A few years back, when the Miata nameplate was relatively new, someone got the bright idea to drop a 5.0L Ford V8 into one... and then they made a kit, the Monster Miata. But that just wouldn't do for a Concept Car...
But dropping a Mazda Rotary engine, from an RX8 would make sense...
The stock Miata MX-5 is powered by a 167hp I4 engine. It makes about 140 lb-ft of torque and redlines at 7200rpm. The RX-8 rotary, on the other hand, makes 232hp and 159 lb-ft torque and redlines at 9000rpm. More importantly, the rotary has tremendous power potential... But even stock, the power bump would be significant. The RX-8 weighs in at about 3300 pounds and does 0-60 in about 6.6 seconds. The Miata, meanwhile, clocks in 6.9 seconds 0-60... but only weighs in at 2400 pounds. I would expect that a rotary powered Miata would turn in about a 4.8 second 0-60 time...
With a slight horsepower bump, as well as a few beefier components, this would be a VERY attractive car for Mazda. There aren't that many cars that have this type of power/weight ratio. We are talking about Corvette territory...
Toss in some nice racing buckets, a few carbon fiber accents, lower stance and slightly larger (and lower profile) tires. That would be a winning package. It would just about be production ready...
British Racing Green with a Saddle interior, please...
Related articles
- 2012 Mazda Miata MX-5 may get a rotary engine. (ridelust.com)
- Mazda developing 300+hp rotary RX-9 coupe (pinkbananaworld.com)
Cool Concept Cars from LaneBailey.com
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