Those MX-5 purists among us who fancy the idea of a bit more poke but see turbocharging as going against the whole Jinba Ittai ideal have had few options thus far. Short of muttering into our beards we had the choice of the throttle-bodied
Jota MX-5 GT
for a burly £30K, 205hp your lot against the more tempting 270hp offered by BBR with its
turbocharged GT270
BBR also offers normally aspirated Super 175 and Super 180 kits for Mk3/NC MX-5s, pushing power from the standard 2.0's 160hp to 175hp and 180hp for £995 and £1,795 respectively. The former uses BBR's four-into-one exhaust manifold and Starchip ECU remap, the latter adding a 2.5-inch centre section and high-flow cat and BBR back box.
Useful extra zoom-zoom for your Mazda
Building on this BBR has just announced a new
Super 200
package for all 2.0-litre MX-5s and costing £2,195 or £1,695 if you're handy with the spanners and want to go DIY. It uses the manifold and panel air filter, a further updated ECU remap and - most significantly - new cams for both exhaust and intake. If you've already got the Super 175 or 180 kit you can upgrade to 200 spec for £1,395, the added bonus being the BBR exhaust kit you've already got liberates another 7hp or so. As it stands BBR claims a substantial 40hp increase to a base 201hp and a 19lb ft torque increase to 166lb ft. The latter arrives at 4,000rpm, 1,100rpm lower than the stock car claims BBR.
A lot of numbers to digest there. What exactly do they add up to? A whole lot of fun with a price that's more digestible to those who want an MX-5 with a bit more zoom-zoom but without the perceived complexity of a turbo kit. This is good old-fashioned tuning in keeping with the Mazda's traditional image and, of course, can be fitted to used NC MX-5s as well as new ones. With 2.0-litre cars available for a little over £5K upwards in the PH classifieds there's the basis for an affordable and fun little project car in the making there. Especially paired with the impressive Koni-based suspension kit fitted to the turbocharged GT270 we drove last year.
We'll be badgering BBR for a go with the Super 200 as soon as this story is filed. Watch this space...
