I purchased my first Mazda Miata in 1990 and drove it for nearly 18 years without any major mechanical problems.

Over its lifetime I replaced the timing belt, tires and brakes several times, but never had any other major expenses.

In July of 2008 I purchased a second Miata MX-5. Unlike my original, which remained stock its entire life, my second Miata MX-5 is getting the full treatment. All the things I wanted to do to that first one, but never had the time or money for, are now being done to this new car.

My intentions were to build a fast yet easy to drive summer street car with excellent performance and handling.

I participate in an occasional track day at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, but I wanted the car to handle well both on the street and at the track. Miatas are well balanced cars right from the factory, but the third generation MX-5 is being delivered with a much softer suspension than the earlier first and second generation models.

MazdaSpeed, Mazda's factory racing development program, offers excellent performance products tuned specifically for the MX-5 Miata. These products strike the perfect balance between race car and street car.

MazdaSpeed works closely with Formula 1 suppliers like Brembo, Cosworth, AEM and Eibach to produce custom-designed Miata MX-5 performance products worthy of the MazdaSpeed name. If you're a regular Speed TV viewer you've seen Mazda's ads stating that "On any given weekend more Mazdas are road raced than any other car." MazdaSpeed is a big part of the reason why that's true.

The MazdaSpeed Suspension I installed is firm, but not overly so, and allows the car to perform well at the track as well as around town. The MazdaSpeed Coil-Over Suspension Kit with adjustable dampers and ride height settings makes it possible to quickly change the setup from road to race.

2 Liter 4 Cylinder Twin Cam 16 Valve

5-Speed Short-Throw Manual Gearbox

MazdaSpeed Cold Air Intake

Good-Win Racing Exhaust System

Torsen Limited Slip Differential

MazdaSpeed Sway Bars Front & Rear

MazdaSpeed Adjustable Coil-Over Suspension Kit

MazdaSpeed Front Strut Tower Brace

DBA Slotted and Cross-Drilled Ventilated Brake Rotors

Hawk HPS Ferro-Carbon Brake Pads

Goodridge Stainless Steel Brake Lines

Enkei Racing RPF1 17x7.5 Wheels

Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec 215/45ZR17

Anthony Woodruff Racing Rollbar

Mazda Front Air Dam & Splitter

Moss Motors Stainless Steel Mesh Grill (Painted Black)

Racing Beat Radiator Guard

Smoked Headlight Film

MazdaSpeed Front Tow Hook

MazdaSpeed Aluminum Pedals

Billet Aluminum Shift Knob

CG-Lock Seat Belt Tensioners

Cool Breeze Air Scoop

The picture above shows the MazdaSpeed suspension system fully lowered. The 2" ride height reduction improves handling by lowering the center of gravity. The wheels and tires better fill the wheel openings and gives the car a more aggressive stance. I use removable 3M Magnetic Roundels and vinyl race numbers for competitive events.

Mazda is the only Japanese manufacturer to ever win the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Mazda arrived at the Circuit de la Sarthe in 1991 with three factory-prepared Mazda 787B GT Prototypes.

All three MazdaSpeed 787B entries were powered by Mazda's unique 2.6 Liter 4-Rotor Wankel powerplant.

The driving team of Johnny Herbert, Bertrand Gachot and Volker Weidler piloted the No. 55 car to a 1^st place win, a full two laps ahead of the Tom Walkinshaw Racing Silk Cut Jaguar.

MazdaSpeed's second driving team of Stefan Johansson, Dave Kennedy and Maurizio Sandro Sala finished 6^th in the No. 18 car. The third team of Pierre Dieudonne, Takashi Yorino and Yojiro Terada brought their No. 56 MazdaSpeed 787B home in 8^th place.

The MazdaSpeed naturally aspirated R26B quad-rotor powerplant produced 930 HP at a redline of 10,500 RPM, but Mazda limited its drivers to a maximum redline of 9,000 RPM to improve the longevity of the motor in a 24 hour endurance race.

MazdaSpeed plans to compete in the 2009 American Le Mans Series.

Their British Petroleum sponsored Lola B08/86 LMP2 Coupe will be powered by the all-aluminum 2.2 Liter MZR-R powerplant using a Garrett turbocharger to produce 500 HP, and 400 lb./ft. of torque at 8500 RPM.

MazdaSpeed's track tests earlier this fall at Road America were very successful. Development and testing of the Lola LMP2 Coupe and MazdaSpeed MZR-R engine will continue over the winter and should make its debut next March in the ALMS opener at Sebring.