Summary
- The Mazda MX-5 Miata is a well-loved sports car known for its lightweight design and excellent handling, but it has been criticized for its lack of power.
- Flyin’ Miata provides V-8 conversion kits for Miatas, using LS crate engines from GM. These kits include sub-frame reinforcement, chassis bracing, and upgraded suspension and brakes.
- The ND generation Miata is considered the best for V-8 conversions, with the Flyin’ Miata team pairing it with a 6.2-liter V-8 engine that delivers 525 horsepower, resulting in impressive performance. Unfortunately, Flyin’ Miata has stopped making these conversions since 2019.
The Mazda MX-5 Miata is one of the most beloved automobiles in history, so much so in fact, that it holds the record for the best-selling sports car of all time. In its three-decade production run, it has gone through four different generations and a lot of changes. However, in its essence, the Miata stayed true to what made it so great; a front-engined RWD lightweight sports car with a near-perfect distribution ratio and great handling. Jeremy Clarkson famously once said, “It’s a cure for depression, this car, it really is. You just can’t be in a bad mood when you’re driving it”.
The only persistent criticism that the Miata has faced in its long life has been its lack of power. This is where Flyin’ Miata comes into the picture. Every Miata owner has heard of Flyin’ Miata. Based in Colorado, the company which started out in the service business, has been around for four decades and offers a wide selection of bolt-on parts designed to make your Miatas fly. Back in 2009, they built their first Miata Habu, a 480 horsepower small-block LS engine swapped MX-5, nicknamed “Elvis”. This was the car they perfected their V-8 conversion kits on, before making it available to the general public.
To give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from various manufacturer websites and other authoritative sources, including Flyin’ Miata, Car and Driver, and Road & Track.
Turning The Dial Upto 11 On The Miata
The habu is a small venomous snake native to Japan and is an apt name for the converted Miata. Elvis has been with Flyin’ Miata company since 2003 and started its life as a white NB-generation MX-5. This car was initially donated by Mazda to Flyin’ Miata to be used as a development car. Elvis has been Flyin’ Miata’s test mule on various concept builds for the past two decades, including the V-8 conversion. Over its lifetime, Elvis has had four engines, so far, and is currently a hill-climb race car built to take part in one of America’s oldest and most prestigious races – the Colorado Hill Climb.
The company’s team has done V-8 conversions for every generation of Miata. Every build features a version of an LS crate engine from GM, which has been chosen for its widespread availability, power, and cost. The team begins the build by
- Reinforcing the base car with sub-frames
- Seam welding
- Chassis bracing
- A “Big Mama Jama Brake” kit which consists of a Wilwood Stage 1 braking setup
- Coilover suspension
- A custom exhaust system
A conversion would set you back $49,995, which does not include the cost of the car and every build can be endlessly customized to exactly your taste. If you are more into DIY, Flyin’ Miata also sells subframe kits which you can buy and do your conversion with a scavenged LS motor. Imagine everything good about the Miata combined with one of the most versatile American engines ever made – that’s in a nutshell what the Miata Habu is all about.
Here’s What Makes The MX-5 ND “Indy” A Noteworthy V-8 Miata
The ND generation Miata is widely considered by many as the best handling Miata ever. In 2016, Flyin’ Miata paired the ND Miata with a 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V-8 LS376/525 crate engine, and named it “Indy”, get it? This engine is essentially the LS3 engine from a fifth-generation Camaro SS with a modified camshaft for use in American Speed Association stock-car racing. This modified engine has an output of 525 horsepower at 6200 RPM. Flyin’ Miata has claimed that the ND Miata is the best generation for an engine swap due to its more spacious engine bay when compared to previous generations.
Performance
|
Engine |
6.2-Liter NA V-8 |
|
Output |
525 Horsepower |
|
Torque |
486 pound-feet |
|
0-60 MPH |
3.5 seconds |
|
Transmission |
6-Speed Manual |
|
Driveline |
RWD |
(Data sourced from Flyin’ Miata)
The ND Miata also gets a handful of modifications to make it gel with the larger engine, including a new Tremec T-56 six-speed manual transmission and, an aluminum driveshaft with a rear differential borrowed from a Camaro. It also ditches its electronic steering rack for a hydraulic one, also from the Camaro. The result is a fire-breathing, tarmac-eating, force of combustion that accelerates from 0-60 MPH in 3.5 seconds.
If you are wondering whether the heavier engine affects the legendary Miata’s weight distribution, you will be happy to hear that it does not. Fortunately due to the LS engine being all-aluminium and some meticulous fabrication work by the Flyin’ Miata team – the weight distribution is at 53.4-percent front, 46.6-percent rear weight distribution. The team also sources a controller area network (CAN) computer from MRS Electronic in Germany to ensure that the Miata’s computers can communicate with GM’s computers. And before you ask, yes, these conversions work on the Fiat 124 Abarth Spider as well.
There Have Been Some Insane V-8 Miata Conversions Over The Years
Over the years there have been several versions of V-8 Miatas from FM including:
- Atomic Betty: A bright red 2009 MX-5 NC with a Corvette V-8 engine under the hood. Atomic Betty is a more refined V-8-powered roadster when compared to Elvis.
- Catfish: A Miata with a more streamlined body kit made by Bauer Limited Productions which is lighter than the stock Miata by 600 pounds.
- Exocet: An Ariel Atom-inspired bare-bones track weapon designed to be wicked fun on the track.
One-Of-A-Kind V-8 Conversions From Flyin’ Miata Will Be Getting Rarer From Now On
Unfortunately, Flyin’ Miata has stopped making these wild conversions since 2019, for purely business reasons. Kieth Tanner from FM recently made a video going into detail on why they had to stop offering V-8 conversions. However, if you are in the market for one there are plenty of V-8 converted Miatas out in the wild, still available used car sites like Bring-a-trailer. If you are looking for a V-8 conversion for your own Miata, other brands like V-8 Roadsters offer turnkey packages to turn a stock Miata.
As for Flyin’ Miata, their builds are a testament to the inherent versatility of the Miata platform and the only limit is your imagination. Even though they do not do V-8 conversions anymore, they still make a wide range of products specially designed to make your Miata go fast. Even after three decades the passionate team at FM remains dedicated to producing great products for your Miata. With the next generation release of the Miata just around the corner, the team is hard at work dreaming up some premium products.