To add to that note from Kieth, You can daily drive a V8 Miata. I did all summer and fall long. She is only not getting driven now because there is snow on the driveway.
Cruising around town, It's not much different than the corvette that the mechanicals are based off of. At least with the FM build, everything works on it too. A/C, Cruise, all of that. So you can treat it like a regular Miata.
I'd never do that with a Tiger or Cobra replica.
First you start with an able chassis!
I've driven old style conversions - Tiger, early transverse leaf Cobra, V8 swapped Austin Healey and TVR. Horrid scary beats they are, in comoarison to modern chassis/suspensions. The only one that really intrigued me was a Lotus Europa (best handling in that period) with a breathed on Mazda rotary - of course you needed ear plugs to drive it).
I've seen various modern chassis take far more power than you think is advisable and handle it well. We have LS engines Solstices (one of the more creative Solstice swaps was a 1,000 bhp 2JZ Toyota straight 6 into one), Miatas right from the early days, the odd S2000, although the original engine is such a jewel it is a shame to change it. They all avoid the heavy car feel that a Corvette has, while retaining the good handling of the original. And although this is getting into Corvette weight class, the handful of BMW Z4 coupes that the factory stuck their V8s from other models into for racing were pretty successful.
While I personally find the Miata a tad cramped, I do admite the fact that they have resisted adding weight better than any other sports car I can think of.
A 401 CJ said:I don’t think we in North America appreciate cars like the AC Ace or Miata or if we do, it’s not for the intended reasons. Let me explain: I just returned from a 10 day business trip to England where I did over 1000 miles in a rented Vauxhal Astra. I can say unequivocally that my C5Z would not have worked in that country...even if it were right hand drive. It’s simply too big. Even some A roads would be dicey due not only to their narrowness but also from their undulations. Smaller cars are faster cars for the most part on that island. Surprisingly I did see around half a dozen new 5.0 Mustangs. Think your pony car can keep up with a Mini on a narrow two lane with deep ditches and a steady stream of oncoming lorries and giant farm equipment? Think again.
Yet stuff like Aston Martin,xke and other jaguar gts,Bentley’s,mclaren,etc are all there and driven.
Keith Tanner said:A hotrodded Boxter would be an interesting alternative. It would have a different feel, of course, but it would quite likely have a similar depth of character. The V8 S2000 would be a variation on the theme.
I've seen a couple writeups on putting the Audi 4.2L V8 into a Boxster, and it sounds like it'd be a lot of fun.
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