Ignorant and curious
 

Hi all. After recently pricing out an Exocet build, I decided to look into learning about and perhaps picking up a used V8 Miata. I'm curious to learn about the handling dynamics and the general track-ability of these cars. I want a car that is streetable but also a balanced and predictable car on the track.

Feel welcome to offer comments and insights about whether a well sorted V8 Miata fits the bill!

Thanks.

Best street car I have ever driven....Hands down.

I don't have much experience in an exocet so I can't speak from comparison, but I have driven a lot of cars and the miata really takes the cake from them all.

I'm in northeast PA, zip 18643, and just finishing putting my V-8 Miata back together. If you want to come by and have a look, feel free to let me know. It's being built as a street toy and a track day car but with a full rollcage, it probably leans more to the track. I have a 14 mile drive to work every day and plan to commute with it at least a few days each week!

Thank you for the offer! If I only I was a bit closer (I'm in the Hudson Valley).

That is a nice, easy 2.5 hour drive from your area to his, wait for a day it is not snowing and you'll enjoy the scenery. I've gone the opposite just for breakfast with friends in Kingston, NY when I was living in Kingston, PA. Really is not that long of a drive if you think about it. Plus, plenty of great roads in the Exeter area to go for a ride.


Bill S

I recently sold my V8 Miata I built 5 years ago. I built the car to compete with the C5 Corvettes that seem to be the go-to HPDE car right now. I figured if I could match the initial cost, on road comfort, and on track performance of a C5 I'd end up with a track toy that has much lower running and insurance costs and also can be parked on the street without drawing the attention of a Corvette. With the exception of street MPG's I think I meet my goals. The C5 "can" get 25 - 30 MPG on your way to the track where my V8 running off a Megasquirt 2 with batch injection could never to 15. On the track my mileage was slightly better than the C5 guys (4.5 mpg or so to 4 mpg, not a big deal at all). As far as running cost go the V8 Miata beat them hands down with track tires under $160 each and brake pads at $120 or so an axle.

Here's a link to the sale ad from when it was still for sale:


https://www.v8miata.net/cars-sale-4/...18-500-a-2888/

It has a few videos of the car on track. The only thing I could not consistently pass were Porsche's and Ariel Atoms. The only real disadvantage I felt on a track day with a V8 Miata is that some people will obnoxiously not let you pass even when you hang on their bumper and fill their mirrors for 2 or more laps. I had this with every group I ran with, not just the one in the videos. I think it has something to do with somehow thinking its insulting to get passed in your BMW or race-prepped S2000 by a dinky Miata.

BTW, the total build cost for what you see in the videos (minus the hardtop and track tires/wheels) was under $19,000 including the donor 1994 Laguna. Sale prices of similar Ford or GM powered examples that I would trust on the track range from $15k to $30K. If you go with a Ford, which may be the less expensive option, make sure it was actually built to take the abuse of track driving. A 25 year old pull out 5.0 engine is not going to last long at a track day. The engine was the single highest cost in the car because it was hand built to spin at 6500 rpm's (It came in at $6K in parts alone). The factory build of a LSx engine is much better than a factory Ford Windsor 5.0 so I would not worry as much although the LSx builds are at the higher end of the spectrum cost wise.

Good luck,

-Jason