Revscene Quick Take: 1999 Mazda Miata with a special heart
 

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As they always say, the answer is always Miata. But what if you find yourself needing a bit more power, do you turn to turbo? How about supercharger? Or even better yet a big V8? Well, what if you really miss that civic you had in high school because of the screaming VTEC and endless amounts of revs, that's exactly what we have here. Let's first of by saying this is by no means the cheap way to get power, the cost of the kit, engine it can cost five - six thousand dollars, but the example I have here is a bit more than that but as the owner says it's worth every dollar. Let's look at the motor, the K-series by Honda is lightweight, makes easy power with simple bolt-ons and it's extremely reliable. The driveline is quite simple, the Kmiata kit comes with an adapter plate to bolt on to the stock Miata transmission, that leads to an aftermarket 2-Way LSD out back. This Miata is really built for track and road racing, with basically solid engine mounts, this Miata is can rattle your insides during warmup or idle. Surprisingly once you get the car to cruising speed the custom valved coilovers soaks up all bumps and imperfections on the road providing the occupants with a sublime ride for what practically is a Racecar.

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Instantly upon climbing into the cockpit of this Miata you know it’s something special, from the roll bar to the door bars the chassis of this little Miata is stiffened and it’s definitely something that can be felt during the drive. Providing enormous amounts of grip and amazing support are the Recaros thats wrap you and your passenger in comfort and for something to hold on to there’s a Personal 340mm steering wheel. First thing you notice as you take off is the lack of power steering, lets just say parking is horrific. No power to assist turning sticky 205 section tires is not for the weak, but once the car is moving the steering is amazingly communicative, every bump, camber or even a leaf can be felt through your finger tips. Going through turns in this Miata it’s a blast to drive, it’s no where near the same as a stock Miata. The stock Miata, will roll through the corners and will flex the tall sidewalls but this Miata stays planted and flat as it grips and grips.

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The owner, Alex, once had K-Powered Civic ek sedan. Comparing the two vehicles he actually misses the Civic, and he said the Miata offers great feel, communication and weights about the same but the rwd platform means it’s less forgiving during track days as applying throttle before the apex can hamper the vehicle’s balance. During a previous track day I had a chance to ride shotgun with Alex during a session at The Ridge Motorsport Parkway. The Miata behaved wonderfully, it was everything to be expected. Describing the feel during the ride is difficult, as Alex pushed and pushed his Miata to keep up with a Porsche GT4 I wasn’t sure if the car was super capable or the Alex is an amazing driver. All the add-ons and modifications that was done on the car can really be felt, the big APR wing on the back provided enough down force during the faster corners. Pulling over 1.5Gs, the neck does get a little sore from all the turns but it was great fun. Alex doesn’t consider himself to be a professional but sitting with him says otherwise.

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In conclusion this little pocket rocket will win the hearts of a lot of drivers, being so small and agile and having this much power the car is simply a joy to rip around a track but in everyday traffic you’re much better off sticking with a stock Miata or if you don't want to bother with all the work maybe just get an s2000?

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Below I’ll provide some links from his Youtube channel so you can see the track day videos yourself and his build list so far. He also wanted to thank Chikara Motorsport for all their work, and the friends and family that has pour blood sweat and tears helping him get his Miata the way it is today.

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https://www.youtube.com/user/Kodamu
https://www.instagram.com/kodamu_kiata/

Words and Photos by: Jimmy Mak

Thanks for the review Jimmy!

Just a couple of technical writing tips - definitely not defiantly, and please reduce the use of commas. :)

Thanks for the review!

Thanks for that! didn't have as much time as I like to go over the review before posting.

VRT builds the sickest cars, I approve of this Quick Take! :fullofwin:

MF alex VRT.

one of few crazy but talented mofos I know on the road. lol

awesome. great to see more Kmiata in YVR