Photo: carwow
More than a while ago, Japanese carmaker Mazda wanted to make a cute sportscar by combining a small front-mounted engine with rear-wheel drive and making it weigh less than a New York hotdog stand. That little car that could was named the MX-5 or Miata, and it's been around for over 30 years. It never had a ton of horsepower, but it didn't need to because it was so light. So, in honor of that heritage, today, we're witnessing a race between a bunch of different Miatas, as you've never seen them before.
First, we have a 2007 MX-5 worth 5,000 GBP (British pounds) or roughly 6,000 dollars. It comes with a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated 4-cylinder engine that can output 158 hp or 160 hp, with 139 lb-ft (188 Nm) of torque. This 6-speed manual RWD tiny car weighs just 2,425 lbs. or 1,100 kg.
Next, we have another Mark III with better specs because it was slightly tuned. It has a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine that can deliver 236 hp (239 ps) with 211 lb-ft or 286 Nm of torque. It has a 5-speed transmission system and weighs the same as the first contender, 2,425 lbs. or 1,100 kg.
The car alone was roughly $12,000, but with the mods, you can add an extra $12k in there. Driving it is Mat Watson from the "carwow" YouTube channel, who put together this entire race that's taking place in the good ol' cloudy UK.
Then, we have another Mark III, only this time, it's supercharged. It has a standard 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine with a Stage 1 supercharger upgrade kit. This translates into 244 hp or 248 ps with 213 lb-ft or 289 Nm of torque. It has a six-speed manual gearbox and weighs the same as the first two, at 2,425 lbs. The price for all the bother is a bit over $24,000.
Finally, we have another Miata, and this time, it brought along a turbocharged mod under the hood. This one outputs 258 hp or 262 hp with 226 lb-ft 306 Nm of torque.
Everything went according to plan the first time, at least for three of the contestants. The turbocharged Miata driver got a bit carried away and punched it so hard at the start that he had too much wheelspin. Thus, the supercharged MX-5 won the race, but they went for a retry nonetheless. The turbo Mazda Miata had a better start the second time, but it still didn't beat the supercharged MX-5.
Now for the times! The supercharged version won the day and finished in 13.7 seconds. The turbo MX-5 took home the silver, crossing the line in 14.5 seconds. The third-best variant completed the 1/4-mile race in 14.9 seconds, and finally, the basic version did it in 16.2 seconds.
Next, we have another Mark III with better specs because it was slightly tuned. It has a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine that can deliver 236 hp (239 ps) with 211 lb-ft or 286 Nm of torque. It has a 5-speed transmission system and weighs the same as the first contender, 2,425 lbs. or 1,100 kg.
The car alone was roughly $12,000, but with the mods, you can add an extra $12k in there. Driving it is Mat Watson from the "carwow" YouTube channel, who put together this entire race that's taking place in the good ol' cloudy UK.
Then, we have another Mark III, only this time, it's supercharged. It has a standard 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine with a Stage 1 supercharger upgrade kit. This translates into 244 hp or 248 ps with 213 lb-ft or 289 Nm of torque. It has a six-speed manual gearbox and weighs the same as the first two, at 2,425 lbs. The price for all the bother is a bit over $24,000.
Finally, we have another Miata, and this time, it brought along a turbocharged mod under the hood. This one outputs 258 hp or 262 hp with 226 lb-ft 306 Nm of torque.
Everything went according to plan the first time, at least for three of the contestants. The turbocharged Miata driver got a bit carried away and punched it so hard at the start that he had too much wheelspin. Thus, the supercharged MX-5 won the race, but they went for a retry nonetheless. The turbo Mazda Miata had a better start the second time, but it still didn't beat the supercharged MX-5.
Now for the times! The supercharged version won the day and finished in 13.7 seconds. The turbo MX-5 took home the silver, crossing the line in 14.5 seconds. The third-best variant completed the 1/4-mile race in 14.9 seconds, and finally, the basic version did it in 16.2 seconds.
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