tackling work that’s been done (and admits those ruddy sills have begun bubbling again), the upgraded (and very red) hoses and leads under the bonnet, the folder “bulging” with receipts for service work and the switch that’s already been made to winter tyres. It’s an advert brimming with enthusiasm; everything would suggest this is a knowledgeable, diligent, conscientious owner. When the bad bits are mentioned alongside all that’s great - the cracked bumper paint, the reason the first engine went pop, the respray that’s “not the best of jobs” - the feeling is one of reassurance; in theory, a warts-and-all description leaves less lurking for the next owner to discover.
Furthermore, the real joy of an MX-5 - especially a tuned MX-5 - is in the driving, so to have a concours-perfect car would jeopardise that. Who cares if it’s not perfect? It’s an MX-5 that’s nearly 20 years old, nearly through its 100,000th mile yet has the best part of 300hp - it’s there to be driven, on road and track, and so those blemishes can simply be patina that’s added to. It’s a great driver’s car that you wouldn’t have to be too precious about - it’s amazing how rarely these kinds of cars come up.
Of course, while you could build your own MX-5 project with another donor car, that’s inevitably going to cost more than the £4,800 that this one - with the numberplate - is for sale at. In fact, as is often the case with MX-5s, it’s hard to think of much that would provide the same entertainment for a similarly meagre outlay. That it’s being sold with a bootful of spares and what looks like the most luxurious Mk2 interior ever simply seals the deal - once more, the answer would seem to be MX-5…
No it isn’t. You can start with a much lower figure than that.
Having said that, with a little bit of forced induction, the MX5 does go rather well (although I’m biased...).
This is a good place to start-
https://bofiracing.co.uk/product/lm1-garrett-turbo...
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