Turbo Thrills - 1995 Mazda Miata

With wheels installed to provide proper proportioning in the wheel wells, the craftsmen at South County Customs achieved a virtually flawless installation of the Racing Beat kit. They frenched in the front air dam and side skirts, then glassed the rear wing into the rear quarter panels and deck lid. The overall effect was striking: From front to rear, Andrews' Miata sat low and poised under the taut sheen of its muscular new bodywork. But eventually the car had to go. Bystanders at the South County shop were clumping around Andrews' Miata, gawking and rubber-necking. Traffic flow in the shop had come to a standstill. Besides, this showboat still had another port of call to make.

Hyper-Ventilation
It's only natural that a supermodel should inspire a bit of heavy breathing and Andrews' Miata is certainly no exception. From the beginning, he'd expected to quicken the Miata's pulse rate either by supercharging or turbocharging. Ultimately, Andrews gave the nod to the latter technique and he was all set to spec a Flyin' Miata FM II turbo kit from Dealer Alternative, making big power when the company announced the imminent arrival of its even more powerful FM III kit. Andrews didn't have to wait long before all the hard parts were in and then he tapped Tony McIntyre at Import Sports to do the install. In addition to the turbo itself, Andrews' engine upgrade also included Flyin' Miata's turbo exhaust system, 2.5-inch high-flow catalytic converter and an aluminum, race-ready radiator.

To match the powdercoated intercooler tubes, Andrews applied a similar finish to the valve cover and intake manifold. Using judicious restraint, he then sprinkled the cockpit with carbon fiber accents and a brushed aluminum gearshift ring from R-Speed. He de-emphasized the bug-eyed gaze of his made-over beauty by replacing the '95 Miata's stock pop-up headlights with low-profile twin peepers from Brain Storm Products.

Cyber-Power
Since he's a store manager for a major national electronics retailer, it was a no-brainer for Andrews to install a cutting edge Kenwood MiniDisc upgrade into the Mazda's existing sound system. But the sound of music that's got him preoccupied at the moment is the whistling serenade of his claimed 270 turbocharged horses at full gallop. An important feature of the Flyin' Miata turbo kit is its Link-programmable ECU. Equipped with its own keypad, the ECU can be performance-tuned in real-time, on the road or at a dyno. Furthermore, to assist in finding that Holy Grail of maximum power in every gear, the ECU provides a serial-link interface for use with either a laptop or a Palm Pilot-style PDA to make fine-tuning adjustments in 500 rpm increments.

Even while he's shakedown cruising, Andrews' imagination is already goading him on to bigger and better things. Road racing plans for the nearby Summit Point Raceway have him looking at bigger brakes and upgraded steel brake lines, not to mention those mandatory cockpit mods like a racing saddle and four-point harness. Eventually, he foresees ExtrudeHoning of the intake manifold, which he'll marry to a larger throttle body. But for the moment at least, it's fair to say that Andrews' cool, big-horsepower Miata is one of the best-kept secrets along Maryland's freeways and backroads. It may be a looker, but for anyone foolish enough to flirt uninvited, it packs one wallop of a stinging put-down.