Speedster on a Miata

Well, I floated the idea of building / buying a replica to the wife this weekend and got a resounding "not unless it's safe for the kids". Between her safety concerns and my desire to spend the weekends at the golf course and not under the hood I am debating to put a speedster body on a Miata.

Has anyone on this forum considered modifying a speedster shell to put over a stock Miata and does it seem feasible? I know all you diehard 356 guys will have a heart attack at even the thought but I suspect there are a few of us out there who aren't in the car show circuit, want something unique with style and want to drive a car every day for 100K miles.

I don't have a clue if it would fit, nice idea though, but how would a Miata chassis under a fiberglass Speedster body, the weak link in the safety equation anyway, improve safety? If you have the dinero a tube framed IM may satisfy your wife's safety concerns better.

just buy/drive the miata, you'll me much happier.

I think the airbags in the Miata would add to the safety factor as well as the engine placement, seat belts, ABS, gas tank etc. Granted, a 2003 Yukon XL would make a pancake out of any car this size.

Here are the dimentions of a Miata, are they even close to that of a speedster?

Length:155.4"
Wheelbase: 89.2"
Height 65.9"

Jamie, for what it's worth, my 76 year old father has a 98 Miata. Parked side by side with my VS the Miata is considerably bigger. I doubt that it could be made to fit.

I think it would be almost impossible, the replica bodies were not designed around the miata, I know your probably thinking of replica cars using a fiero, but these were built for the fiero. Wondering why no one has done something similar.....they did but it was using the VW chassis....but a few companies have gone to making their own such as Intermeccanica. I only replied because I feel guilty for even mentioning it in a different thread

These cars were built to be replicas of the original 356A speedsters. The originals were really first cousins of the VW beetle, and as a result shared MANY of the same basic design features. A VW motor will pretty much bolt up to a porsche transaxle (and vise versa), and the layout of the running gear, etc. is very close (even on an IM). Of all the various replicas available (Ferrarri, et al), the speedster replicas are as close to an exact representation as is practically possible. Retro-fitting a body to other running gear sounds kind of appealing at first glance, but would present more problems than it would solve. Even if you could, would you really want to? If you want a Miata, then you should buy one- REALLY nice ones are out there for $10K- $12K. You could buy one for you and your wife for less than a new loaded JPS or Vintage. You could buy one for your folks too for the price of an OK IM.

Or you could stick with the essence of the 356- an air-cooled flat four. If you want something modern, and safe, and civilized- I'd buy something else. If you want a VERY close replica of the coolest car ever made, I'd look no further.

I like and agree with your post Stan! That is really the basic decision after all isn't it? For the price of a nice JPS/VS, or a well built CMC one could buy:

1. New MR2, pay TTL and insurance for a year.
2. New Miaya M, and all the above.
3. A nice used Miata, trick it out with roll bars, wheels/tires, killer sound, basic engione mods, lowered springs, yada, pay for all in 1 ans 2 and still take mama to Hanalei for a love fest, and have enough to pay your SCCA dues, and a nice weekend driver's course.
4. Buy a good used Boxster.
5. yada.

But, I went through those things, and have owned a little share of new or newer toys.... in the end they just get old and outdated. But a Speedster (or replica)? Well they are ageless. Look around folks... Lexus SCs, Boxsters, Z4s, TTs are being driven by the wive's club like they were basic transporters. There is no uniqueness in new cars with our Boomer gen, EVERYONE HAS ONE.

I consider my VS as a driver along the lines of a street rod or a bike and ceased any attempts to make it anyrging other than what it is... a classic. No dissing you that consider yours open to interpretation and thus wilder mods.. to each their own! At least you aren't clogging the freeways with a new "prestige car" that you'll see in the dozens daily!!! I don't miss roll-ups or a/c. If I want that I'll jump in mamas Acura, our SUV, or my last gen RX-7 dual turbo. If I want that on my bike I won't put a body on it, I'll sell it and buy a cage.

Jim (PS, Stan, yers, I have the CB kit for ICTs... wnat it??? )

Where's my spell checker??? Wow, that was truly a fat fingered master-piece 'o excrement. I guess I should do these on Word first and proof read. What a concept.

Excuse my errors, Jim

I'm sure you could scale up/modify the look of a miata so that it would look more like a speedster, but the proportions would be off. I suspect that the miata would have a much longer hood because of the engine placement and rear drive. You would end up with a miata with a speedster look, but not a replica by any means.

I suppose if you wanted to keep the proportions something like a (don't hit me please!) Mercury Capri (Aussie built convertible) might work better in proportion, but it might be taller where the engine is located than on the usual replica.

Finally, there is the Banham replica out of england which is built on a MG metro/ Rover 100 econocar with a front engine and front drive.

I've thought about this topic too. Heck, all it takes is a design, a mold and some fiberglass...

Addition....

I guess that what you (and I to some degree) want is a speedster body kit, not a replica, something that would have the sensibilities of the 356 design while fitting on a miata or another more modern car with the least amount of fuss. I understand and second that idea.
I also suppose that it what Banham (Banmoco.co.(just so it won't be a link)uk) was thinking with his "new speedster" You keep a lot of the econobox interior and take the body off (and roof) and put the new body on and glue and weld it.
(Message Edited 7/21/2003 11:37:15 PM)

Hey Jim...

That just verifies that I am not the only individual that types with one elbow !

Alan M.

And to add........ I am in the process of shipping a "Ziata" aka a Z-3 BMW body kit mounted to a Miata .
My wife had a " Ziata " this kit / replica 5 years ago and we regretted selling it from day one ....Nice ride ...ummm watertight and it actually fools all but the purists ....who ever they might be.
And I get to keep my '23 T Bucket ! Toys ....lol

Alan M

Hey Alan,

Was checking out related sites through Yahoo the other day and came upon the feature about you and your efforts with students on a site about the National Kit Car meet in PA. I considered linking it here, and probably will. I am inmpressed with your success in this area, and am honored that you are a part of our forum. Given the logic: We get what we give, well, you are a rich person Alan.

Love T-buckets too! A Ziata? I saw the kit in a mag, interesting. The Miata lends itself to many interpretations, a cool car. I like the MR2-Spyder for that and may trade the RX-7 for one...

Jim

Alan, also saw your flare car with ghost flames...... in-f**king-credible. A work of art.

Jim

Jim,
About that CB ICT kit... I thought you'd never ask. E-mail me, and we'll talk price. Thanks!

Back to the miataspeedster. I think a better candidate proportion wise (at least from the side anyway) would be the 1991-94 Mercury Capri. You would probably have to put in a grille for the radiator,raise the nose and tail as well as widen it (guessing on that)and keep the tall windshield and top and add a gas filler to the side. It may not be a replica, but it will look like a speedster to some extent, and it would be more modern than a VW or even a fiero.

Gee, why not just buy an AMC Pacer, cut the top, put 356/speedster badges on, and call it a Spacer. You'll have A/C, roll up windows, and all that other "deemed necessary" crud to transform a seat of the pants sports car (356) into a domestic piece-o-excrement.

Seriously. Considering cutting a grill into the classic shapred nose of one of the most beautiful auto designs of all time is just beyond my thinking. The beauty of a Speedster is it's classic lines, aircooled rear engine uniquiness, bare bones/spartan engineering, and the thrill of a TRUE sports car.

For the extreme ends of the spectrum I suggest a new thread for Monster Cars, if you can dig that. Like hoqw I welded the running gear of two Gold wings into a boxed frame to accept a speedster body. Or the Quattro Speedster made from the guts of a Dodge Power Wagon, with sub thread Qs about how to fit Mickey Thompsons and mudders into the flaare of a CMC-C.

JMNSHO,

Jim Ward

Guess I'll contibute my thoughts on this thread. Why do people buy a Speedster replicar in the first place? The word "replicar" says it all to me. It is representing a classic auto that is a timeless design. There are very few of those designs around in the first place and then when you start cutting holes in the body, aftermarket wheels, superwide tires, talk of watercooled engines, etc, etc, then a lot gets lost in translation. To my way of thinking the simplicity of the car is the beauty of it. I didn't even have an audio system put in. A/C, you got to be kidding, even though it was 104 here today.Roll up windows are marginal in my way of thinking but at least the same vintage coupes and cabs had them so I guess you could rationalize them. Maybe because I started driving in the 50's and grew up with the good old Brit sports cars with sidecurtins I am just trying to recapture my youth but I keep thinking that Porsche wouldn't have cobbled these cars up as some proposals coming out on this forum. End of sermon, Bruce

I'm with Bruce. Who would want a Miata in the first place? Unless you buy one of the aftermarket supercharger or turbocharger kits for them they have a bad case of "the slows".

As Bruce said, a replica is just that, a replica. When you modify it with fattened fenders or whatever it becomes something else. Everybody has different taste but personally I find the wide-bodied "Speedster replicas" rather unattractive, just as I find wide-bodied, overweight women unattractive. Similarly, I can't get excited about a Subaru, RX-7 rotary, or type 4 VW engine sitting back there - neither of those "replicates" the original engine in looks. But, as Pogo Possum (Walt Kelly) said, "To each his dag-nab, blue-eyed own.", your ambrosia may be my poison.

I can rationalize roll-up windows in a Speedster replica since they improve top-up visibilty (a safety issue) and the fact that Porsche included them in the "Speedster D" (1959 convertible "D").

The main thing is that we all enjoy fussing over and driving our cars.

Hey Jim and all!

Yes please go ahead and do the link to the Carlisle Kit Car Nationals article. We were requested to attend by way of their invitation, they also did a feature story and a display of our three Speedsters at the Nats.
The kids I work with are "at risk youth" I usualy get this from the kids...." What ! I have to get up before 11:00AM ? "
I work for an agency www.youthservicecesagency.org that tutors as well as prepares them in a "job ready" format to get out into the real world rather than spend their lives hang'in at the local BK . After 31 years of driving big truck I am extending by my hobby of kit /replica cars as a full time job.

Alan Merklin