I do not intend to sell my MGB. I'm very much looking forward to
getting it running again. However, while I'm waiting on parts (I hope
my camshaft will be done soon, then I need to find a light flywheel,
and good prices on the coilover suspension kit), I started buiding a
Miata to race in Spec Miata. Even if the MGB were competitive in any
classes, $500 for a new fender is just too much for a racecar.
My Miata is serving interim duty as a daily driver until the MGB can
resume that role. I've been driving it for about a week and wrote up
some of my thoughts about the car..
I realized that the current rebuild of the MG was going to take a
while to finish. I've been wanting to build a Spec Miata to race for quite
a while, so I hatched a plan where a Miata would be an interim car while
I waited on parts for the MG.
The actual plans seem to change weekly but I now have a running miata,
halfway between a street and a race car. It has a cage, a race seat, 5 point
harness, no passenger seat, gutted interior, but is mechanically stock.
I've been driving it for a little over a week.
Over the past 25 years, I've had, driven, raced and ridden in a wide
variety of cars, both on the street and the track. I've owned several
sportscars over the years including Sprites, an MGBGT, a 240Z and a
first gen Rx7. I've not yet driven the Miata on the track so my
comments are based entirely on street driving, albeit driving on some
of the nicest mountain roads around.
In short, the Miata is the car the MGB should have become. It's a
moderately priced two seat sports car with adequate power and a
competent suspension and brakes. First gen (1600cc) Miatas can be
bought used, in decent shape for under $3000 so they've come down to
price parity with MGBs.
Driving the Miata:
Overall, I've been very impressed with the Miata. It's power to weight
ratio seems to compare very favorably to my old 240Z. I'm not quite hitting
triple digit speeds with with spirited driving on Skyline, like I'd do if
I wasn't carefull in the Z, so absolute power probably isn't quite as high.
Spec Miatas seem to have similar power to Jasmine in the last incarnation
of her blower installation. Both by numbers (100-110 hp to the ground) and
by similar acceleration down the straight at Thunderhill.
I'm very impressed with the handling. Mind you I haven't driven it on the
track, so I don't have a good guage of how it handles under hard driving,
I do have second hand experience though, and Spec Miatas are one of the
few IT-like racing classes that when driven well, I can't keep up with in
the twisty sections of the racetrack. As I said, they've got similar
acceleration, but turn significantly better lap times, so that's got to
be a difference in handling.
Under spirited driving, it's very pleasant. Heretofore, the best
balanced car that I'd driven was my MGB-GT in nearly stock trim with
the Hopkinson swaybar kit. The Miata is both better balanced and more
precise. I've pushed it a bit on a couple of cloverleafs. The
185-60-14 Comp T/A HR4s were great tires on my '85 Civic wagon, well
matched to the performance of the suspension. On the Miata they start
singing and slipping way before the suspension is even working
hard. When they do start to go, the car is very well balanced, like
the MGB, showing neither significant over or under steer.
The Miata feels quite a bit bigger, or at least wider, than the
MGB. It's not much wider, a few inches, but it really does feel bigger.
If I weren't so lazy, I'd actually look up the specs for both cars.
It's hard to beat the MGB for parts availability. I can get almost any
part I need at British Motorsports, usually available in stock. If I'm
willing to mailorder, there probably isn't any part I couldn't get
withing a couple of days. For the most part, prices are quite
reasonable as well.
Unfortunately, the demographics of MGB owners, does limit the
availability of performance parts. There's been a surprising upsurge
lately, probably as we hit our midlife crisis' and build the hotrod
MGB we dreamed of driving when we were kids and drove them because
they were the cheapest sportscars available. Even so, there are not a
lot of people driving them on the track, at least at the events I go
to. There are no classes that MGBs are competitive to race in locally
(though they do well racing with ICSCC). When I crunched my fender in
a race a few years back, I had a rude shock. I was not able to find a
fender for under $500. A price that I consider reasonable for a whole
"partscar" MGB. Another breed that is quick disappearing.
The support for parts through Mazdacomp is outstanding! If you have a
legitimate claim to be building a racecar, you can mailorder parts at
dealer cost. A new fender costs a third of what an MGB fender would. A
crate motor is $1800. The race suspension kit: shocks, springs, coilovers,
swaybars, is $1200.
One of the Miata's best features is also one of it's biggest
drawbacks. They are very common. I'll see as many Miatas in a day as
I see MGBs in a year. When I go to the track, rather than being the only MGB
I'll be one of 30-60 Miatas, making it a lot easier to find someone
to borrow parts from if I break and don't have a spare. On the other hand
driving an MG is a great way to meet lots of people. I regularly get
people coming up to me, in parking lots or at the track, to tell me how
cool my car is, or comment that they used to drive one, and lately to
see how I make it go so fast (the supercharger) because they had one, and
it never went like mine did.
Another nice thing about Miatas is that they are "Chick cars". MGBs are
a great way to meet middle aged guys who like to tinker with cars. I'm one
and I have an MGB. I know a few women that own them, but they are in the
distinct minority. On the other hand, I know quite a few women that own
Miatas. I probably know more cute women, that drive their Miatas on racetracks,
than I know people who drive their MGBs on the track. As someone who has
a major chunk of his social life represented by nights spent alone in the
garage, a marque that has a significant number of women into performance
driving is a really cool thing.
If I had the time and money resources for such a project, I would love
to design and build a kitcar. One that is the size of a sprite,
perhaps even offering a frogeye replica as a body choice, but using
Miata mechanicals. I'd move the front wheels ahead of the motor so I
could use the stock A-arms and narrow the car. I'd have to fabricate
rear A-arms and drive shafts, but that would be acceptable. Either that
or go with the wider rear track and the driver and passenger between
the wheels, it could be a bugeye with "cobra fenders".
I've written up a completely subjective table comparing various sportscars
that I've owned. It's not scientific, rigorous or complete. It's just a
seat of the pants, fogged by memory (some of these cars I haven't driven in
8-10 years), comparison.
Comparisons with other sportscars:
Notes:
Spridget: I've not driven a properly set up spridget. Mine was in pretty
frightful shape by the time I went through SCCA drivers school.
MGB: I'm talking about a fairly stock MGB with some minor performance
mods. Perhaps swaybars and a slightly improved motor.
Jasmine: My MGB after mods. She's currently "in development", and actually
awaiting a new engine and some suspension upgrades. On this list she's the
one that I have the most recent track experience. On two separate track
weekends (one an SCCA drivers school) I had people come up to me and tell me
that I had the coolest car at the track.
240Z: I had an early 240Z for a while. It was pretty ratty, but it
was stupid fast. I also drove a friends ITS 280Z in an enduro once.
Rx7: I had a first generation Rx7. It was stock and in pretty good shape when
I got it. I had a lot of reliability issues with it. It ate alternators every
few months and I had two engines go out on me. It was one of the evilest
(as in unpredictable) handling cars I've driven. I also drove a friends
pro-7 in an enduro once.
Miata: I've not yet driven the Miata on the track.
est. handling practi reli
Car power feel grip fun cality ability coolness
Spridget 60 7 7 9 5 5 9
MGB 90 8 7 8 7 7 8
Jasmine 140 7 8 9 7 6 10
Rx7 145 5 7 7 6 5 6
240Z 150 6 7 8 8 8 7
Miata 145 9 9 9 8 ? 7
--
Girling is not a verb.
lrc@red4est.com http://www.red4est.com/lrc
|