The '88 M3 drove you all to frothing-at-the-mouth levels of indignation over just what a first-gen M3 was, much less what it was worth. Despite the healthy discourse over the merits of the E30-based super-de-duper coupe, the $39,000 asking price was still deemed a crack attack by 83% of you.

Now that that mystery has been solved, let's take on another, which may require a quartet of teens and horse-sized dog to unravel- that of the Rot-Rod Miata.

By now, most everyone is familiar with the main characters and typical plotlines of the Scobby Doo Mysteries: muscle-man Fred; smokin' hot Daphne; filthy pot-head Shaggy; and plain but smart Velma, roll around the country in their shag-carpeted sin-bin, the Mystery Machine. Along the way they get mixed up in odd goings on and eventually foil the plans of disgruntled employees, ne'er do well siblings and corrupt land developers. Keeping them company is Scooby doo, their talking great dane.

Today's mystery machine is a 1995 Mazda Miata that has gone full goth. The seller calls it a Rot Rod meaning Rat Rod, but the Scooby infused pronunciation is more fitting for this little Japanese sportscar. The body has been given a matte black paint job that's darker than the lyrics to a Bauhaus dirge. Skulls adorn the mirrors, windblocker and windows, and the air inlets in the nose look like fangs. Hugging the asphalt like Morticia Addams' skirt is a ground effects package, also in the key of strife.

Typically, when you wipe off their makeup and unstrap them from their combat boots and NIN tee shirts, Goths turn out to be just regular folks, only angrier and more sardonic. This Miata is much the same, as underneath the skulls and sorrow lurks a standard 1.8-litre Mazda DOHC four, the slick 5-speed manual, butt-thumper seats and easy to erect top. No mystery there.

Unsolved goes the impetus for its creation, however. A more typical canvas for this kind of treatment would have been a '59 Lincoln, or not owning a car at all. And while that riddle may have been too tough for even Velma, the question of how much it costs is one even Shaggy could deduce- $6,000.

Now it's up to you to solve the mystery of the $6,000 Gothiata. Is that a price that makes you say Jinkies? Or, will your response cause the seller to claim he would have gotten away with it if not for those meddling Jalopniks?

You decide!

eBay or go here if the ad disappears. A tip of the helmet to BZR for finding this!

Help me out with NPOCP. Click here to send a me a tip, and remember to include your commenter handle.

Not only is this Miata equipped with a turbocharged rotary mill (Renesis we're told, but we couldn't get the hood up to confirm) but it also has a beautiful carbon fiber fastback kit along with a questionably necessary widebody setup and wing. Looks cool if you're into that kind of thing. We just want some turbocharged rotary wickedness in Miata action.

Joe Eaton of Rumblenote in Slate presents the following rationale for sports car ownership: it costs much less both in financial and environmental terms to commute with public transportation during the working week then drive on the weekends for fun in a car built just for that. Here’s how the author describes his escape from the travails of daily automotive commuting:

In spring 2007, my wife and I sold our Volvo and committed to public transportation. Since then, it’s been no traffic jams, no mechanics, no gasoline, and no insurance bills. With the money we saved, I started a “hot rod” bank account dedicated to making driving fun. Public transportation is paying for my Porsche.

Eaton echoes a James May column from last week published in The Telegraph, where the Top Gear presenter argues that cars as we know them will inevitably cease to exist as tools for going to places and the only form of the car to survive will be the sports car, purchased and driven purely for enjoyment. Of course he then proceeds to live his argument and go shopping for a used Ferrari.

While the Eaton-May solution is not an option for those of you living in the suburbs of the typical American city with no public transportation to speak of, it is increasingly a viable stragety for those of us who either live in cities or in European-style suburbs with rail links to city centers. And if any of this will contribute to killing off boring cars in favor of interesting cars then it is a very happy development indeed.

Read a good book on the train—then drive that 911 like you stole it. Or that Superlight Miata. You get the idea.

Source: Slate

Photo Credit: mugley/Flickr

Yeah, there's nothing like hearing a dude with his blood type embroidered on his racing suit telling the LeMons Supreme Court why he deserves a medal for spinning out and totally averting a deadly 50-car pile-up! Granted, the Spec Miata guys aren't as difficult as the Spec E30 guys, but it's still satisfying to see that they're hooning it up just as badly at SCCA events as they are with us. Thanks to TheEastBayKid for the tip!

Interior space, ambiance, amenities, and a certain je ne sais quoi are all necessary when choosing an automotive boudoir. If we're honest, it's often a matter of any port in a storm, but if it's possible to avoid any of these, you should certainly do so.

Car: Toyota Prius

Why it's bad for sex: Let's just get this right out of the way and acknowledge that no one wants to have sex in a Prius. First of all, it's tough to get your swerve on in such an uninspiring object, something that's more consumer good than car. Second, you risk bringing a new life into the world, which will certainly be a waste of precious resources. Third, if you're a Prius owner, the idea of a car being fun is completely alien to you so you have your 20 minutes of lights-off missionary-position relations in the futon like a proper citizen anyway.

Photo: Flickr

Car: Chevrolet Aveo

Why it's bad for sex: Sex is just one of many things you should never attempt with the poor, misbegotten Aveo, including driving it, walking up to it or getting in it. But especially not sex. There's enough room, barely, if you're young, short, and athletic, but men have paid good money for drugs that give them the same hardness as the interior surfaces of this car. The resulting conjugal bruises will get you the wrong kind of reputation .

Photo: Wikipedia

Car: Mazda Miata

Why it's bad for sex: While we love this car unreservedly, we are-like 98% of people-not exhibitionists, and to have any sort of workable sex in this car the top would have to be down. Also, much like 100% of people, we don't like our coitus to get interruptus by a power hardtop suddenly coming down on us because a flailing knee or elbow hit the switch.

Photo: Picasa

Car: Scion TC

Why it's bad for sex: While this cheap coupe is, or will be, the first car of a lot of eager young folks in an exploratory phase of their lives, we urge them to bring a blanket and find a wooded area. The TC is not so much a car as a platform for interior accessorizing, and getting into youthful carnal hijinks in this thing means you run a risk of getting something stuck in your illuminated cupholder. Buying a faux-billet LED-lit shift knob is one sort of loss of dignity; having a gloved proctologist hand it back to you in front of the entire ER is another.

Photo: Wikipedia

Car: Chevrolet Camaro

Why it's bad for sex: Traditionally, the two of you jump into the back seat of your two-door muscle coupe and proceed to put some sneaker prints on the headliner. However, just sitting in the back of the current Camaro will imprint the top of your head into the current headliner. And the front seats just don't recline enough or give enough leg room for advanced physical-intimacy contingencies. This is probably the only category of the contemporary muscle-car wars the Challenger wins going do- er, away.

Photo: Wikipedia

Car: Maybach 62

Why it's bad for sex: Because one's sex life is none of one's chauffer's business. Why, the very idea.

Photo: Wikipedia

Car: Mini (any)

Why it's bad for sex: Owners report that repeated heavy jolts can damage the rear shock mounts, resulting in reduced handling performance and a dramatic drop in ride quality, especially in early models. Also, even in a Clubman, there's no damn room in the thing.

Photo: Wikipedia

Car: Ariel Atom

Why it's bad for sex: Although a certain type of person might look at the Atom and notice the abundance of tie-down points, the multiple partner-handcuffing options, and the overall masochistic glory of this incredibly capable track car, it is in fact $65,000. For that price, you could afford any number of studded-leather bedsteads with enough left over for chains and whips.

Photo: candidcarcritic.com

Car: Smart ForTwo

Why it's bad for sex: Seriously, AskMen actually recommended this car, albeit in cabrio form. If you're more into achievement than enjoyment this could work, but in that case you'll probably have sex anywhere and everywhere anyway and don't need any sort of list to tell you. I mean, we're into bragging rights as much as the next person, but not bragging for bragging's sake, and sexually speaking the Smart hardly has enough room ForOne.

Photo: Wikipedia

Car: Dodge Caliber

Why it's bad for sex: Because it's just plain bad. The Caliber may, in fact, be the worst all-around car made today, and the idea of having sex in one has the same emotional resonance as having sex in a FEMA trailer or a Goodwill dumpster. Getting past the fact it's uncomfortable and it's not as roomy as it should be for a wagon/crossover/compromise-mobile, the Caliber is just kind of depressing. And if word gets out, you'll always be "the person who had sex with [other loser] in a Dodge Caliber," meaning you probably won't ever have sex again.

Photo: Wikipedia

Not what we drove, believe us. We had a great time at the Dream Cruise, but we didn't have a really great time getting there (or back!) because we drove Bumblebee/Phyllis/Edith, our bright yellow Camaro, and frankly most muscle cars are hell for long trips. Once we got back, dropped Phyllis/Edith/Optimus McBumblebee off, and cabbed it home, we realized the cabs were by far the comfiest yellow cars we'd ridden in all weekend. Which explains our first choice:

Chevy Caprice-or really any big American body-on-frame sedan

Occupants: Up to four down-to-earth friends with extensive cassette-tape collections

Attitude: Relaxed, with ample stops for gas-station souvenirs

Slouchy comfort is the strong suit here. You get big bench seats fore and aft to stretch out on, a sort of floaty wallowy comfort, and a huge trunk for storing enormous 256-ounce collector's drink mugs, petting-zoo T-shirts and silver naked-lady silhouettes. It's unquestionably American without being a grandiose flag-waving statement, and some of them are still mistaken for cop cars in many regions. A great car to use when the trip matters more than the destination, but the drive matters less than the trip, if you will.

Photo Credit: Geocities

Volkswagen Camper Van

Occupants: Two in comfort, but up to four with increasing probability of hippies occurring

Attitude: Face-first and wide-eyed into the eternal now of the North American continent, or other such pseudopoetics

The VW van is really a very serviceable little automobile, within its limits, but those limits are defined as much by metaphysics as physics. Something about its ambling rate of progress, its right-up-front driving position, and of course its heritage, all combine to make this car a spiritual pitfall. People have been known to become cut-rate Ken Keseys after a week traveling in one of these, which is too bad. They really are pleasant and functional little things to putt around in, if your tie-dye inoculation is up to date.

Photo Credit: Motivemag

Mercedes E-Class Wagon

Occupants: Married couple with 2.4 kids

Attitude: Don't Make Me Turn This Thing Around, You Spoiled Ungrateful Brats

The point here isn't Mercedes style or quality or comfort or any of that, though it's nice to have those conveniences and comforts as possible on a family vacation. Any wagon would work just fine here as long as it had, as the Merc does, the rear-facing bench seats for the wee 'uns. The backwards bench is plain awesome to ride in when you're a certain age (roughly 7-65) and your mean dad won't stop at the petting zoo. It's also a good barometer for judging the behavior of your little darlings. Just belt them in, give them some juice, and set out for the other coast. If a Peterbilt rear-ends you and kills you all stone dead, your children were hellions who have learned to give The Finger. If not, they're probably pretty good kids.

Photo Credit: Motorward

Mazda Miata

Occupants: One thoughtful loner or two people who are deeply and genuinely in love and have good nonverbal communications skills

Attitude: "I am just going outside and may be some time"

This is really the only hairshirt option on this list. Usually we love the Miata because of its balance and handling, but if you're the sort who can travel with a single big duffle bag and you're not limiting yourself to Interstates, the Miata is a brilliant tourer. The seats are good for moderately long stints, there's just enough weight that you don't get buffeted by trucks, and you can put speakers in the headrests so your music is audible over the wind noise, mostly. Believe us, driving through the mountains in a nimble convertible with the top down feels transcendent, like getting away with something. Of course, you'll become really familiar with American wheelcovers, and driving through a thunderstorm with the top up feels like spiralling down the Norway maelstrom in a tent, so there are tradeoffs.

Photo Credit: Automotive

Ford Bronco

Occupants: 1-3, plus huge dog with bandanna around its neck (not optional)

Attitude: Roads are nice, but not really necessary

Who wouldn't love a good old Bronc? It's the perfect cross-county ride for people who take the phrase literally. Plus you sit up nice and high, so you can see over bridge railings and the like, and you can roll the rear window down and feel rugged and raffish. And everyone loves them so you'll instantly make friends with the locals, especially when you stop to take snapshots of the petting zoo and your huge dog with the bandanna around its neck jumps out.

Photo Credit: flickr

Infiniti FX35

Occupants: Up to four adults with luggage or two with a darling credenza

Attitude: Before we leave, make sure all the NPR stations are pre-programmed in

There are some people who simply must have an SUV, so if you must, take this. It has the ride height to give you good views, it drives more or less like a car, it returns fair fuel economy, and it can even carry a few tasteful pieces back, for those who are too button-down for kitschy road-trip crap but aren't above a bit of modest antiquing. Just don't bring kids, who tend to leave unsightly smudges on the glass as you drone right past waterparks and petting zoos and giant roadside dinosaurs. Come to think, don't bring us either.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Cadillac Sedan DeVille, 1994-1999 models

Occupants: One.

Attitude: Stern, plus must be starting in upper Pacific Northwest, Upper Midwest, or Upper Northeast, and be heading for Florida

This is a seriously comfy car: good leather, nicely done LED lights, arctic air conditioning, very smooth Northstar V8. God alone knows why they stopped making it, but it's no surprise because there hasn't been a sane day in this country since Eisenhower. Ashtray's really too small for the cigars, but that's why Christ created power windows. Damn if Rush doesn't sound like he's right in the car with you, and the music would sound okay too if it all didn't sound like some loon bangin' on a can anymore. How many more miles to Fort Lauderdale?

Photo Credit: picasa

Converted School Bus

Occupants: Up to 30, but who's counting?

Attitude: Either "Taking a year off to see a game in every great American ballpark" or "If it's really and truly terminal, this is better than a hospital bed."

Sometimes a transcontinental journey is both a specific goal and a way to say To Hell With Everything. In those cases, see of your local school district has a Bluebird they're not planning on using and go to town with whatever tools and batty ideas you have lying around. The example in our photo is a bit extreme, but you don't have to have a camper van welded to the top. Cutting off the roof aft of the wheel humps to make a porch works, as does adding alfresco seating in the middle section, as is installing a hang-glider launch ramp on the roof. Once you finally trundle it out there, just don't be in a hurry. Be willing to let "across the nation" become "around the nation." And watch for hippies.

Photo Credit: hackedgadgets

Acura NSX

Occupants: 1-2

Attitude: Understated, underappreciated, and well over the speed limit.

There may be better and faster grand-touring cars, but we just love this thing. Honda couldn't convince people their exotic really was an exotic, but we get it. Most know its reputation as a very balanced car, even with "only" 300 horsepower-less than the FX35. But it's also a supremely comfortable car, with some of the all-time great seats. It'll only hold two carry-ons in its "trunk," but you're not going camping in an NSX; have the coincierge send your clothes out to be cleaned and pressed while you take dinner. If we were to make a serious attempt at a fast but sane personal transcontinental record, this car would be hard to pass up.

Photo Credit: gotbroken

Mustang GT

Occupants: 1-3

Attitude: One man drives while the other men scream

We repeat: Muscle cars are terrible long-distance transportation. But if we had to pick one, it'd be the Mustang GT, with its combination of good outward visibility, ride quality, driver comfort, and survivable back seat room. If you have to play Third Cylon in a muscle car, as we did on our recent Detroit trip, this is the muscle car to do it in. But seriously, after the first gas stop, you'll be thinking about trading it in on a nice '94 Sedan DeVille.

But whatever you go in, go! We've given you the best states to drive across, discussed the worst, and now a list of vehicles and ideas. Now get out there on the road and make our country a great destination again. Those petting-zoo animals ain't gonna pet themselves!

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Yesterday, 73% of you found that the egg-shaped BMW with the single front door didn't go over-easy. Today we're doubling the doors, and octagonalizing the number of cylinders with a mazda miata that's ready to do battle against any number of foes threatening either tokyo or your stop light drag racing honor.

Back in the day, Blue Oyster Cult sang Oh no, they say hes got to go, Go go godzilla, yeah. Oh no, there goes tokyo, Go go godzilla! in honor of the magical thunder lizard who at first threatened, and then became the protectorate of, the Honsü island denizens. And that amalgamation of mythological Japanese dragon and the unbridled power of American nuclear threat made Godzilla the perfect appellation for the original Ford-powered versions of the perky mazda drop-tops.

Godzilla, the car, wedged a Ford 302 under the hood of the miata, almost doubling the available horsepower over the original 1.6 litre four banger's 120, and making it the spiritual successor to Cobras, Scarabs and Tigers. The 9+ second zed to sixty time dropped to under five, and broken axles littered junkyards with abandon.

Today we have the offspring of Godzilla, or ミニラ, for an asking price of $10,000 in Maple Money. Based on a 1990, first-generation Miata, the conversion has been handled by an authorized MonsterMiata shop up in Vancouver, and if you're not familiar with Monster, well, you should be. Backing up the legendary Ford small block, the rest of the drivetrain has been sufficiently beefed up to handle all that torque with a T5 rower in the middle, and a Thunderbird SC pumpkin out back. A rakish set of Panasports and a hefty roll bar help make the car look the part, while not fully giving away the Tokyo-leveling beast that lives under the hood.

Or lived, as it were. While everything in the ad starts out as exciting as watching Rodan hatch from his centuries-old shell, there is a but. . . that brings the party to a halt like Mechagodzilla on a rainy day. It turns out that the 302 resting under this miata's hood (and which the seller claims did 260 bhp at the rear wheels on the dyno) is currently resting in peace. He goes on to say that he is selling the car because repairing it would demand even more horsepower, and that could be an expensive proposition. He does spin a scenario involving a junkyard small block extraction and jacking in that car's engine, but hey, it's a 302- you can pretty much buy those things at Pep Boys!

So what's the verdict on this killer convertible? Is that $10,000 a Nice enough Price for you to pine for The Return of Godilla? Or does that blown motor make you think the Crack Pipe is going to Destroy All Monsters?

You decide!

Vancouver Kijiji, or go here if the ad gets defeated in battle.

The Black Widow Mazda Miata got hit with 25 laps during the BS Inspection, but the team's drivers are so good and raced so cleanly that they'd dug themselves out of that hole and were sitting in fourth place as of this morning. Unfortunately for them, their car was the overwhelming Curse vote-getter... which might not be so bad, except that this team has already had Miatas crushed twice in past races. As the Bum Steers at the Yeehaw It's Texas 2008 race, they got de-Miatafied. A few months later, at the Gator-O-Rama '09, they'd renamed their replacement car and installed a pig snout, but that wasn't enough to ward off the Curse once again.

So spread the word, LeMons fans: if you have a team full of great drivers, you don't need to run a cheater Miata at LeMons. If you must do so, accept the People's Curse like you got a pair!

Happily, the blood-crazed crowd still gets to watch a car get crushed. One of the BABE Rally teams has volunteered its Rabbit for the ritual. We're hanging a dead man here- the Rabbit has a completely garbooned transmission after last night's BABE-versus-LeMons drag racing- but we'll still enjoy the spectacle.

That's right, it appears that the three SHOs that started the race have become one running SHO and a pair of parts cars, and they've got plenty of wrenchin' company in the pits. Yet some of the cars are holding together, and we saw an ever-shifting cast of top contenders today. When the first session ended at 6:30, the Dirty Some Beaches Honda Civic station wagon was on top. How? Well, any Civic that can keep its head gasket intact will get around the track pretty well, and the Dirty Some Beaches drivers know how to avoid the black flags; we have yet to see them in the Penalty Box. Adding drama to the standings, the #4 car (a Miata run by the same Texans who have been the People's Curse victims in both Houston races so far) started out with a 25-lap penalty and has managed to claw its way out of that hole, now closing to within just two laps of the leader. And what's the deal with that Grand Prix in the top ten? There's no telling how this will all shake out, but it should be 90 degrees and swampy in Belle Rose tomorrow, which means more thrown rods, more fried brakes, and more overall hoonage.

Just to make the race interesting, they were towed in at the halfway point of the race on Sunday. A quick fix and they were back out on the track to bring home the gold, or I mean an iron cam and a pile of nickels -$1,500 worth.

The Index of Effluency Award went to car #200 Redneck Racing Team RRT. Congrats to all the participating teams. Great race and a great time.

Thanks to Jeff Balliet at ASK photos for all his great photos this weekend. Want some? Email him here.

The EldoradoMiata is nothing but the Second Coming of the Ghettocharged FrankenMiata, but then you already knew that, didn’t you?

Murilee is about to hit the road to Reno to bring you the EldoradoMiata on the track. Until then, check out Edmunds’s profile of this turbocharged chariot only a mother could love. It has got an airbrake like the Mercedes-Benz 300SLR that raced at Le Mans in 1955 and you can’t beat that for sheer cool.

Photo Credit: Edmunds Inside Line, Daimler

You can usually find plenty of reasonably intact passenger-side seats at a wrecking yard, but I wanted a matching pair of buckets, narrow enough to fit the Sprite, with decent side support for the heavy G forces I'll be inducing with that oxcart highly sophisticated suspension, and in nice shape. Yes, that's pretty much impossible. But what's this? A 1991 Mazda Miata- a rare automatic-trans-equipped example- sitting among the Diamantes and Camrys in the import section of my local self-service junkyard… and the seats are just about perfect! They've even got the coveted headrest speakers, a real plus when you plan to install them in a rattly-ass British Leyland heap vintage sports car with a differential-shattering truck engine a spirited Japanese performance powerplant breathing through the cheapest glasspack I can find high-flow performance exhaust. Why didn't that driver's seat get snagged within 0.08 seconds of arrival on the yard?

Here's why: the car had been T-boned, hard, on the driver's side, and the driver's door was mashed into the seat and preventing it from sliding forward enough to provide access to the seat mounting bolts; the buckled floor wasn't helping matters, either. I could see the evidence of previous attempts at seat removal, but none had been successful. However, I always bring three secret weapons to the junkyard: a prybar and my steel-toed boots. After two hours of alternating expletive-picked door-prying sessions from the outside with even-more-expletive-packed door-kicking sessions from the inside, I succeeded in mutilating the door metal sufficiently to push the seat several inches forward- just enough so that I could just barely sneak a 14mm open-end wrench into the safety-glass-cube-packed space under the seat and get it onto the bolt head. Several square inches of shredded knuckle skin later, I had started both bolts turning (thank you, Japanese manufacturers and your insistence on high-quality fine-pitch fasteners). After that, it was just a matter of following these simple steps:

1. Spend several minutes positioning the wrench so that it feels as though it might be seated on the bolt head. Scream curses at the uncaring junkyard gods as another shard of glass goes under your fingernail.
2. Using all 1/16" of the available space, loosen the bolt approximately 3°. Curse yourself for deciding, several hours ago, that it wasn't worth the trip home to fetch a sledgehammer to bash that goddamn door completely out of the way and make this a three-minute job.
3. Repeat Step 1 and Step 2 until Bolt 1 is removed. Start over with Bolt 2.

Eventually, I prevailed. The seats were mine! They fit very nicely in the Sprite, and the tracks should be easy to mount. Now if I can just finish building the entire wiring harness from scratch...

I'm providing each car's best lap time (which should confirm once again that having a fast car isn't the most important thing for a LeMons team), as well as the number of BS Inspection penalty laps (if any), plus awards earned by the team. You racers in need of all my original, full-resolution shots of your car in action should email me and I'll get them to you. When you're done here, be sure to check out LeMons Supreme Court Justice Lieberman's coverage over on Speed:Sport:Life.

Thanks to Nick Pon and Ashley Freed for many of these photos. Here they are in finishing order, the Top Lemons Of The 24 Hours Of LeMons South Spring 2009:

SF '07	Arse Freeze '07	SF '08
Detroit '08	New England '08	South '08
Texas '08	Arse Freeze '08	Texas '09

Thanks to Myke Toman, Nick Pon, Zerin Dube and Speed:Sport:Life, Anna C of Bikini Racer, the Norwegian Slaabs, Saabs Gone Wild, Prison Break Racing, Team Beermer, LeMons Supreme Court Justice Lieberman, Jackson Williams, and others for their fine photographs.

I was really hoping to take a look at their Black Ops 24 Hours Of LeMons racer, but I was only able to shoot the single photo you see here prior to being hustled away from the vehicle by a squad of Phone Police. Still, it's a clue!


The Black Metal V8olvo was there, in the Evil Genius Purgatorial Parking Area. There will be a new theme for the 302-powered Volvo DL at the Goin' For Broken race in Nevada; more on that soon.


Here's another potential LeMons car, though the EG says he can't quite bring himself to beat up such a solid, restorable 240Z, regardless of initial price tag.


Check out that custom instrument panel! The previous owner of this car was celebrating National Day Of Slayer year-round!


Then there's the World's Nicest Fiat Spider, which is definitely be the most original early-80s Fiat I've ever seen.


Over in the shop, Evil Clint was doing some welding on a project that earns a big Jalopnik Stamp-O-Approval™: a Mazda Miata with all-aluminum Chevrolet LS1 V8, T56 6-speed, and Lincoln Mark VIII 8.8" IRS rear. We recommend that all cars get their recommended daily allowance of Vitamin LS; in the case of this Miata, the end result will be lighter than the Mazda-engined car. How about 400 horsepower in a 2,300-pound car?


I thought that was pretty cool, but then I saw this '87 Porsche 928 on the Evil Genius dyno. The engine is fairly close to stock and puts out a reliable 300 horsepower, which made the 3,700-pound 928 go pretty well… but this car has been put on a ruthless diet. Yes, there are many things a 928 really doesn't need- things such as headlights, door guts, etc.- and all of them have been torn out. With cage and a half-tank of fuel, it weighs just 2,850 pounds.


Check out those 14" rear wheels. That's width, not diameter! Granted, this car has 550 more pounds and 100 fewer horses than the LS1 Miata, but I don't care- I prefer the Porsche! What do you say?

We're inclined to say wonderful things about the Mazda Miata, perhaps even fail to point out the supposed refresh Mazda is touting isn't exactly... er, noticeable. It's a funny thing what beer and sushi will do. In any case, Mazda took a moment to celebrate all things Miata, pointing out it was twenty years ago here in Chicago where the first MX-5 was debuted to the world. Among the neat Miata's Mazda brought along that little blue one is actually the fourteenth to roll off the assembly line.

20 YEARS IN THE MAKING – MAZDA'S LEGENDARY MX-5 MIATA ROADSTER

February 9, 1989 marks a highly significant time in automobile history, and certainly in the life of Mazda. On that day, Mazda unveiled the MX-5 Miata to the world at the Chicago Auto Show. Since then, the MX-5 has become the world's best-selling two-seat sports car, and been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most popular sports car ever built.
Mazda MX-5 offers roadster driving at its best. The MX-5's original concept has been so successful that Mazda has never changed it: affordable to buy and use, lightweight, Jinba Ittai ("rider and horse as one") handling, and classic roadster looks. The Mazda Miata is the jewel of "Kansei Engineering," a deeply held philosophy that every car and truck that Mazda makes should be designed and engineered to provide strong emotional as well as functional satisfaction to its driver. For a unique sports car like Miata, whose sole purpose is pure driving fun, this objective is very important. Thus the Mazda Miata project team scorned "packaging" and "off-the-shelf" componentry per se, and instead began with a pure, bright concept of "America's ideal sports car."
Miata has been heralded as saving the sports car world, has amassed nearly 900,000 global sales, and has won a total of 178 major automotive awards around the world. Two decades later, the MX-5 Miata is still a lightweight, balanced and responsive roadster that delivers the very best wind-in-the-hair driving at an affordable price.
And because Mazda's engineers never lost sight of that "soul of a sports car" positioning for which the entire brand has become known, the MX-5 Miata also is the world's most-raced nameplate.
The MX-5 is currently in its third generation. Below is a summary of each generation:

First Generation:
A 1990 model launched in 1989, the original Miata featured a starting price of $13,800 and first went on sale in May in the United States, and in September in Japan. The first-generation Miata featured a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with 116 horsepower and 100 lb.-ft. of torque. A five-speed manual transmission was standard and City/Hwy fuel economy was 25/30 mpg. Suspension was by independent double wishbone on all four wheels, and braking consisted of four wheel-disc brakes with the front ventilated. Wheels were 14x5.5" steel or 14x6" alloy, both with 185/60 R14 radial tires.
Important to convertibles is the roof operation. The Miata engineering team created a three-fold, easy-to-operate soft top, with one-hand operation, that was lightweight and offered superior weather protection.
The coefficient of drag was 0.38. All together, the Miata weighed a low 2,116 lbs. (curb weight) and could reach 60 mph in less than nine seconds. When it was launched, the car created such excitement among buyers that demand exceeded production and became an instant success.
The first change came in the 1994 model year. Miata was refreshed with a little more power through use of a 128-horsepower 1.8-liter engine. For the 1996 model year, horsepower was increased to 133 and a racing-themed R Package was also introduced with a Torsen® limited-slip rear differential, Bilstein shocks and front and rear spoilers.

Second Generation:
The second generation Miata was a 1999 model year vehicle. This new generation car offered a more powerful engine and new styling, including a new headlight design. For the first time the vehicle featured fixed headlights, which were lighter in mass in the dynamically critical front over hang, as opposed to the first generation's retractable headlights. In addition, the plastic window in the Miata's soft top was replaced with a glass window.
The engine remained at 1.8-liters and received several updates. Power output and torque were improved to 140 horsepower with 119 lb.-ft. torque through enhancements to the intake and exhaust systems, resulting in smooth engine revving from low to high speeds and responsive acceleration with EPA mileage of 24/29 mpg. Features such as a straight intake port, a variable-inertia exhaust system and a dual exhaust manifold were incorporated. Compression ratio was raised from 9.0:1 to 9.5:1 with a raised-crown piston design. The base model could reach 60 mph in 7.9 seconds, with a top speed of 122 mph. Total weight of the second generation Miata was 2,200 pounds.
A special limited edition model was introduced in 1999 to celebrate Miata's 10th anniversary. This model ramped up performance by use of a new six-speed manual transmission, Torsen® limited-slip differential and sport-tuned suspension with Bilstein® shock absorbers. A special Sapphire Blue Mica paint with blue soft top was also offered on the 10th Anniversary model.
In 2000, the face-lifted second-generation MX-5 was launched as a 2001 model. Mazda added more horsepower, variable valve timing, a more rigid chassis and larger brakes. Additionally, 16-inch alloy wheels, a six-speed manual transmission, more aggressive styling and a host of interior improvements were available. The 2001 Miata delivered 142 horsepower and 125 lb.-ft. of torque with 23/28 mpg City/Highway fuel economy, and the compression ratio was increased from 9.5:1 to 10.0:1. With the minimum amount of options, the 2001 model weighed 2,387 pounds.
In 2004, Mazda launched the turbocharged MAZDASPEED MX-5, with a 178 horsepower and 166 lb.-ft. of torque turbocharged and intercooled engine.

Third Generation:
The third generation MX-5 went on sale in late 2005 as a 2006 model year. Every single component on the car was either all new or extensively revised, and the new car looked it. The exterior styling was freshened, with the most noticeable change in the front fenders. Even though curb weight of the third generation Miata grew to over 2,400 pounds, the new car never forgot its roots and it was every bit as fun to drive as the original. And, regardless of the additional curb weight, fuel economy remained at 25/30.
A new 16-valve, 2.0-liter MZR I-4 engine was introduced, producing 170 horsepower and 140 lb.-ft. of torque, coupled to either a five-speed or a six-speed manual transmission or 166-horsepower with the optional six-speed automatic transmission, while the five-speed manual model achieved the same fuel economy as the first 1990 Miata. A limited-slip differential was available with the six-speed option.
The third generation Miata also produced a change in the suspension for the first time. A front wishbone/rear multilink suspension was used beginning with the 2006 MX-5 to increase ride quality and handling. Technologies like traction control and stability control were also added.

In 2007, Mazda offered, for the first time, a new Power Retractable Hard Top (PRHT). Opening and closing cycles last only 12 seconds, making this the fastest power-operated retractable hard top in the U.S., and the only retractable hardtop on the market that doesn't compromise trunk space. Additionally, the PRHT adds only 77 pounds to the total weight of the car.

Significant events over the past 20 years for the Mazda MX-5 Miata include:
1983
Mazda begins study of lightweight sports car production
1986
February: Starts project aimed at volume production
1987
September: Design finalized
1989
February: Mazda introduces the MX-5 Miata sports car as a 1990 model at the Chicago auto show
May: U.S. Sales begin
July: MX-5 Miata named as one of the five "World's Best Cars" by Road & Track
September: Sold as Eunos Roadster in Japan
October: Sales begin in Australia
1990
January: MX-5 Miata receives a "10Best" award from Car and Driver
January: MX-5 Miata receives "Automobile of the Year" award from Automobile Magazine
February: Sales begin in Europe (U.K. and Holland)
1991
January: MX-5 Miata receives a Car and Driver "10Best" award
January: Automobile Magazine names MX-5 Miata to its "All-Star" list
1992
January: MX-5 Miata receives a "10Best" award from Car and Driver
January: Automobile Magazine names MX-5 Miata to its "All-Star" list
1993
January: Automobile Magazine names MX-5 Miata to its "All-Star" list
July: undergoes minor change. 1.8-liter engine introduced.
1994
January: Automobile Magazine names MX-5 Miata to its "All-Star" list
1995
January: Automobile Magazine names MX-5 Miata to its "All-Star" list
1996
January: Automobile Magazine names MX-5 Miata to its "All-Star" list
J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study rated the Miata among the top three vehicles in the sports car segment in initial quality
1997
January: Automobile Magazine names MX-5 Miata to its "All-Star" list
October: Second-generation Mazda MX-5 Miata unveiled at Tokyo Motor Show – the first redesign since its introduction in 1989
1998
December: Limited edition Miata released to commemorate ten years of production. Special limited edition car with world-class specifications: total of 7,500 units manufactured for worldwide sale (500 units for Japan, 7,000 units for the three markets comprised of North America, Europe and Australia)
The second-generation Miata goes on sales as a 1999 model.
1999
The MX-5 Miata receives numerous accolades, including:
January: Fifth "10Best" award from Car and Driver
January: Automobile Magazine names MX-5 to its "All Star Best Entry-Level Sports Car".
January: "Best Convertible" in MotorWeek's Driver's Choice Awards
April: Consumers Digest's "Best Buy"
December: One of Sport Compact Car's "Eight Great Rides"
2000
January: Automobile Magazine names MX-5 Miata to its "All-Star" list
May: Guinness Book of World Records recognizes the Miata as the best-selling two-seat convertible with sales of 531,890 units
July: Second-generation Mazda MX-5 Miata undergoes minor change for the 2001 model year. In addition to interior and exterior changes, the 1.8-liter engine gets a power boost, and body stiffness and other improvements add up to a greatly upgraded version.
2001
Mazda MX-5 Miata named Consumers Digest "Best Buys"
2002
The MX-5 Miata named to Automobile Magazine "All-Star" list for the 12th time
2005

March: Third-generation MX-5 unveiled at the Geneva International Motor Show and is later debuted in commemorative limited edition format (Mazda MX-5 3rd Generation Limited) at the New York International Auto Show.

April: The Guinness Book of World Records updated the number of units produced to 700,000

2006

Mazda launched the MX-5 Roadster Coupe featuring a Power Retractable Hard Top
MX-5 Miata receives a "10Best" award from Car and Driver

2007

MX-5 Miata receives a "10Best" award from Car and Driver

2008

MX-5 Miata receives a "10Best" award from Car and Driver

2009

Face-lifted MX-5 makes its North American debut at the Chicago Auto show

Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., Mazda North American Operations oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada and Mexico through nearly 900 dealers.  Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada, Inc., located in Ontario, Canada, and in Mexico by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.

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2009 MAZDA MX-5 TO MAKE NORTH AMERICAN DEBUT AT CHICAGO AUTO SHOW - WORLD’S BEST-SELLING TWO-SEAT ROADSTER CELEBRATES 20 YEARS

IRVINE, Calif. - Mazda's timeless roadster, the MX-5 Miata, races into the 2009 Chicago Auto Show with a refreshed exterior, enhanced performance and improved fuel efficiency. Mazda will showcase the 2009 MX-5 along with a historical collection of early model-year Miatas and the all-new 2010 MAZDA3 four-door sedan and five-door models.

Launched in 1989 as a 1990 model, the MX-5 Miata was conceived as a small two-seat roadster that was spirited, fun-to-drive and unlike anything else available at the time. Since then, competitors have come and gone, but none have lasted. Twenty years later, and with more than 800,000 models sold so far around the world, the MX-5 Miata is the world's best-selling two-seat roadster.

"The MX-5 Miata has been true to Mazda's Zoom-Zoom philosophy since rolling off the assembly line 20 years ago," said Tim Barnes, director, Product Development. "Long before Zoom-Zoom became one of the most recognizable slogans around, Mazda designed Miata to epitomize the 'emotion of motion' concept on which Zoom-Zoom is based, and our worldwide sales are a real testament to Miata's DNA and spirit."

The 2009 MX-5 produces 167-hp from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. Perfect balance has always been a hallmark of the car, and the new model's suspension revisions make it an even better mountain road dance partner. In addition, updates to front and rear fascias, interior enhancements, package changes and new interior and exterior colors keep MX-5 as fresh today as it was 20 years ago.

On display alongside the MX-5 will be the all-new MAZDA3. Aimed at the young at heart, who love to drive and are technologically aware, the MAZDA3 remains the most engaging car in its class. Both the four-door and five-door versions feature top-class environmental and safety performance, and offer evolved sporty driving dynamics, eye-catching styling elements and a high-quality interior.

The all-new MAZDA3 is available with key features typically not seen in its class including:

* Bluetooth hands-free phone and audio
* Adaptive Front-lighting System and Bi-Xenon headlights with auto leveling
* Advanced keyless entry system
* Push-button start

One of every three Mazdas sold worldwide is a MAZDA3. That success drove the production of the two-millionth MAZDA3 in October 2008. The all-new 2010 MAZDA3 will go on sale in North America in the first quarter of 2009.

The balance of Mazda's full 2009 lineup also will be on display at the show, including CX-9, CX-7, MAZDA5, RX-8, Tribute and the all-new 2009 MAZDA6 sports sedan. The Chicago Auto Show is open to the public February 13-22, 2009, at the McCormick Place, Chicago.

Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., Mazda North American Operations oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada and Mexico through nearly 900 dealers. Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada, Inc., located in Ontario, Canada, and in Mexico by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.

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As a member of the new Mega Cheater class, this team started the race beneath the crushing weight of 800 penalty laps. A nice, shiny FC RX-7 for 500 bucks? This lil' orange devil ran a crazy-fast best lap of 1:35.990 and finished 97th… ahead of the other Mega Cheaters.


These guys are serious RX-7 racers who really know what they're doing, and thus it was tough for them to avoid a 20-lap BS penalty. Without it: 8th place; with it: 23rd place.


Here's the 3rd-place car from Arse Freeze '07; this time they got 67th place. Their 1:38.424 best lap speaks for itself, though.


Pitmates to the RotoRevenge and SNOT RAcinG Mazdas, the Old Punks are also Arse Freeze '07 veterans. They finished 8th last year, and 26th this time. 1:36.263 best lap- hey, those old RX-7s are quick!


Everyone loves the bewinged Miata from Altamont, though we suspect it would have been quicker than 1:39.385 without the added weight.


Team Eyesore Racing is a genuine member of LeMons-veteran royalty, with a People's Choice win at LeMons SF '08 and some excellent wheelmen and wheelwomen. The nightmarish-yet-incredibly-cool Ghettocharging setup on their patched-together-from-corpses race car looked like it would blow up for sure on the track, but instead it held together for a 4th-place finish. Not only that, its best lap time of 1:32.692 was second only to the post-Curse Blues Brothers Crown Vic!


Yet another quick RX-7; the Loose Nuts '84 ran a best lap of 1:37.117 and came in 37th place.


Tip for wannabe LeMons racers: when you put a Jackson turbocharging setup on a non-thrashed Miata and don't provide any sort of convincing documentary evidence of how much you paid for that stuff (no, allegedly copy/pasted text from a Craigslist ad doesn't count), you're going to pay big in the BS Inspection. The Dead Smurfs took their punishment like real men, however, and they very kindly let the car-deprived Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys take some laps in their car.


Hey, it's the former Autoblog racer from LeMons Demolition Derby '07 (aka LeMons SF '07)! Mechanical problems limited this team- made up of fellow Alamedans and pitted right next door to the Black Metal V8olvo at Thunderhill- to a 68th-place finish.

As everyone who has been following the run-up to the 24 Hours Of LeMons Arse Freeze-A-Palooza- which takes place on the weekend after Christmas- the crop of Index Of Effluency contenders absolutely smokes anything we've seen at prior races (and, in the case of the British Leyland machinery, we mean the "smokes" part quite literally). The team that claims the Index Of Effluency trophy- which goes to the car that exceeds all expectations in the most glorious fashion- is the real winner of the 24 Hours Of LeMons, so we're gearing up for an all-time battle at Thunderhill (where, to nobody's surprise, the weather is expected to feature near-freezing temperatures and stinging horizontal sleet).

And because LeMons aficionados love nothing better than a debate on how fast- yet effluent- cars should perform when the real deal goes down, we're going to have a little contest here. Below are the 13 big-league Index Of Effluency powerhouses that will be running the Arse Freeze-A-Palooza- the "Lucky 13," as they shall henceforth be known. You need to estimate how many laps you think each of the Lucky 13 will complete during the weekend of racing, sharing your predictions in a comment in this post, for all the world to see. After the race (probably long after the race), I'll get around to doing the math and seeing who came closest overall (by calculating the difference between prediction and actual performance for each of the 13), and I'll send that winner a few team T-shirts and other LeMons goodies.

"But Murilee," you may be whining at this point, "I like the idea of blowing off work while I figure out the 13 lap totals, as my boss is a cruel, Simon Legree-esque figure, but I don't know where to start! How many laps would a not-so-effluent car manage in this race?" Not to worry! There's a new track configuration this year, with a total length of 1.9 miles (last year, it was more like 1.3 miles). Last time, the more reliable entrants managed to finish 400 laps or more, with the lap winner knocking out 461 total. With the longer track configuration, we can expect to see the cars that don't blow up, fall apart, or otherwise crap out to grind out totals somewhere in the 250 to 300-lap range. Some of the Lucky 13 are really fast cars, when working properly, and many of the teams are totally stacked with ace drivers, so we might just see some of these teams go on to totally dominate the race, leaving those boring Acuras and Mazdas to choke on their dust! Anything can happen out there! Here they are, in no particular order. Note: Because I was short on sleep when I calculated the lap totals in my estimates, I multiplied when I should have divided. Feel free to update your estimates if you made the mistake of trusting my numbers.