Imagine for a second you’re cruising down a back road in your brand new Miata, enjoying the wind flowing through your hair, the hum of the engine encouraging you to apply more and more throttle. Being the typical hot shot you are, you oblige, when suddenly a bright red C7 Corvette comes screaming around you in the passing lane like he’s not even trying. We’ve all been there. Well now Flyin’ Miata is working on a solution to stop that from happening.
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It was only a matter of time before Bill, Keith and the other genius fabricators at Flyin’ Miata crammed a V8 into the new ND-generation Miata. The team pulled the stock motor out of one of their in-house cars to do some measurements and testing for other parts, but since the engine bay was empty, they decided to check clearance for a V8. They started with a plastic block used for these exact types of things, but the motor fit so well they decided to move a little further.
Using one of the LS3 crate motors they have in the shop, already bolted up to a transmission, the lowered the Miata down to find that it fits almost perfectly. There will need to be almost no modifications to the chassis; far less than is required for the NA generation cars. To kick things up one more notch, Flyin’ Miata was also able to snag a new LT1 crate engine from a local Chevy dealer to see how that fits. The 430 hp LS3 is already an incredible motor, but the direct injected, LT1 with its 460 horsepower is an even more impressive beast.
It is important to keep in mind that they are not actually building a V8 ND yet. This is all just testing and measuring. That said, the moment any customer shows up and drops down a deposit, they won’t hesitate a moment to start making one for real. Flyin’ Miata’s NC V8 car is one of the best cars I have ever driven. Considering how much of an improvement the standard Miata was from 2015 to 2016, this new V8 car should be nothing short of magical.
Keep your eyes here at AutoTalk.com for more updates.
Additional reporting and words by Taylor Steger
Photos from Flyin’ Miata
A beautiful car inside and out…lovely to drive, and now with over 400hp. Just wonderful