Talk Morgan Forums Community Vehicle Talk (non-Morgan) This or a Plus 4?

I was looking at a video of the Rocketeer (Number27 I think it was) and he said that they had the gearbox pegged for up to 300hp without an issue.

Alistair, it was not the Mazda gear box No. 27 was referring to .

Still a hairdressers' car whatever the engine......

I know that Griffo of this parish was slightly concerned of torque handling when he performed his Ecoboost transplant to a Plus 4 (with MX5 box) several years ago now, especially when he wound up the boost to give, I believe, 260 lbft!

I believe vehicle weight may play a part with gearbox torque handling, and a Classic Morgan is always going to be a little less than any MX5. I was told that the ZF gearbox fitted to the 351 big valve Ford V8 in a Cobra kit I was building would be fine as excess torque would simply be spun away by smoking tyres

I am not so sure. Mazda's philosophy is to make the MX5 light and agile. The developer of the ND even prefers the 1.5 over the 2.0 because of the more intimate driving experience. Who one perceives the MX5 only "from the outside", then such assessments could happen, like a hairdresser car.

Peter had a 2009 Roadster!

Wonder what it would be like with the superchrged version of the engine used in the F type that I had. 400 bhp.

The biggest issue is that they aren't £15-20k (unless you find one that is already built) - they end up being a large chunk more because few people 'just' do the engine.

If you speak with the owner of Rocketeer, he'll tell you that most of the built cars (rather than those people who buy the engine kit and self install) end up with suspension upgrades, interiors, etc. Some of them end up £50k and high £20k to £30k is more normal.

The other downside is resale - they don't command strong money on the secondary market. I attribute this to Rocketeer getting some average press early on and lacklustre marketing since.

I like the Mk1 MX-5 a lot - they are composed, huge amounts of fun and well built. Whilst the Jag V6 swap may sound appealing, there are some excellent companies getting more power out of modifying the stock engine for a lot less money. The doesn't mean I don't like what Rocketeer are trying to do but simply that at the price point they are selling cars at, you have to really want a modified MX-5 over many other excellent candidates - a used Boxster or an Elise being just two.

When you look at what is available in the 2 seat Roadster marketplace I'd say £25k to £30k is, for a car of that performance, not unreasonable.
A used 981 Boxster would be a good alternative, is available with an automatic box and has a powered roof.
The advantage of the Rocketeeer is that it has a new engine and largely restored mechanicals. A high mileage 981 Boxster could be a bit of a money pit, especially if the intermediate shaft hasn't been re-bearinged.

I'd say that his market is someone who doesn't want a Lotus or a Porsche....or a Morgan...or.....

You can get a brand new MX5 2-litre version for under £33,000.