Some good coverage for Flyin' Miata

Congrats, Keith & crew!

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20130823/CARNEWS01/130829920

I saw the headline and instantly said FM!

Please tell me that one of those Opel GT's will see a Miata chassis. Have thought that would make a good pairing. The very capable suspension and drivetrain of a Miata sitting under an old school body like an Opel GT.

Not sure who Keith Tanner and Flyin Miata are?

Cool beans!

I really did not need to start thinking about how an NC with a PRHT and LS swap would make a great daily driver.

alex wrote: I really did not need to start thinking about how an NC with a PRHT and LS swap would make a great daily driver.

I rode in theirs. It makes way more sense than the na or nb in my opinion.

Man, I've gotta watch what I say in front of journalists. Now all the MSM guys are going to know that I figured out where the soul is

One of the Opels (baby poop brown) is going to get a Miata powerplant if Bill can ever figure out how. They're too narrow for a full Miata chassis, though. The other Opel (red) is just for test-fitting.

And yes, an LS3 NC makes for a really, really nice street car. Not bad on the track either, although the power hardtop means you can't install any real roll protection.

Keith Tanner wrote: although the power hardtop means you can't install any real roll protection.

cut it off, cage the car, and weld it back on

If the top is going to retract, the cage cannot be any higher than the factory hoops. If you have a soft top or bolt-on hardtop car, you can get another 3" of height out of the bar.

There is another solution. We have the technology.

Warren v wrote: There is another solution. We have the technology.

Because with LS3, who cares about aero :p

Keith Tanner wrote: If the top is going to retract, the cage cannot be any higher than the factory hoops. If you have a soft top or bolt-on hardtop car, you can get another 3" of height out of the bar.

Which from what I gather still gets you a compromise bar where the downtubes don't come close to meeting the main hoop at the top like they should.

I'm curious if any sanctioning body would actually let it pass tech for an HPDE.

That was basically the deal breaker for me ditching the NA and making the NC a dual-purpose car. Having to buy a hardtop to get roll protection and losing the the ability to go topless on a whim.

Warren wants to exo all the things!

You can use a bolt-in Petty bar which should satisfy just about any group although it does preclude the installation of a passenger. I've also seen some where the rear braces are removable, so you can put them in place once the top is dropped.

It's a real weak point of the NC platform, unfortunately.

^Yeah, the Petty bar kills it for me, taking passengers out is half the fun!

I'm also suspect of the removable rear braces. Is that area REALLY strong enough to take the kind of loads it would see in a rollover incident?

I've never investigated it too closely, but I think AWR also recommends some braces under the skin to transfer loads.

This is why we have Betty (our LS3 NC) set up as a fast street car. And it makes a really good one. The NB V8 is the track/street car, and of course my NA is the full-bore track car.

That makes sense.

I can see the NC being great with a V8. I'm a big, big fan of the NC's. I think they are the perfect balance between stiff, light, comfortable.

Bah. U can make the chassis fit. Just gotta cut some bits out....

although the power hardtop means you can't install any real roll protection.

Im sure someone will be happy to jump down my throat for this but i wouldnt place any bets in a roll-protection showdown between a hartop NC with the top up, and an NA with a bolt-in roll-bar.