This is not exactly a secret for the GRM peeps. But just to make it official-like:
We haven't been this excited about a new product for a while. Seriously, a few of the FM staff are looking at their own Miatas in a different light right now.
The Exocet first appeared a few years ago in the UK. It's basically a space frame that takes the "rollerskate" from an NA or NB Miata, bolting directly on to the front and rear subframes. You simply lift the Miata body off the drivetrain and suspension and drop the space frame on top. Voila, you've lost about 800 lbs of weight while keeping the Miata's excellent handling. There are about 450 of them terrorizing UK roads and racetracks, as well as a handful in the US.
Exomotive, the US importer, decided to take a second look at the frame and have come up with a new design that is dramatically stiffer than the original while also incorporating improved safety. This new design is being produced in Atlanta, Georgia. We've been talking to them over the course of development, and the first of the US-built customer frames will be our shop car.
We'll be selling kits, pallet donors and turn-key cars. So you can take apart a Miata and build your own, order everything you'll need in one big package or simply drop by FM and pick up your new car.
Naturally, we're going to develop some Exocet-specific parts to make the build even more successful. Once we've built our test car we'll have a better idea of what that might be, but we've got some ideas already. We'll also be able to help with setup of your own Exocet so you extract the maximum performance out of the critter.
Prices start at $5999 plus shipping.
Have any questions? Check out our FAQ. Feel free to ask more here, it's a work in progress. The big ones? Yes, an LS3 will fit. And yes, an FM turbo kit will fit just fine. The Exomotive demo car runs one.
Here's some on-track video we put together of the Exomotive car when it visited our Summer Camp last week. This particular car is missing all the bodywork and sports the optional rear wing mount. We had to use a 480 hp V8 Miata as a camera platform. Exocet on video!
As for the V8, we'll happily build one for customers but I'm not sure that's a car anyone at FM feels we need quite yet. Contrary to what you might think, we are fans of balanced cars at FM, and I'd want to spend a bit more time with setting up the Exocet chassis before dropping in that much torque.
