The Flyin' Miata MX-5 Is 518bhp Of Roadster Lunacy

V8 MX-5s are nothing new. In fact, we were looking at a first-generation ‘Mega Monster’ Miata only recently. We’re yet to see a completed V8 ND MX-5 though, but this week, that’s all changed thanks to Flyin’ Miata.

The Colorado tuning firm has a great track record of shoehorning V8 engines into MX-5s, and has been busy filling the engine bay of the latest version of Mazda’s roadster with a socking great LS3 V8.

Naturally, dropping a 6.2-litre V8 under the hood does have an effect on weight, but the overall weight gain is actually reasonable at around 120kg. So it’s still light, and with 518bhp, it should be outrageously fast.

Thanks to Flyin’ Miata’s fastidious efforts, weight distribution hasn’t taken too much of a knock either: it’s now 53:47 as opposed to 52:48. “This will be a fully integrated car and not just a big engine rammed into a little car,” the company states, adding: “It’s a completely re-engineered automobile.”

Part of the “re-engineering” process - thankfully - includes handling mods. There’s new suspension, a big brake kit, and even a new hydraulic power steering system to replace the standard car’s electric setup.

The result is a car which Flyin’ says isn’t an unhinged widow-maker:

“Far from being an uncontrollable monster, the car remains as friendly as the original and is able to gain excellent traction off corners. This is probably the biggest surprise anyone gets while driving, how easy it is to control.”

Should we ever find ourselves in Colorado, we’ll have to give Flyin’ a call and test out that claim for ourselves…

The car you see here is a prototype, but the full kit is available to order now. It’s not cheap: for the 424bhp version you’re looking at $49,995, not including the base car. Further upgrades are available - if you want a 524bhp version like the prototype for instance, it’s an extra $1780, while even larger brakes will be a further $725.

Make sure you check out the full spec on Flyin’ Miata’s website.