Yahoo Autos Flyin' Miata's V8-Swapped 2016 MX-5 Is Alive With 525 Horsepower
As soon as the fourth-generation ND Miata hit the streets, the mad scientists at Flyin' Miata were all over it, figuring out a way to cram a GM V8 between the lovely little roadster's wheelwells.
By January, they'd gotten the basics figured out. And today, it's all buttoned up and ready to rock. Feast your eyes on the 525-horsepower V8 MX-5 Miata.
When we spoke with Flyin' Miata's Keith Tanner back in January, he told us that the ND V8 swap was shaping up to be a little easier than NA, NB and NC projects-mainly thanks to the ND's roomier engine bay. As with most modern engine swaps, it still wasn't easy.
Of course, the upgrades don't stop with the engine. That honking GM LS3 is connected to a six-speed T56 Tremec manual transmission, spinning a Camaro SS differential. And check out the Corvette-style exhaust, with twin mufflers laid laterally behind the bumper cover. Fabricator Kyle Tigar got the drivetrain and exhaust to tuck under the factory hood and under the Miata's floor like it was there from the factory.
The car weighs in at 2592 lbs, ready to drive with a full tank of gas, with 53.4-percent front, 46.6-percent rear weight distribution. That compares mighty favorably to the 2328 lbs and 52:48 distribution of the stock car.
We've reached out to Tanner to find out more details about the car, and we'll report back with all the nitty gritty. In the meanwhile, maybe start scraping together funds for your ND Miata swap-Tanner told us back in January that having the conversion done at his shop should cost a smidge less than $50,000.
