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dean1484
dean1484 GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
12/31/19 2:41 p.m.

Just wondering.  Google Fu found nothing.  Don't know why I thought of it.  

EvanB
EvanB GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
12/31/19 2:43 p.m.

MrChaos
MrChaos GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
12/31/19 2:44 p.m.

the mazda 2 was said to be miata like

mainlandboy
mainlandboy Reader
12/31/19 3:11 p.m.

Not sure why anyone would want a FWD Miata, but Lotus decided that people did want it.

nimblemotorsports
nimblemotorsports Reader
12/31/19 3:32 p.m.

You might consider the Mazda MX-3 as a FWD Miata..with a V6, although it had 4 seats.

 

NOHOME
NOHOME MegaDork
12/31/19 3:35 p.m.

Why?

Dusterbd13-michael
Dusterbd13-michael MegaDork
12/31/19 3:46 p.m.

1st gen neon us the closest to fwd miata ive encountered.

But i think you mean a miata CONVERTED to fwd, in which case....

 

Nope. Skip straight to awd......

Same work, more better and awesomer.

_
_ Dork
12/31/19 4:11 p.m.

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :

Why not duel engine at that point? Although I'm pretty sure I have no idea where you would put The second engine

ThurdFerguson
ThurdFerguson Reader
12/31/19 4:27 p.m.

T.J.
T.J. MegaDork
12/31/19 4:30 p.m.

In reply to EvanB :

I saw a Mercury Capri on the road yesterday. Made me smile when I saw this thread title, because when I saw the car I thought to myself. "oh look, a front wheel drive Miata."

mainlandboy
mainlandboy Reader
12/31/19 4:31 p.m.

I think in order for it to qualify as a FWD Miata equivalent, it has to have 2 doors, 2 seats and be a convertible, which disqualifies some of the above suggestions.

 

Sonic
Sonic UltraDork
12/31/19 4:38 p.m.

Del Sol?

JamesMcD
JamesMcD SuperDork
12/31/19 4:42 p.m.

Bwob Hall said the Capri was a better car than you'd expect. A nice one with a KL swap would probably be quite neato. But that's more of a project for 20 years ago. 

spacecadet
spacecadet GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
12/31/19 4:52 p.m.
Sonic said:

Del Sol?

this is the closest thing Honda made.
 

Any Honda civic from the 90's is the equivalent FWD track day car to a Miata of the same age.

Cheap to buy, take a beating, cheap consumables. cheap to own.

captdownshift
captdownshift GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
12/31/19 5:15 p.m.

I cut the roof off of a 323 parts car and the drivetrain was still in it and functional, I guess that was pretty car for a period of time, but I'd still say Capri. 

MotorsportsGordon
MotorsportsGordon HalfDork
12/31/19 5:35 p.m.

Well mazda did lol

or lotus did

dean1484
dean1484 GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
12/31/19 10:34 p.m.
NOHOME said:

Why?

My mind can be a very interesting place to be sometimes. 

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
12/31/19 11:04 p.m.
EvanB said:

It's amazing to think that the two cars were introduced almost simultaneously. The styling of the Capri was very much the current look in 1989 and the Miata may be the first of the retro-styled cars - it was certainly not of the period and it's aged much better. They used the same basic engine although the Miata one got an extra cam and the Capri had an optional turbo. Their careers have followed very different paths.

codrus
codrus GRM+ Memberand UberDork
12/31/19 11:28 p.m.
_ said:

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :

Why not duel engine at that point? Although I'm pretty sure I have no idea where you would put The second engine

You put the second engine in the trunk and use it to drive the front wheels, of course.

 

Pete Gossett
Pete Gossett GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
1/1/20 3:05 a.m.
Keith Tanner said:
EvanB said:

It's amazing to think that the two cars were introduced almost simultaneously. The styling of the Capri was very much the current look in 1989 and the Miata may be the first of the retro-styled cars - it was certainly not of the period and it's aged much better. They used the same basic engine although the Miata one got an extra cam and the Capri had an optional turbo. Their careers have followed very different paths.

Due to the timing of their release & the Ford/Mazda connections of the era - and also the fact that I was still in the “V8 ‘muican” mindset at the time - it was several years after their release that I discovered the Capri wasn’t RWD & didn’t share a chassis with the Miata. 

amg_rx7
amg_rx7 SuperDork
1/1/20 5:26 a.m.

At the time, the Mazda Protege was referred to as the FWD Miata since it shared an engine and the fun to drive factor of the Miata. 

LanEvo
LanEvo GRM+ Memberand Dork
1/1/20 7:36 a.m.
  • Cheap
  • Simple
  • Classic styling
  • 1.6L twin-cam happiness 
  • Amazing handling
  • Fun-to-drive favored over outright speed
  • Great ergonomics and steering feel
  • Rabid fan base 

Sounds to me like the closest thing to a FWD Miata would be the Peugeot 205 GTI

TrulySpooky
TrulySpooky New Reader
1/1/20 7:55 a.m.

In reply to dean1484 :

IGNORE anyone saying why would you want to...That doesn't matter.  What does matter is what color would you paint this wonderful contraption you would design...

Blue is obviously the superior color for all vehicles.  BUT I can also tolerate aqua marine.   

 

I think an fwd converted Miata would be hilarious, only because it would cheeze people on the internet.  But I have anarchist tendencies so maybe you shouldn't listen to me. 

JesseWolfe
JesseWolfe Reader
1/1/20 8:06 a.m.

The Capri was one of my favorite cars as a kid ( 10 YO ), I still see them and want one.

malibuguy
malibuguy GRM+ Memberand Reader
1/1/20 8:50 a.m.

I consider Tercels to be fwd Miatas.  Often I refer to them as the fwd answer.

Cheap, fun AF to beat around in and even funner with boost.

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