zZzMIATA = A "sleeper" styled Miata, usually appearing stock on the exterior, but highly modified for performance, as to confuse & infuriate rivals, especially muscle cars.
Kelly's early years, spent mostly at Infineon Raceway, with her smaller, faster cousins, the 13B-powered Formula 2000's.
Every now and then, it's a sunny day, and the perfect time to drop the ragtop. You may see alot of Miata's on the road, but how many have you seen at triple-digit speeds? It's very simple, only 1, Kelly. The Ram-Air, hood-cowling is a 1-of-a-kind, hand-laid fiberglass scoop, modeled after a 1967 Shelby 427 Cobra Roadster's hoodscoop.
This is the only part of Kelly, that most of you will see, as she effortlessly passes at twice your speed. Sitting just inside the rear window, is a dead give-away that this car ain't no joke! Not only is this car a lightweight, RWD, souped-up, sleeping monster, but the driver, Me, spent over $12,000 in Racecar Driving Schooling, just to become an expert expressway racer. Street-racing is weak. Take it to the freeways, with curves, and speeds in excess of +135mph. That's what seperates us professional drivers, from most wanna-be, poser, "street racers".
The interior is all about functionality. Nothing fancy here, not even carpet, or heatshield padding. AutoMeter Ultralite Carbon Fiber LED Air/Fuel, and Boost gauges are located inside the center dash console, above the climate control, relaying crucial engine performance data, back to the driver. Just about every on-board electrical circuit has been hard-wired to O/I toggle switches, including the startup circuit, which utilizes a push-to-start button.
Since almost each electrical circuit has been hard-wired, and several stereo, and ECU upgrades have been made, it is NECCESSARY to properly insulate the wires, so as to protect the conductivity of the circuits, without the possibility of a wire "grounding out", due to shoddy workmanship, laziness, and/or utter stupidity. In case a circuit somehow does "short-out", you may have noticed not 1, but 2 fire extinguishers, ready to extinguish a possible electrical fire.
For all my fellow Miata owners, this particular Miata is equipped with a single, JL12W0 subwoofer, powered by a JL Audio 250Wx1 SuperMono Amplifier, an AC/DC 800 watt power transformer, and an on-board AC battery charger, to keep the Panasonic Gel-type battery fully charged. The stereo consists of 8 speakers, and a 12-inch powered sub. The stereo system alone, at half-volume, can even drain the battery, at 65mph battery charging speeds.
The NA8CE power plant, in it's mid-stage of performance tuning. You'll notice that the intake, sits directly above the exhaust header on 1st generation Miatas. Getting cool air to the engine, has always been a challenge for Miata tuners. There are a few kits available, costing several hundreds of dollars. The basic aftermarket air intake costs $250-$450. I made the one you see on the car, from a HotShots 1999 Prelude S model intake system. The IAT (intake air temperature) sensor, has been relocated away from the heat of the exhaust manifold. Not only does this improve engine performance, and response, but it also gives a much more accurate reading to the PCM/ECU, which enables the entire engine to run MUCH more efficiently. Although the exterior of the car is mostly bone-stock, the engine, and most of it's components, are not stock. The idea behind this, is to make others underestimate the car's full potential. It only takes, on average, under 10 seconds, for someone to realize that they were blown away, not just by a Miata, but by a highly-tuned Miata, piloted by a a highly-skilled, and professionally-trained race car driver, who's out driving around, just looking for the next challenger to defeat. So who's next in line? Will it be YOU?
