Active participation in wheel-to-wheel road racing has always been the dream of true sports car enthusiasts. However, auto racing is an expensive hobby, which is the primary reason why the highly coveted sport has maintained its exclusivity for so long.
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Truly an unprecedented phenomenon in the world of US auto racing, the rise of Spec Miata as an SCCA (and NASA) racing class has changed the equation in favor of the working enthusiast. The Spec Miata class provides the opportunity to compete in a low cost, production car with limited modifications. In plain English: it provides the most bang for the buck.
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After overwhelming growth as a regional class for several years, Spec Miata (SM) is now a formally recognized national SCCA class, with more than 50 cars participating in some races. SMs are fun-to-drive, bullet-proof Coupes with a fantastic power-to-weight ratio and superb factory support. Numerous professional race car drivers have risen from the ranks of Spec Miata; some continue to hone their skills in this class. If you've ever considered goin' racin' . . . there's no better way than joining the growing community of SM pilots!
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In the early days, people converted middle-of-the-road street Miatas into SM racers, often for $10,000 or less. While it is still possible to get in on the cheap, there are also cars that have been professionally built, cars with pro engines that-- if rumors can be trusted--had up to $40K invested. Ideally, you would want to find one of those, offered at a fraction of the cost.
Well, here' such a car. It is one of the finest SMs in the Country. A California car that never had any rust or accident damage. A car that still carries 100% of its factory original paint and all of its VIN tags. A car like no other, featuring a tricked out cage that was custom-built around the World's tallest SM pilot: me!
Being 6'6" tall and wearing shoes size 14, I won't fit in just any Miata, with a hardtop, wearing a helmet. But I do fit in this one.
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The car comes with a clear California Certificate of Title, both California license plates, the mandatory Mazda factory Workshop Manual, various other manuals, papers for the AMB transponder (which gives a unique radio signal to the timing tower), and the all important SCCA Club Racing Vehicle Logbook and 2006 SCCA GCR.
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I had the car professionally built, with help and parts from the very best in the business, a task that took five months, from January to May, 2005. The car has successfully run in 7 races, never had a DNF, and just received a fresh 2006 "Annual" inspection sticker.
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Being a bit obsessive when it comes to my cars and bookkeeping, this Miata comes with a thick folder containing chronologically filed receipts in clear sheet protectors. I also have an EXCEL spreadsheet, which tells me that I have exactly $24,838.57 invested in this car, not including the transponder and the countless hours I spent working on the car.
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Not only is this a toothbrush clean race car, in and out, top to bottom, but it is loaded with the best parts money can buy.
Let's take a closer look!
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The heart of every race car is its engine: here, the sparkling clean engine bay houses the best legal SM engine money can buy: a SUNBELT racing engine. Carrying a price tag of $6,995.00, the 1.6-liter, 16-valve DOHC runs like a champ, revs like there's no tomorrow, and documents its incredible health by having 195-190-190-195 compression and pulling a respectable 120 hp on the rear wheels when last dynoed.
Lubricated by the finest MOTUL 10W-30 racing oil, this engine also features a new ACT clutch, NGK race plugs, MAGNECOR competition wires, a 'blueprinted' ART AFM, and the latest and best thermo-wrapped SPINDUCTION straight shot intake!
Oh . . . and did I mention the extra-wide KOYO aluminum racing radiator that keeps things cool, even in triple-digit outside temperatures?
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Redundant to list, perhaps, but
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The list continues!
There are blueprinted ART front hubs (will last a lifetime), long wheel studs, and anodized aluminum lug nuts.
Wheels are the latest TEAM DYNAMICS 1.2 (I was the first in the Country to receive them), dipped deep into the current TOYO spec rubber of the dimension 205/50 ZR 15. These tires ($652.80 mounted) are shaved to 4/32nd and have seen 5 heat cycles (Q-R & P-Q-R), less than one race weekend, total.
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The flawless red O.E.M. hardtop carries factory original paint. I bought it for $1000.00, the going rate these days, from a lady who removed it from her showroom new car and stored it--in a flannel bag--inside her garage. It's absolutely like new and has been mounted with aluminum brackets from OK MIATA.
Let's check out the interior now!
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The early 1.6-liter cars (1990-'93) are highly sought after, because they are light and nimble and easier to throw around, but if you're weighing 240lbs or more, it's not as easy to get close to the minimum weight of 2,300 lbs including the driver.
Many car builders fail to put in the necessary effort to lose weight; I spent five weekends removing the entire interior, including the dash, dash support, and pedal assembly, and scraping away the last bit of sound deadening material. You couldn't pay me enough today to perform this slave job again, but it paid off: My car can carry a 248-lb driver and a quarter tank of fuel and will barely make minimum weight!
Yeah, baby . . .
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There's a quick release steering wheel hub with removable MOMO steering wheel, an ULTRALITE Spec Miata aluminum seat, SIMPSON 5-point, latch-and-lock harness, a SAFEQUIP window net, a 5 lb fire extinguisher, and a 17" LONGACRE rearview mirror. Most important, however, is the roll cage, a cage unlike any other you'll ever encounter in a Spec Miata.
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Designed and built literally around my super-sized body by master fabricator Matt Hill from PERFORMANCE SOLUTIONS, there's a halo loop running around the top. This allows the cage to "stick out" of the side windows, as far away from the helmet as possible. For added safety, there's a diagonal top cross bar running all the way up into the hardtop. The NASCAR-style side protection features 3 (!) main bars, further reinforced by welded-in steel plates. The centerpieces are the cage legs of the main hoop. They descend behind the seat belt towers, not ahead of them, allowing for another 2-½ inches of additional leg room! Such elaborate cage didn't come cheap, of course. Including the neat safety switch mount, I paid $2,585.00 for the cage alone, and it is worth every penny!
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A resident of sunny SoCal all its life, this SM has never had any rust or accident damage. Its undercarriage still shows perfectly preserved factory white paint. In fact, the car has not seen a drop of rain since it was built!
Note: rear subframe cross brace (below the LSD) still shows the factory MAZDASPEED part sticker!
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AMB transponder (ID: 1404420) is mounted inside the right front wheel well. Again, note how clean everything is!
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Trunk comes with some extra goodies, such as MOTUL racing oil, plug wires, spark plugs, fuel pump, coil pack, wheel studs and nuts, and a set of MAZDASPEED stickers. WESTCO battery is new, by the way, as is the windshield (and gasket), both of which were installed on May 4th, 2006.
Also included is the passenger seat and a stock exhaust with catalytic converter, MAGNAFLOW muffler, and BORLA end piece--just in case you'd like to smog the car--as well as a box containing stock air box, glove box, and other tidbits.
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I am selling this car with 8 TEAM DYNAMICS 1.2 wheels and tires plus 4 stock aluminum wheels and tires, for a total of 12 wheels.
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The good news continue: also included is a fine-running stock engine, mounted on a custom-built stand. This engine has excellent compression and shows no signs of weakening. With casters mounted to the stand, it can be rolled into a van or onto a pickup bed quite easily.
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Rarely does the opportunity arise to buy such an exceptional Spec Miata race car at a reasonable price. This "no excuses" car has all the expensive goodies and parts du jour and will fit anyone short of an NBA pro and if you had a pro shop build it for you, it'd cost you $30,000.00.