Dusterbd13-michael said: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.
Hummmmm. Now I just envisioned somehow putting the driveline from a x-type in a Miata. I know figment would be an issue but dang would that be cool.
TrulySpooky said:In reply to dean1484 :
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.
Honestly, I don't think it would surprise many people, because a lot of people I talk to, including car people, think that they are FWD to begin with
JamesMcD said:Bwob Hall said the Capri was a better car than you'd expect.
That's still not raising the bar very high. A notch or two above a Geo Metro convertible, maybe, but nowhere near Miata level.
First thing that popped in my mind was the Del Sol or Lotus Elan.
Really want to try to driving an Elan
I received an excellent book on the development of the Miata, and I loved the part where the engineers were insisting that it had to be front-engine/rear-drive and the marketing people were pointing at the CRX and the MR2 and saying "FR is antiquated. It needs to be FF or MR like these two, they're the future." Now, thirty years later, the CRX and MR2 are dead and buried, and the Miata is still going stronger than ever.
I suppose these guys did, otherwise this would be a stupid picture.
The Capri is as close to a FWD Miata as it comes. Consider the 0-60 times:
1991 XR2: 7.9 sec
1991 Miata: 9.0 sec
Want to learn more? John Davis has you covered.
Inexpensive? Roof comes off? Nimble handling? Absurdly great aftermarket support? Check, check, check and check.
NickD said:I received an excellent book on the development of the Miata, and I loved the part where the engineers were insisting that it had to be front-engine/rear-drive and the marketing people were pointing at the CRX and the MR2 and saying "FR is antiquated. It needs to be FF or MR like these two, they're the future." Now, thirty years later, the CRX and MR2 are dead and buried, and the Miata is still going stronger than ever.
Has the CRX really been dead and buried? It still has a huge following, parts availability and the community also still seems very much strong.
At one point I owned a '93 Del Sol and a '96 Miata. They could not be any more different. It's like comparing a Kawasaki Ninja and, well, an EG Civic hatch.
In my mind the early 90s Escort GT is the FWD Miata, because they share the same engine.
The niche under discussion has been filled for some time. But once again, I believe the question remains as to whether anyone has had the audacity to convert a perfectly good Miata to FWD?
Fiat also took a stab at it with the Barchetta shortly after the Miata came on the scene: 1995 to 2005. Awesome looks ( IMO) but ran into the harsh reality that a sports car has to be RWD to be accepted.
Pete
aw614 said:NickD said:I received an excellent book on the development of the Miata, and I loved the part where the engineers were insisting that it had to be front-engine/rear-drive and the marketing people were pointing at the CRX and the MR2 and saying "FR is antiquated. It needs to be FF or MR like these two, they're the future." Now, thirty years later, the CRX and MR2 are dead and buried, and the Miata is still going stronger than ever.
Has the CRX really been dead and buried? It still has a huge following, parts availability and the community also still seems very much strong.
As far as being in production, yes. The Del Sol was not as well loved as the CRX, and the CR-Z was even worse received. It seems unlikely that a new CRX in the vein of the original will ever be built.
And here I am wanting to do the opposite, shove ACVW running gear into the rear.
aw614 said:NickD said:I received an excellent book on the development of the Miata, and I loved the part where the engineers were insisting that it had to be front-engine/rear-drive and the marketing people were pointing at the CRX and the MR2 and saying "FR is antiquated. It needs to be FF or MR like these two, they're the future." Now, thirty years later, the CRX and MR2 are dead and buried, and the Miata is still going stronger than ever.
Has the CRX really been dead and buried? It still has a huge following, parts availability and the community also still seems very much strong.
If you look at the CRX that was available when the Miata was in development - very much dead and buried with little parts availability and a community that was based around one website that's gone away.
I love the fact that you guys are identifying anything with remotely similar straight line performance as being "equivalent".
R&T did a Del Sol vs Miata comparison in 1994 or so. They chose the Del Sol. Interestingly, almost every journalist I talk to has a Miata or had a Miata, but never a Del Sol.
MotorsportsGordon said:Well mazda did lol
From the profile, that looks like it could have been an early design study for the Escort ZX2.
Considering that the ZX2 used Mazda's BG platform, I wonder if this was dusted off to make the ZX2.
Keith Tanner said:aw614 said:NickD said:I received an excellent book on the development of the Miata, and I loved the part where the engineers were insisting that it had to be front-engine/rear-drive and the marketing people were pointing at the CRX and the MR2 and saying "FR is antiquated. It needs to be FF or MR like these two, they're the future." Now, thirty years later, the CRX and MR2 are dead and buried, and the Miata is still going stronger than ever.
Has the CRX really been dead and buried? It still has a huge following, parts availability and the community also still seems very much strong.
If you look at the CRX that was available when the Miata was in development - very much dead and buried with little parts availability and a community that was based around one website that's gone away.
I love the fact that you guys are identifying anything with remotely similar straight line performance as being "equivalent".
R&T did a Del Sol vs Miata comparison in 1994 or so. They chose the Del Sol. Interestingly, almost every journalist I talk to has a Miata or had a Miata, but never a Del Sol.
Oh yeah, I forgot about the first generation CRX. When I think CRX, I only remember the '88-'91.
I remember when I was on the hunt for a Miata, my boss said "Why not consider a Del Sol?" I just kind of glared at him and he said "What? My girlfriend had one and it was kind of cool." I replied with a "Who had it?" and he went "My girlf.... Ohhhhh. Yeah."
Here's where my mind goes:
When discussing a "FWD Miata equivalent" I think of something with a community of die-hard enthusiasts that cheap to buy and modify, with incredible aftermarket parts availability. Generally it will be developed in the late 80's and refined 90s with good examples still existing 20 years later. In this way, I think the '88-00 civic and integra meet the criteria as a FWD miata.
If we're talking about modifying a miata for fwd, there are certainly better alternatives for ritualistic self flagellation.
Keith Tanner said:R&T did a Del Sol vs Miata comparison in 1994 or so. They chose the Del Sol. Interestingly, almost every journalist I talk to has a Miata or had a Miata, but never a Del Sol.
The Del Sol was cool (particularly the B16 VTEC one), but cutting the roof off a Civic did horrible things to the rigidity so they were really floppy.
codrus said:Keith Tanner said:R&T did a Del Sol vs Miata comparison in 1994 or so. They chose the Del Sol. Interestingly, almost every journalist I talk to has a Miata or had a Miata, but never a Del Sol.
The Del Sol was cool (particularly the B16 VTEC one), but cutting the roof off a Civic did horrible things to the rigidity so they were really floppy.
I could never get past the gawky B-pillars (hint: I also don't care much for the 914's roofline) or the goofy auxiliary headlights. At least the '96 facelift fixed one of those things. The JDM-only TransTop was kind of cool though.
What about the Toyota Paseo convertible that was available for a year or two? I imagine it would take a lot of little tweaks to make a Paseo feel like a Miata, probably including a Torsen diff upgrade.
pres589 (djronnebaum) said:What about the Toyota Paseo convertible that was available for a year or two? I imagine it would take a lot of little tweaks to make a Paseo feel like a Miata, probably including a Torsen diff upgrade.
Jeez, I didn't even know there was a Paseo convertible. It was only available in '97, and I presume they couldn't have sold many.
I'm just happy that anyone other than me remembers the Capri. 
Someone on the Capri forum (yeah there is one) BPT and AWD swapped theirs. It's awesome.
They also make a chip that goes on the stock ECU to improve the fuel map so you can crank up the boost on the B6T.
CRX si was the FWD Miata. And more storage space. Not quite as fast since it was only a 1.5 liter. I got mine up to 120 on a long downhill once, 115 was it on the flat. Very stable, the front and rear spoilers plus its shape added noticeable down force at that speed.
jharry3 said:CRX si was the FWD Miata. And more storage space. Not quite as fast since it was only a 1.5 liter. I got mine up to 120 on a long downhill once, 115 was it on the flat. Very stable, the front and rear spoilers plus its shape added noticeable down force at that speed.
I was totally bummed when I moved to the States in 94 to discover we didn't get the VTEC engine here. Back in the UK there may have been smaller engines offered, but the only version you ever saw was the 150hp 1.6L VTEC. Even for the first gen got a decent 1.6L engine, sorry I don't know Honda engine speak.
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