double wishbone (rear)
The highest-mileage Miata on staff (by a hair) was bought with 173,000 on the odometer and some upgrades that put it into STS class in autocross. After a couple years of long-haul commuting, it had an engine rebuild at 250,000 miles and has slowly seen some much-needed repairs and upgrades as well.
It's still fairly ratty in appearance, but we racked up plenty of regional STS-class trophies in its life so far. Now, thanks to other upgrades and modifications, it's making a move to CSP but with a bias toward streetable fun rather than nationally competitive. The horsepower/torque numbers listed at right are dyno-proven numbers at the wheels.
With nearly every part of the cooling system replaced, the last one had to go, too.
We finally figure out why setting timing on this car was such an ordeal.
After a proper washing, we relived a little bit of our college days with some self-indulgent photography.
A Miata with a luggage rack is supremely useful as a furniture hauler.
Preparing for the trip was no small task: this 250,000-mile '91 Miata was due for an engine rebuild, and there were many more broken pieces along the way.
