What It Takes To Build An 800 Horsepower, 10,000 RPM Miata

So you want a track car? Cool, good choice. Oh, you want a Mazda Miata? Classic pick, they’ve got a great aftermarket and— oh, you want it fast, huh? Well, that’s a little harder to pull off with that chassis, but you can still make it work. Here, I’ll give you a helpful tutorial in making 800 horsepower at over 10,000 RPM.

Carspotting: Midtown Miata

This time attack Miata spotted at Virginia International Raceway by Larry Chen eschews turbocharging or supercharging the stock engine for something more interesting: An engine swap. But, where most owners would throw an LS under the hood, builder Joshua Briggs of Briggs Motorsports decided to change things up — throwing a K24 with an absolutely massive turbo under what’s left of the Mazda’s chopped-up hood.

Turbo K24-powered Time Attack Frankenstein Miata, Capable of 200mph

Briggs claims the Miata made 800 wheel horsepower on a dyno, but that the car was slipping as it did so — its true power may be even higher. The engine is fully built, the gearbox is sequential, and the rear end is out of a CTS-V; all of which are necessary to hit these kinds of figures.

If the CTS-V rear was a surprise, there’s more Americana happening in this Miata than that. The radiator is an aftermarket unit for a Ford Falcon, the alternator is from a Chevy Blazer, and the idler pulley is Dodge — all the big three are represented.

You may question the need for 800 horsepower at 10,000 RPM on track, but I implore you to watch the video. You see those spurts of flame shooting out from the hood-mounted exhaust? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Shut up about the need. This is a want, and it’s something I want so badly to drive.