In Praise of Single-Mindedness

"Zachary Oberle" (zacharyoberle) 08/26/2016 at 12:20 • Filed to: Gotta Go Fast, Flyin Miata

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In 2016, most cars that are marketed as hard-core performance vehicles are actually very well-rounded. The Chevy Corvette, the BMW M3, the Porsche 911; all of these legendary cars and many more have grown larger, softer, and more packed with gizmos than ever before. Sure, you can get a very pure driving experience out of something like a Mazda Miata or Scion FR-S, but what if you want some horsepower as well? What if you have a need for speed? What then?

If such are your desires as a car-buyer then you’ll soon find yourself cast adrift in a sea of overly-complex GT land-missiles masquerading as legitimate driver’s cars. If you buy a new car with serious power it will almost always come with strings attached. Only in the realm of exotic cars can you obtain a truly high-powered sports-car; which is great for the wealthy, but what about we less well-funded gear-heads?

There are, thankfully, several solutions. A few of the OEMs who are guilty of fattening up their sports-car specials have introduced smaller, tighter new models that offer a much purer driving experience. Many an automotive journalist will !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! that cars like the BMW M2 and the Porsche Cayman can be a lot more fun to drive than their larger, more powerful siblings.

Simply buying an older car can solve the problem as well. However, then you start to miss out on the benefits of the horsepower wars that have been going on for the past 15 years or so. Modern technology can be of great aid to driving purists, but most of the OEMs simply aren’t willing to make the necessary compromises for a truly visceral automotive experience.

Another option is to dive into the world of modified cars. While there are near infinite solutions to go-fast problems in the performance after-market it is also a roiling cauldron of misinformation and general dumbassery. Navigating all the forums, tech articles, and video guides dedicated to tuning can be a truly soul-sucking trial.

There is, however, light at the end of the tuner tunnel. Even more encouraging are all the wonderful little hot-rodding shops that are sprinkled across the USA. Each one of them will be more than happy to guide you. Today, we’ll be peering behind the curtain into one of the best of them: Flyin Miata .

These guys build the turn-key automotive equivalent of “ !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .” Sanic is fun, and funny, because the only thing that matters to him is going fast. Neither a failing grasp on the English language nor a total inability to draw anything remotely coherent will get in his way. Sanic goes fast. Always.

This is precisely how it feels to drive one of these:

V8 Miatas are available in many configurations. You can start with a second generation “NB” Miata or even a first generation “NA” model. The basic 5.3 liter LS engine will effortlessly kick out 350 horsepower and can be had on the cheap. V8 conversion parts are available in kit form and confident amateur mechanics could work their way through the project with little trouble, especially when aided by Flyin’ Miata’s extensive customer support.

At the other end of the scale is Flyin’ Miata’s brand new fourth-generation “ND” development mule. This car has only been together for a few weeks and it already works extremely well. It contains a brand new LS376 crate engine that is good for a frighteningly robust 525 horsepower.

Flyin’ Miata’s V8 conversions are the antithesis of cars like the Nissan GT-R. Whereas Godzilla’s low-speed driving experience is widely considered dull and numb, a V8 Miata will make your hair stand on end at 45mph. This is what I meant when I said that !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and while I find the new ND’s angry-puppy face a bit inappropriate for the car in stock form, it works perfectly with the V8 conversion.

Bill Cardell, the man behind these monsters, told me that he would be quite happy to drive one of them for the rest of his life without ever revving it up past 2000 RPM. They are just that much fun to putter around in.

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Now here’s some politics I can get behind!

Upon further inspection though, the “Sanic” analogy starts to break down. There’s more to this car than speed. Despite being very early in development, the ND V8 is shockingly cohesive. The factory gauges work, there’s no weird NVH, the standard nav unit has amusing custom graphics, body roll is perfectly controlled, and the stiff little chassis absorbs road imperfections better than it has any right to.

All of this combines to make for a ridiculously fun automobile. It’s fun to sit in, it’s fun to be seen in, it’s fun to park next to a Prius, it’s fun to have dudes come running up to you asking what’s under the hood. It’s even more fun to reply:

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Martini livery?

Martini livery!

You can keep your Corvettes! If you ask me, the best use for a big-ass American V8 is cramming it into the smallest import sports-car you can manage; always has been.

DynamicWeight > Zachary Oberle 08/26/2016 at 12:30

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Aren’t we getting into a price issue with a turn-key ND? I mean, the NA turn key cars were already 40-50 and that was with a practically free NA chassis. So a turn-key ND should be more like 80k?

Also, great news hearing they’ve gotten the NDV8 up and running. I have to look into this more.

Zachary Oberle > DynamicWeight 08/26/2016 at 15:56

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Yes, of course, a brand new turn-key LS3 ND would be quite expensive to acquire. This is why I mentioned all the various options for putting a V8 Miata together. It could cost you as little as $20K, or even less, with an older chassis, some salvage parts, and doing the labor yourself. As has been well-reported on Oppo , an all-aluminum LS engine can cost as little as $1200. If you don’t care about luxuries such as air conditioning these builds can become incredibly cheap.

You can scale it up from there, getting a more advanced V8, fancier suspension/wheel/tire/brake options, creature comforts, a newer chassis, and so on. You can basically get nicer and nicer V8 Miatas in $5000 intervals from under $20K up to $80K or even more if you are a bit nuts.

I could probably have driven one of the older, cheaper, simpler builds that Flyin’ Miata had in the shop that day, but when the owner asks you which one you want to try, you go for the newest, fastest, craziest one, right!?

DynamicWeight > Zachary Oberle 08/26/2016 at 16:27

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As a big fan of Mazda, and the owner of a 93 with Flyin Miata bits sprinkled into it, I can, without hesitation (but many commas) say I am firmly in your camp. The idea of the NDV8 is hugely exciting.

I am also hugely jealous that you got to drive it. You did not mention that in your article. Perhaps one day I will be so fortunate.

Zachary Oberle > DynamicWeight 08/26/2016 at 16:30

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I didn’t want to brag, and I only babied it back to the shop from our lunch spot. I took my shoes off and everything, was terrified of hurting it. I floored it just one time in second gear upon Bill’s insistence. It was far from a comprehensive driving experience and I figured that mentioning my drive wouldn’t add much to the article itself.

Also, Bill and Teri (the co-owners) are incredibly warm, friendly, and generous. If you ever made it out to Palisade, Colorado some day I think you could at least score yourself a passenger-seat experience.

DynamicWeight > Zachary Oberle 08/26/2016 at 16:35

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Well if he would ever like it to be rung out till it’s spun out vigorously tested, let him know I will accept the burden. After all, we can’t go selling these things to unsuspecting gentlemen and ladies untested now can we?

Zachary Oberle > DynamicWeight 08/26/2016 at 16:37

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Haha! Somehow, I think Bill and Teri are in no shortage of folks who would be very, very willing to “test” their products.

DynamicWeight > Zachary Oberle 08/26/2016 at 16:57

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Yeah, but all those people are probably good drivers who are careful with expensive things that aren’t theirs. I bring almost no driving skill and a seemingly reckless enthusiasm. What test could be better?

All kidding aside, I really do agree with what you’ve written. It’s really obnoxious that more and more frequently larger engines are being saddled with “premium features”. I guess folks like Flyin Miata are doing what they can to fill the niche. It is kind of sad to hear about the days when manufacturers were seemingly less concerned with the bottom line and more concerned with their passion. Days I didn’t get to be a part of.

Or maybe not, I guess that’s the point you’re making. The aftermarket is the new frontier for speed. Let the bean counters create the platforms, and then the after market can coax incredible speed and handling from them.

Zachary Oberle > DynamicWeight 08/26/2016 at 17:02

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Exactly! The high-end after-market tuners are really getting into new territory. Flyin’ Miata in particular almost feels like an early-days AMG to me. They are really approaching OEM quality with their builds, the cars are just so solid they seem to have been mass-produced.

The after-market guys just don’t have the limitations of an OEM. It is very much a case of have your cake and eat it too.

LongbowMkII > Zachary Oberle 08/26/2016 at 17:45

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If you want high power, relatively low cost and zero compromises, I have three letters for you.

A.C.R.

Zachary Oberle > LongbowMkII 08/26/2016 at 17:52

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Viper ACR? The American College of Radiology? I’m afraid your reference is too obscure for me.

With-a-G is back to not having anything written after his username > LongbowMkII 08/26/2016 at 18:17

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Chasaboo > Zachary Oberle 08/26/2016 at 18:29

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Here’s my answer, ZL1.

Zachary Oberle > Chasaboo 08/26/2016 at 19:24

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Fair enough, you could never accuse the ZL1 of not being hard-core.

That said, I think the fifth-gen Camaro is too big, too heavy, and too hard to see out of. The ZL1 version is too expensive because it needed so many high-tech solutions to a problem that shouldn’t exist:

How do you control a 4100 pound performance car?

The ZL1's Brembo brakes and magnetic ride control are technological marvels, but would they have been necessary if the car wasn’t so damn heavy?

Plus, it looks like something Michael Bay would have designed to maximize merchandising potential for kid’s toys. I can see the appeal, but it definitely isn’t for me.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > Zachary Oberle 08/26/2016 at 22:02

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Does the FM kit still allow a Windsor motor to be used like the original? I’d think a 350hp 5.0 would be insanely fun in that car, without being insane.

Zachary Oberle > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 08/26/2016 at 22:47

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I’ll ask for you!

Sai Namuduri > LongbowMkII 08/26/2016 at 23:49

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It’s also DOUBLE the price of this thing. What with markups and all.

Less well-heeled, remember?

jimmyjet > Zachary Oberle 08/27/2016 at 12:43

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I cannot tell you how great it was (and remains) as a customer to work with a guy like Bill Cardell. I bought their Hydra turbo kit for my 91 Miata back in 2009. Their work is turn-key reliable and they have excellent customer support.

Zachary Oberle > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 08/28/2016 at 02:30

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Yea, turns out Flyin’ Miata never did a Windsor swap, that was a different company. They’ve always been %100 LS. Also, the Windsor is getting pretty old and was never bullet-proof reliable in the first place.

A 4.8 or 5.3 liter LS engine is just about as cheap as a Windsor and hits that 300-350 horsepower sweet spot perfectly. Unless you are a die-hard Ford guy there’s just no reason to go after the Windsor swap.

CNaylor > Zachary Oberle 09/06/2016 at 13:09

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It’s Sonic... not Sanic... the Hedgehog.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Zachary Oberle 09/06/2016 at 18:08

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Engine/trans combo for the Windsor weighs less usually.

Zachary Oberle > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 09/06/2016 at 20:19

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Fair enough, though most of those weight savings are from the fairly anemic T-5 transmission as compared to the beefy T-56 you’d use with an LS.

Also, aren’t all-aluminum Windsor longblocks quite rare? Ford put the iron block Windsor in everything, but as far as I know the all-alloy variant is an uncommon beast found only in old Cobra Mustangs and such. Whereas all-aluminum 5.3 liter LS4 engines are quite easy to find. GM made tons of them for those stupid front wheel drive V8 setups they did in Impalas and other crap like that.

I still give the cost/weight/power/packaging advantage to the LS, simply on the basis that it is easy to find an all-alloy LS in a junkyard. You could spend years trying to chance upon an aluminum Windsor. That or spend serious cash on an after-market block.

Not to mention that you’ll struggle with accessory location on the Windsor. Accessory relocation brackets for the LS are an entire after-market unto themselves. Even if you don’t care about air conditioning, it can be tough to get your PS pump, alternator, and water pump to all live happily on the front of the engine.

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > Zachary Oberle 09/13/2016 at 19:54

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I’m not totally sure you can use the FWD 5.3's in a RWD application, their casting would seem like it would be different enough to make that swap impractical. There are, however, a bunch of Al 5.3's that were installed in RWD/AWD trucks. Granted they will take a bit of work to make them behave non-trucklike, but less than adapting a FWD engine to RWD.

Zachary Oberle > e36Jeff now drives a ZHP 09/14/2016 at 03:42

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Yeaaa, I’ve looked into it since making that comment. There are a few minor issues with the LS4 and one major one. The primary sticking point is the starter. The LS4 is highly dependent on GM’s 4T65E FWD transmission. The starter is mounted to the transmission and there are zero provisions for mounting the starter on the engine block.

In theory a custom bell-housing for a T-56 would fix this issue and you could work around everything else. In practice, that would be so expensive that it would wipe out any cost savings from going with the LS4 and then some.

It’s a damn shame. The LS4 would otherwise have fantastic swap potential. Oh well, I suppose that just means you need to find a sweet old DeLorean or some other mid-engined project so you can use the transverse layout and still get RWD.

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > Zachary Oberle 09/14/2016 at 13:51

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But then you are stuck with a 4-speed automatic that isn’t particularly good.

Zachary Oberle > e36Jeff now drives a ZHP 09/15/2016 at 01:49

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Damn you! Stop poking holes in my V8 DeLorean fantasies what with your facts and logic and whatnot!

Sad as it is to say, it seems there isn’t really much use for the bajillions of LS4 engines that will be littering junk yards in the near future. That is, unless some ridiculously ballsy after-market company steps in with a seriously comprehensive conversion kit.

Woe is me.

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > Zachary Oberle 09/15/2016 at 12:06

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Not poking holes, just trying to lead you to better options. The engine in the DeLorean is longitudinal anyway, so you can slap in just about any SBC that isn’t the LS4.