Flyin’ Miata Injects Some Juice into the Mazda MX-5

Anyone who drove a new Mazda MX-5 can tell you the sleek roadster is one of the most enjoyable, brand-new vehicles on the road. Its steering is responsive, the car weighs pretty much nothing and it can go around corners at impressive speeds.

However, power isn’t THAT impressive. While the 2.0-litre engine likes to rev, there comes a time when the owner might want a little more juice to pass on the highway.

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This is where the tuners come into play. They add performance parts to the list every day, and Flyin’ Miata just released a complete kit that has a lot of potential.

The shop starts with a bone-stock 2016 or 2017 Mazda MX-5; they then promptly remove its four-cylinder engine, differential and gearbox and replace them with a Chevrolet 6.2-litre LS3 V8 and a six-speed manual transmission. The base version has 430 horsepower, but Flyin’ Miata can sell you a 525-horsepower version. And there is even more power available; GM’s LS architecture is one of the easiest to add power to.

Flyin’ Miata uses as much OEM parts as possible to help owners with maintenance. The electric steering is replaced with a hydraulic one, and pretty much every single original function of the MX-5 (A/C, radio, locks) works as intended… apart from the traction control; the poor thing couldn’t comprehend the sudden surge of power, so it had to be removed. The final result is only 113 kilos heavier than a stock MX-5, and the weight balance that is so important to the roadster was maintained.

The V8 conversion kit for the Mazda MX-5 ND starts at USD$49,995, excluding the price of an MX-5 itself.