Kind of defeats the MX5 ethos of power/balance/weight, it's crazy in a fun way but no doubt the handling has suffered big time. What's the point of a car that can't handle,anyone can drive fast in a straight line.
that was a smart build. the jag v12 from that time frame was an oem embarassment. A 1987 90hp sube with a turbo even made it ridiculous. It may have the reduced weight to make supercar sounds and still be deep into the realms of safe for it because it is a horrible engine (even with cam swaps and many carbs and blah blah blah).Sounds conservative even wide open.
@bdon: I will have to disagree. The Jaguar V12 is a glorious engine. It is smooth and refined, and makes decent power for its thirst relative to contemporaries. No, it's not a powerhouse, but that's not the point.
The HE V12's all got 2.88:axle ratios which, combined with the relative heft of the car, made for less than impressive standing starts, but it is almost without parallel on the highway.
As for the sound in the video: That was no where near wide open. I doubt he got it up over 4k, probably 3500. The engine "redlines" at an intake limited 6500, but with that carb setup should be good for well over 7k. And until you've heard a Jag V12 spinning over 6k, please refrain from calling it "conservative".
First, my hat's off to the guy who actually did this. It takes a lot of skill and dedication (and a patient wife and/or girlfriend) to do something this magnificent. That having been said, I suspect that this is only a straight-line machine. It looks like that Jaguar engine, which is undoubtedly a lot heavier than the original, is sitting almost squarely on the front axle line. The car probably plows like an Iowa farmer. Of course, on the other side, throttle induced oversteer is likely pletyful.
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The HE V12's all got 2.88:axle ratios which, combined with the relative heft of the car, made for less than impressive standing starts, but it is almost without parallel on the highway.
As for the sound in the video: That was no where near wide open. I doubt he got it up over 4k, probably 3500. The engine "redlines" at an intake limited 6500, but with that carb setup should be good for well over 7k. And until you've heard a Jag V12 spinning over 6k, please refrain from calling it "conservative".
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What's next a Smart fortwo with a V8?
There is not enough room for a V12 in a Miata. A V6 can be possible
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Yup. What's your point?
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...and yet, I'm now gay for it's builder.
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Love it.