See Mazda MX-5 ND RF With LS7 V8 Swap Hit 187.4 MPH On Autobahn

The Mazda MX-5 has by no means been about outright velocity, however cram in an LS7 V8, after which the little roadster will turn into critically quick. The proprietor of a fourth-generation Miata within the hardtop Retractable Fastback specification has been documenting his construct on YouTube, culminating with a video shot on the Autobahn with the RF at full tilt. Whereas a regular automobile will do round 140 mph (225 km/h), this little beast managed to hit 187.4 mph (301.6 km/h).

If you happen to’re questioning about how a lot energy the eight-cylinder engine makes, a dyno take a look at from a 12 months in the past confirmed a colossal 514 hp and 675 Nm (498 lb-ft) of torque. That is fairly the bump over an ND1 or ND2 Miata, which tops out at simply 181 hp and 151 lb-ft (205 Nm) for the facelifted model launched with the 2019MY.

Squeezing in a giant V8 has definitely added weight over the four-cylinder 2.0-liter engine whereas impacting the automobile’s preferrred 50:50 distribution from the manufacturing facility, however this nonetheless have to be an impressively mild automobile by immediately’s requirements. Even within the barely heavier RF taste, the hardtop Miata weighs round 1,100 kg (2,452 lbs for the US mannequin) in inventory kind.

The primary try to smash the 300 km/h barrier did not precisely go as deliberate. Whereas the pint-sized roadster was zoom-zooming its option to high velocity, the higher windscreen trim flew off at 178 mph (286 km/h). Let’s simply say the diminutive Mazda wasn’t engineered to achieve these sorts of speeds. Because the analog speedometer solely goes to 150 mph (240 km/h), an expert information logger (Racelogic VBOX Sport) had for use to precisely measure the car’s velocity.

In keeping with the proprietor, his beefy Miata might’ve gone even sooner because the “velocity was steadily climbing” however there simply wasn’t sufficient straight highway forward on the well-known German freeway. Despite the fact that it “solely” reached 187.4 mph (301.6 km/h), this nonetheless would possibly simply be the quickest road-legal MX-5 on this planet.