Keith has not posted here but I bet there is way more money in selling the mounts and the parts to build a V8 Miata then actually having there shop do it for you. This is to show what you can do with time and effort and their parts that they will supply.
If the swap was Miata and you bring the motor and they do it for 10K they would never sleep people would be banging down the doors.
Flight Service wrote: How else would you compare how much the cars retail for?
Umm, the same way I just did and that you originally did? Comparative benchmarking against similar products...Maybe even against one of the most comparable competitors, that has also been continuously produced and maintained a similar market position over the appropriate time frame. Which seems (to me) like it might be at least a little more realistic than being averaged out against the price inflation of toasters and milk.
Driven5 wrote: So in 1967, the Cobra originally cost at least 33% more than an L88 Corvette and nearly double the price of a base Corvette.
Well 33% more than the current Z06 Corvette is ~$100k, and a little less than double a base Corvette is ~$100k...Amazing how those numbers work out so similarly, isn't it? 
So by that rationale, keep a "modern Cobra" under $100k and it's a steal of a deal.
The modern cobra under 100K is this. It is easy to find under 100K new as well in a SRT model
In reply to wearymicrobe:
The Viper is a small, lightweight, 4 cylinder foreign roadster with an American powerhouse V8 shoehorned into it by some lunatic/genius?
Driven5 wrote: In reply to wearymicrobe: The Viper is a small, lightweight, 4 cylinder foreign roadster with an American powerhouse V8 shoehorned into it?
To me the Cobra is just a big monster brute of a car that should not exist. The fact that it started life as a little British sports car means nothing to me, its about the experience. Lightweight, really fast and stupidly big motor screams Cobra to me.
Well, I think JG wrote at some point that the current-ish Viper drives a bit like a bigger Miata with a lot more power. The one I drove at Bondurant certainly felt like that.
Plus V10 is two better than V8, isn't it?
Hey guys! I've been a little busy. That video of the car chirping 4th was shot during a Car and Driver instrumented test. Road & Track just found the video and did a blurb on it - I wish they'd cut down on the clickbaity writing, but such is life. They're actually driving the car this weekend. This morning, The Smoking Tire was doing a video shoot. So I just got back to my hotel and came across this thread.
The guys buying these aren't buying Miatas. They're buying the modern version of a Cobra or Pantera - with tops that work, automatic climate control, brakes, heated seats and LED headlights. Or maybe a fully engineered TVR. Or a baby F-Type. They're cross-shopping a wide range of things, such as 911s and Corvettes and Factory Fives. I've got a guy looking at one right now who will park it between his turbo Atom and his Tesla P85S. They want it to be fast, but they're not really interested in being 0.1s faster around a given track than a specific car. What sells them on it is that it's a Real Car. They're not having to make compromises or suffer. You'll find that out when the articles start to surface - Matt Farah really liked it. The speed, everyone expects. The composure, not so much.
So yeah, it's an expensive Miata. But if you look at it as a 2600 lb sports car that handles like a Miata and accelerates like a high-end Corvette, it's a bargain. Especially when it's basically a hand-built exotic. You can't get away from the fact that it's small and light, that sets it apart from Vipers. Heck, it's a full thousand pounds lighter than a Z06. So you get the small and nimble packed in with the sledgehammer engine. Not a common combination at any price.
I've put 600 miles on the Miata in the last couple of days ranging from canyon roads to interstate. I'm still having fun. Mazda gave us a great base to work with.
And yeah, there's a huge range of customers for Miata stuff at the moment. You've got kids with $1000 NAs looking for suspension, and you've got guys with brand new NDs looking for forced induction. Then there are the V8 turnkey guys, who have always been a separate group. Keeps us busy trying to keep everyone happy. The ND V8s are strictly turn-key right now, we're not selling the parts at the moment.
Here's that video for those who haven't seen it.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/hl9_PEFsfis?rel=0
So Keith....
Any idea yet how much of that will work with the Fiata?
Keith Tanner wrote: Heck, it's a full thousand pounds lighter than a Z06.
...And 700-800 lb less than a ("lightweight"?) Viper. 
ultraclyde wrote: So Keith.... Any idea yet how much of that will work with the Fiata?
Should be no problem at all.
So the timeline should be:
1. Fiat announces factory hardtop rally replica car.
2. Purchase said Fiat.
3. Drive while aggressively saving/selling children.
4. Send car to Keith for stupidity.
This sounds like a solid life plan if Fiat can make #1 happen.
Keith what tires/size are on the car? It hooks up suprisingly well for the power.
A Porsche, a set of scales, and a road sign "Straight Stability"?
What an awesome flagship product. Makes sense that you're keeping it 100% turnkey for now - would be bad for a botched home brew job to represent FM's product development. I'm really impressed with the turnaround time; the ND has only been around for a year, yet you have a bonkers polished swap available.
codrus wrote: A Porsche, a set of scales, and a road sign "Straight Stability"?
Car and Driver instrumented test session at the Hyundai proving grounds in Mojave. The brand new 911 is also being tested.
Tires are 245/40-17 RE-71R. The internet tells us they're waaaay too small, but we don't listen well 
As you can tell, nobody told the car it wouldn't work either.
z31maniac wrote: Keith what tires/size are on the car? It hooks up suprisingly well for the power.
Suspension tuning and design plays a large part in that.
Keith Tanner wrote: Or maybe a fully engineered TVR.
I about shot Diet Coke out my nose on that one.
At this point you guys might as well apply for manufacturers license and be like Saleen.
You'll need to log in to post.
