You want to know the fastest way to stop all of those “Miatas are for hairdressers” jokes? V8 swap. Small-block Ford, GM LS, blown Hemi (there has to be one somewhere!), I don’t care. If the basic concept of the Miata was to be a testament to the classic British roadster, a V8 swapped Miata is right in line with what Carroll Shelby did to the otherwise homely AC Ace: tiny roadster body, proper amounts of torque, and the constant concern that every time you blink at the gas pedal you’re going to do something that will end up with you removing the stuffing of the seat out of your fourth point of contact. Or, in the world of BangShift, the recipe is perfect, don’t change a damn thing.
Regular Car Reviews recently took a trip to New Zealand to check out some more cars abroad, and one of their selections is this 1989 Mazda Eunos. It’s V8 swapped…with the 1UZ V8 made by Toyota. The 32-valve DOHC 4.0L V8 is normally at home in large Lexus sedans and coupes and tends to be fairly mellow…the hottest factory rating was an even 300 horsepower and 310 ft/lbs of torque. Listening to this car, we highly doubt there is anything stock about the 1UZ in this Mazda. If it is, then the sound of an opened exhaust works wonders because this little corner-carver sounds absolutely VIOLENT. It’s so good that none of Mr. Regular’s normal video works come into play…no snide jokes, no heavy straining voice. This is just a drive and pertinent questions.
It’s always amusing to see a V8 Miata driving around – it gives you the impression of a movie where somebody dubbed the soundtrack from the wrong car.
UZ with pod filter and exhaust sound pretty healthy.
I was investigating this swap myself, except Australian rules put it into the go to jail basket.