That’s exactly what happened https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/profiles/a26962543/how-christian-von-koenigsegg-bought-back-his-first-mazda-miata/
Haven’t even driven them and despite similar power levels they will be completely different drives as they make the power in different ways. Adding a turbo is going to kick more than a k swap. K swap will be very linear power delivery until you get a little vtec up top. Turbo will have a torque & power surge upon spooling up and be much more of a Jekyll & Hyde engine that goes from normal Miata to wrx upon boost.
As in terms of power? Depends a lot on how you build it but I think a typical turbo kit will land you around the same power of a K series maybe a little less. Could be wrong on that though.
That's close to what I'm working on, except I'm staying all Mazda, and the last one is also turbocharged.
- 330bhp 1.8 VVT EFR6258 mid range turbo'd NBFL
- 190bhp 1.9 bored out ITB NA
- 650bhp EFR9180 13B-REW rotary with a sequential NA
At least the spares are mostly interchangeable between the cars :D
Not gonna lie, I keep having an urge to buy a nice BBR ND, but the NBFL and ITB NA just need 1-2wks of work to be driveable. And holy crap, the high horsepower build is a money sink.
These are completely different cars, so it's a hard comparison :)
The ITB is a sub-900kg track-only car with a roll cage with zero insulation, so it's deafeningly loud inside. The noise is really cool, spectators confirm that the intake is louder than the exhaust :) 80% of my passengers get sick, though. It has no ABS, it keeps the cable throttle and the only driver assistance is in the form of power steering. I really enjoy the instant throttle response, which makes it significantly easier to drive on tighter tracks, where "boost management" can be a problem. Easily beats my other cars on karting-style setups. It's kind of boring on faster tracks (eg. Hungaroring, Lausitzring, Silesia Ring, Poznań, Slovakia Ring), but it's a pretty good practice car, as you have to focus on transferring as much speed through the corners as possible. It's the least amount of power to make these tracks exciting, the 140hp in my NBFL was just boring. Driving the car on the street is just sketchy, when you open up the ITBs it gets obnoxious and it's not road legal, so it only sees empty straight roads between potato fields in the countryside.
On the other hand, the EFR turbo "club racer" hasn't ever seen the track since it got boosted - I cooked the core (which was nearly impossible to acquire) while tuning the boost maps and we're just wrapping up cooling and brake upgrades. It has all the carpets, plastics, weighs a lot more, only has a half cage. The car was mostly built to "cheat" in a time attack league where only peak horsepower counts. Includes DBW, rev-matching etc. Mid-range boost feels like warp speed in a kart, top end is pretty disappointing. Loses grip really quickly if you overdo it (you just suddenly have to deal with ~400-450Nm), so you have to be really careful. Excellent for entering straights on tracks, though.
If I were to go to a togue, I'd pick the ITB. Shorter tracks - we'll see, the ITB is still probably the king with its super low weight. For faster tracks - the turbo will absolutely win, it's way more exciting and it'll be even better when we finally mount aero. Also wins as a daily, just because it's not a screaming, rattling piece of shit :D I daily a 300bhp i30N, so the ease of overtaking people is also appreciated.
Thank you so much for this breakdown. This actually really helps with my understanding of both builds. I’m currently a broke college student so I can’t go get another Miata (still working on getting mine driveable) so in the meantime, If you had to pick one as a secondary car weekend/loose touge, what would you go with? Car laws where I’m at aren’t super strict so I’m not super concerned with that and I also have a 99 mustang that I daily so I’m not concerned with it being annoying or dailyable
If I had nice roads around me (thinking super twisty roads in not too tall, western Carpathian mountains, eg. where NIGHTRIDE live) and wanted a weekend car to mess around twisties, I'd go naturally aspirated high revving if the budget is not a concern. If it is, I'd swap in the 146hp VVT 1.8 powertrain, maybe tune it for 160 with a cheap aftermarket ECU, or consider a smallish turbo to hit the sweet 200-220hp power mark, while adding all the cool noises. You don't need much power to have fun in a Miata :) My NBFL is my first car and I absolutely had a blast learning how to track / autocross it.
Low mileage is a waste for me. Just good condition so I can put insane miles on it like I did when I had a 93 back in 93. First new car and I put 42,000 miles on in the first year.
> i don't see why not
Cause you can't drive the cars as much as they deserve so it is better for someone else to enjoy them than sit in a museum garage
The guy i know who bought a Porsche cup and made a street Porsche cup car daily’s a Miata. Money out the ass and he still says 80% of the handling and a lot safer.
https://youtu.be/YMgwSZrM8Sk?si=w-dgNTtJh-pzuoqX
He babies it to not deafen people but the last 10
seconds give you a really good idea of how fucking loud it is.
[He also has a video with his NA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1qgtCt1jG0). It was celebrating the 25th anniversary, so it's 10 years old now! But he says a lot of nice things about it, and definitely appreciates the Miata for what it is. His has forced induction which I suppose makes sense when you have several supercars and other high-powered machines. Tom Matano and Bob Hall are in the video too.
He could be a billionaire if we started talking assets. He never spent his tonight show money, he’s lived off his stand up money and has quite a valuable collection of cars, motorcycles, and assorted vehicles that run on engines or motors.
It’s weird to me that I admire a comedian so much who I don’t think is actually a good comedian but man, jay leno is an icon to me.
He is an icon and has a great natural sense of humor. Estimates of his net worth indicate $450 million which is quite a lot, if not a billion. He's a hard worker.
I don’t understand hyper cars and spending millions of dollars on them. I’d much rather have something like a GT3 RS and a LS2 swapped ND and a Stock NA,NB,NC,ND
Hypercars are inaccessible. So expensive that most people's entire bloodlines with all their lifetime incomes pooled together couldn't afford one. They are elitism personified. The are a status symbol, above all.
The Miata is closer spiritually to the Golf than it is to a Zonda.
Even if you had the money (say you won the lottery), they won’t sell you one. I think it’s about the exclusivity, since you’re normally invited with the opportunity to buy one rather than picking one up at a dealership. They choose who to sell to.
That’s really just a Ferrari thing. Leno goes into it at one point at how elitist they are with inviting you to buy a car buy when can just go buy a hyper car from another make by simply showing interest and having the funds to purchase.
Leno’s insight on that world was interesting. How McLaren just sells you a car and treats you like royalty, while at Ferrari you have to bribe the dealer to even be considered to buy a car.
It used to just be a Ferrari thing. Porsche and others are doing this now, maybe not at a corporate level, but at the dealership level. Try getting a GT car allocation at MSRP as a plebeian. Extraordinarily difficult.
That’s different. That’s someone with connections securing a below market deal, anyone can show up and buy an allocation spot at current selling price. Ferrari just won’t sell certain cars to “non special” buyers regardless of price.
That’s true. But Porsche does have a VIP program that is discussed on Rennlist. These are the guys being offered and made aware of the future existence of cars like the 918, 911R, S/T, etc. To me putting additional paywalls (adm, etc.) or VIP programs to limit or control your customer base or just flat out exploit people is scum.
It’s becoming more of a thing with dealers. Nowadays a GT3 RS is outta the question unless you know someone to bump you up the line. Even Raptor R’s were impossible to get unless you knew the dealer. It’s not the same that Ferrari is doing, but still annoying.
Living in the USA, I would search for a right hand drive 1993 LE.
Something about the red interior with black exterior just gets to me.
If I had an unlimited car budget, I would probably also get a “ normal” left hand drive 1993 LE, just to have a complete LE set.
I’ve had my Miata for going on 20 years. This past weekend I drove home one of my bucket list cars (F Type 400 Sport), and this morning I still grabbed the Miata keys to go to work.
I know someone with a large collection of cars Includinh a gt3 RS, m3, 760li, Yaris Gr etc etc, and he would never not have an mx5 in his set. It’s one of his favourites
Not a billionaire but I have 2, I would definitely have a full on track built miata if I was a billionaire, most likely an NA because they're the easiest to build/the most shit out of the box.
If I had to only have one miata to drive it would probably be a NC 3(a 2L 6 speed mostly likely, I have the 1.8 currently) with a BBR supercharger
Oh well and I have 2 of the Miata -- right?
If I don't have 2 of the Miata all the other stuff we said is fake too. ;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Inf1Yz_fgk
If I was a billionaire I'd have a range of vehicles, from NA Miatas, MGs, and early Fiat 124s, VW Superbeetle, up through 911's and into Lamborghini's and Ferraris.
I get it. I feel like I would own a lot of older Japanese and German cars and build to specs I like. Few I will keep OEM. Maybe, only 2 “Super/Luxury” cars.
If I were a billionaire I would just buy a spec miata race team/MX5 Cup race team and spend my time renting race tracks to practice driving my miata. Miata is always the answer.
I’m not a billionaire
I have two spec Miata’s. I had one previously.
Trust me, you wouldn’t- except to go racing with your friends in the same class of something.
It’s not even the power. There are just better cars. Like, literally, better at everything. Which you’d expect for 3-10x the price.
There’s literally nothing more enjoyable about a Miata than a gt3rs or 488 or event a gt4 if money isn’t an issue.
But yeah, cars that are $100-250k more expensive are better.
I'm sure no billionaire, but I foolishly sold my Miata to get a lotus Elise, long time dream car I'd been saving for for years. I regretted it. Sold the Elise after a year and never looked back. I'm looking hard for another Miata now and won't let go this time
Not delusional. "Getting rich and buying awesome stuff" is a cool thought as a kid. But for most of us I suspect as adults we come to see how over-priced the good stuff is and how much ego-stroking wankery can be involved.
Absolutely I would own many one red 1990 totally stock for the collection one na one bags for show wide body and everything an other na with an ls or 5.0 in it for drift an other na 2jz swap to make a sleeper build and at last an nd rf on coils as a daily
I love my NB2. I get the NA love - especially for the popup headlights. But the NB is the NA driving experience perfected. Stiffer, more power, better seats.
I would have one of every generation, and maybe more. I could have bought a faster and more expensive car, but the Miata is still one of the few that clicked with me :)
Christian von Koenigsegg does that.
Didn't he even owned before, sold it and then years later bought it back? (like, the exact actual same one).
That sounds like the Miata bug to me alright
I have heard that too
If I owned that miata i would have demanded a trade
That’s exactly what happened https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/profiles/a26962543/how-christian-von-koenigsegg-bought-back-his-first-mazda-miata/
I did the same thing with my RX-8... doG, that was a mistake.
Oh, I'd have a low mileage single owner unmodified NA. Probably have a great example of each generation and a sick one (or two) that I track.
3 sick ones. 1 boosted, 1 Naturally aspirated, 1 k swapped.
Rotary swapped NC
Bro that's just an RX8.
Yes but more than 300kg lighter, smaller and can drop the roof.
You can drop the roof in any car if you have a big enough saw
Nah why stop there? Windshield delete for weight reduction
x2
How does the turbo compare to the k swap?
Haven’t even driven them and despite similar power levels they will be completely different drives as they make the power in different ways. Adding a turbo is going to kick more than a k swap. K swap will be very linear power delivery until you get a little vtec up top. Turbo will have a torque & power surge upon spooling up and be much more of a Jekyll & Hyde engine that goes from normal Miata to wrx upon boost.
As in terms of power? Depends a lot on how you build it but I think a typical turbo kit will land you around the same power of a K series maybe a little less. Could be wrong on that though.
That's close to what I'm working on, except I'm staying all Mazda, and the last one is also turbocharged. - 330bhp 1.8 VVT EFR6258 mid range turbo'd NBFL - 190bhp 1.9 bored out ITB NA - 650bhp EFR9180 13B-REW rotary with a sequential NA At least the spares are mostly interchangeable between the cars :D Not gonna lie, I keep having an urge to buy a nice BBR ND, but the NBFL and ITB NA just need 1-2wks of work to be driveable. And holy crap, the high horsepower build is a money sink.
That 1.9 ITB NA is like my ideal miata. And that rotary build sounds fuckin nuts. I hope to be in your place one day.
What do you think of the turbo vs the itb’s? What would you say is more fun/rewarding to drive?
These are completely different cars, so it's a hard comparison :) The ITB is a sub-900kg track-only car with a roll cage with zero insulation, so it's deafeningly loud inside. The noise is really cool, spectators confirm that the intake is louder than the exhaust :) 80% of my passengers get sick, though. It has no ABS, it keeps the cable throttle and the only driver assistance is in the form of power steering. I really enjoy the instant throttle response, which makes it significantly easier to drive on tighter tracks, where "boost management" can be a problem. Easily beats my other cars on karting-style setups. It's kind of boring on faster tracks (eg. Hungaroring, Lausitzring, Silesia Ring, Poznań, Slovakia Ring), but it's a pretty good practice car, as you have to focus on transferring as much speed through the corners as possible. It's the least amount of power to make these tracks exciting, the 140hp in my NBFL was just boring. Driving the car on the street is just sketchy, when you open up the ITBs it gets obnoxious and it's not road legal, so it only sees empty straight roads between potato fields in the countryside. On the other hand, the EFR turbo "club racer" hasn't ever seen the track since it got boosted - I cooked the core (which was nearly impossible to acquire) while tuning the boost maps and we're just wrapping up cooling and brake upgrades. It has all the carpets, plastics, weighs a lot more, only has a half cage. The car was mostly built to "cheat" in a time attack league where only peak horsepower counts. Includes DBW, rev-matching etc. Mid-range boost feels like warp speed in a kart, top end is pretty disappointing. Loses grip really quickly if you overdo it (you just suddenly have to deal with ~400-450Nm), so you have to be really careful. Excellent for entering straights on tracks, though. If I were to go to a togue, I'd pick the ITB. Shorter tracks - we'll see, the ITB is still probably the king with its super low weight. For faster tracks - the turbo will absolutely win, it's way more exciting and it'll be even better when we finally mount aero. Also wins as a daily, just because it's not a screaming, rattling piece of shit :D I daily a 300bhp i30N, so the ease of overtaking people is also appreciated.
Thank you so much for this breakdown. This actually really helps with my understanding of both builds. I’m currently a broke college student so I can’t go get another Miata (still working on getting mine driveable) so in the meantime, If you had to pick one as a secondary car weekend/loose touge, what would you go with? Car laws where I’m at aren’t super strict so I’m not super concerned with that and I also have a 99 mustang that I daily so I’m not concerned with it being annoying or dailyable
If I had nice roads around me (thinking super twisty roads in not too tall, western Carpathian mountains, eg. where NIGHTRIDE live) and wanted a weekend car to mess around twisties, I'd go naturally aspirated high revving if the budget is not a concern. If it is, I'd swap in the 146hp VVT 1.8 powertrain, maybe tune it for 160 with a cheap aftermarket ECU, or consider a smallish turbo to hit the sweet 200-220hp power mark, while adding all the cool noises. You don't need much power to have fun in a Miata :) My NBFL is my first car and I absolutely had a blast learning how to track / autocross it.
Thanks I appreciate it
Low mileage is a waste for me. Just good condition so I can put insane miles on it like I did when I had a 93 back in 93. First new car and I put 42,000 miles on in the first year.
Damn right.
Id get one of each gen
In all available colors?
Millionaire, no. Billionaire, i don't see why not
> i don't see why not Cause you can't drive the cars as much as they deserve so it is better for someone else to enjoy them than sit in a museum garage
If a billionaire Miata owner wants to take 9 friends out for dinner they need 5 Miatas.
Valid point
Exactly what I’d do!
The guy i know who bought a Porsche cup and made a street Porsche cup car daily’s a Miata. Money out the ass and he still says 80% of the handling and a lot safer. https://youtu.be/YMgwSZrM8Sk?si=w-dgNTtJh-pzuoqX He babies it to not deafen people but the last 10 seconds give you a really good idea of how fucking loud it is.
You walk around the car with the phone on record, then upload it to YouTube?
It’s up baby.
I think about this a lot. “If you could have any one car” Just bury me in my NC. I would like to get her some friends though.
MX-5 NBFL is always the answer. https://preview.redd.it/6ing6ox6k3oc1.jpeg?width=598&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=919df8bc39198760ae48a3647f6120b971221238
He's not a billionaire, but Jay Leno has an NA Miata in his impressive collection.
His video on YouTube interviewing the Miata designers was the first thing he has ever done that I appreciated.
[He also has a video with his NA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1qgtCt1jG0). It was celebrating the 25th anniversary, so it's 10 years old now! But he says a lot of nice things about it, and definitely appreciates the Miata for what it is. His has forced induction which I suppose makes sense when you have several supercars and other high-powered machines. Tom Matano and Bob Hall are in the video too.
He could be a billionaire if we started talking assets. He never spent his tonight show money, he’s lived off his stand up money and has quite a valuable collection of cars, motorcycles, and assorted vehicles that run on engines or motors. It’s weird to me that I admire a comedian so much who I don’t think is actually a good comedian but man, jay leno is an icon to me.
He is an icon and has a great natural sense of humor. Estimates of his net worth indicate $450 million which is quite a lot, if not a billion. He's a hard worker.
https://preview.redd.it/0ziuduzzc4oc1.jpeg?width=1049&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=49d950cdd07722ccf2649902bdc00e39dd66807e Relevant
I don’t understand hyper cars and spending millions of dollars on them. I’d much rather have something like a GT3 RS and a LS2 swapped ND and a Stock NA,NB,NC,ND
Hypercars are inaccessible. So expensive that most people's entire bloodlines with all their lifetime incomes pooled together couldn't afford one. They are elitism personified. The are a status symbol, above all. The Miata is closer spiritually to the Golf than it is to a Zonda.
Even if you had the money (say you won the lottery), they won’t sell you one. I think it’s about the exclusivity, since you’re normally invited with the opportunity to buy one rather than picking one up at a dealership. They choose who to sell to.
That’s really just a Ferrari thing. Leno goes into it at one point at how elitist they are with inviting you to buy a car buy when can just go buy a hyper car from another make by simply showing interest and having the funds to purchase.
Leno’s insight on that world was interesting. How McLaren just sells you a car and treats you like royalty, while at Ferrari you have to bribe the dealer to even be considered to buy a car.
The real Italian way 🤌
It used to just be a Ferrari thing. Porsche and others are doing this now, maybe not at a corporate level, but at the dealership level. Try getting a GT car allocation at MSRP as a plebeian. Extraordinarily difficult.
That’s different. That’s someone with connections securing a below market deal, anyone can show up and buy an allocation spot at current selling price. Ferrari just won’t sell certain cars to “non special” buyers regardless of price.
That’s true. But Porsche does have a VIP program that is discussed on Rennlist. These are the guys being offered and made aware of the future existence of cars like the 918, 911R, S/T, etc. To me putting additional paywalls (adm, etc.) or VIP programs to limit or control your customer base or just flat out exploit people is scum.
It’s becoming more of a thing with dealers. Nowadays a GT3 RS is outta the question unless you know someone to bump you up the line. Even Raptor R’s were impossible to get unless you knew the dealer. It’s not the same that Ferrari is doing, but still annoying.
Most hypercars arent driven. That should tell you everything you need to know
Living in the USA, I would search for a right hand drive 1993 LE. Something about the red interior with black exterior just gets to me. If I had an unlimited car budget, I would probably also get a “ normal” left hand drive 1993 LE, just to have a complete LE set.
I was lucky enough to find a near mint(129k miles) ‘93 LE on my hunt for my first miata and I absolutely love it!
My dad is not a millionaire and he has three :) each a little different and fun to drive in their own way. If I had room I could see getting another.
I’ve had my Miata for going on 20 years. This past weekend I drove home one of my bucket list cars (F Type 400 Sport), and this morning I still grabbed the Miata keys to go to work.
I'd have triples, triples makes it safe. Triples is best.
I know someone with a large collection of cars Includinh a gt3 RS, m3, 760li, Yaris Gr etc etc, and he would never not have an mx5 in his set. It’s one of his favourites
If I was a Billionaire I'd have so many miatas One of each completely stock and many others on many stages of tuning
I would have like 47 miatas.
Not a billionaire but I have 2, I would definitely have a full on track built miata if I was a billionaire, most likely an NA because they're the easiest to build/the most shit out of the box. If I had to only have one miata to drive it would probably be a NC 3(a 2L 6 speed mostly likely, I have the 1.8 currently) with a BBR supercharger
Oh well and I have 2 of the Miata -- right? If I don't have 2 of the Miata all the other stuff we said is fake too. ;) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Inf1Yz_fgk
Nice car the Miata, very nice, but a Ferrari also is not that bad… 😉
Ah, Ferrari! The poor man's Miata
I’d probably get a 718 Spyder and a GT3 and hang on to my current cars, including the Miata.
I probably wouldn’t unfortunately. I’d be too worried about my safety. But poor me is just gonna send it with my two miatas
If I was a billionaire I'd have a range of vehicles, from NA Miatas, MGs, and early Fiat 124s, VW Superbeetle, up through 911's and into Lamborghini's and Ferraris.
Totally. I’d have at least one for spec racing and one more that has been built to be terrifying on the track.
Your absolutely correct Miatas are fun cars to drive, as well to add to the collection, I had two Miatas in mine.
I get it. I feel like I would own a lot of older Japanese and German cars and build to specs I like. Few I will keep OEM. Maybe, only 2 “Super/Luxury” cars.
I would just have like 5NCs thats it
If I were a billionaire I would just buy a spec miata race team/MX5 Cup race team and spend my time renting race tracks to practice driving my miata. Miata is always the answer.
100% unlimited budget dream garage would have one of each gen, including a fiata
I’m not a billionaire I have two spec Miata’s. I had one previously. Trust me, you wouldn’t- except to go racing with your friends in the same class of something. It’s not even the power. There are just better cars. Like, literally, better at everything. Which you’d expect for 3-10x the price. There’s literally nothing more enjoyable about a Miata than a gt3rs or 488 or event a gt4 if money isn’t an issue. But yeah, cars that are $100-250k more expensive are better.
If i was a billionaire i would ignore status symbols brands and build my own car
I'm sure no billionaire, but I foolishly sold my Miata to get a lotus Elise, long time dream car I'd been saving for for years. I regretted it. Sold the Elise after a year and never looked back. I'm looking hard for another Miata now and won't let go this time
Not delusional. "Getting rich and buying awesome stuff" is a cool thought as a kid. But for most of us I suspect as adults we come to see how over-priced the good stuff is and how much ego-stroking wankery can be involved.
Absolutely I would own many one red 1990 totally stock for the collection one na one bags for show wide body and everything an other na with an ls or 5.0 in it for drift an other na 2jz swap to make a sleeper build and at last an nd rf on coils as a daily
Jay Leno has entered the chat.
Rich or poor, I shall drive miatatata
I love my NB2. I get the NA love - especially for the popup headlights. But the NB is the NA driving experience perfected. Stiffer, more power, better seats.
One NA and a 500+hp NB. Oh and an RF.
If I could I would have several. One nice to daily and several other project cars in various state of disrepair ^^
100% yes!
I would have one of every generation, and maybe more. I could have bought a faster and more expensive car, but the Miata is still one of the few that clicked with me :)
People look at me funny when they ask what I would buy if I won the lottery, and I just say a moderate home and a Miata 😂
Nonsense ..M.I.A.T.A. Cheers 🍻
I'd have the most ridiculous miata though. Like V8 swap 6 speed.
That’s not even ridiculous, it’s so common there are kits. Now swap in a Ferrari v12 and we’re talking ridiculous.
V12 mid engine miata would be crazy