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Flyin' Miata is building a V8-powered MX-5 ND

It's cold in many parts of the country, but this V8-swapped 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata that Flyin' Miata is developing has us dreaming about throwing on a parka and taking a very brisk drive. This beast is the product of the talented folks at Flyin' Miata, but we can't get too excited just yet. According to the company's brief Facebook post, this is just a dummy V8, placed under the Miata's hood to confirm fit. Judging by the photo, the engine fits like a glove. "There's still a long way to go before this is a real thing," Flyin' Miata writes, but the company admits everything looks "very promising" so far. The post doesn't mention any details about the estimated specs, but Autoblog reached out to Flyin' Miata for more information about this intriguing build. Keith Tanner, one of the mad scientists who shoehorns V8s into Miatas at the Colorado outfit, told us that Flyin' Miata is looking at both the LS3, which will provide between 430 and 525 hp, and the LT1 which is 460 hp out of the box. A supercharged LT4 is also being considered, but as Tanner put it, "that might be a little nuts" in a car as light as the ND. In any of these engine configurations, Tanner estimates the V8-swapped ND should comfortably be a sub-4 second to 60 mph car. The transmission will be a Tremec T56 Magnum six-speed manual. The suspension, brakes, fuel system, cooling system, and the chassis itself will all be beefed up to handle the power, as per normal FM practice. The one question mark is the rear end, as the ND's existing one simply won't be up to the task of putting that much horsepower to the ground. The 2016 Miata was one of the best cars we drove in 2015, but Flyin' Miata knows how to turn a standard MX-5 into an absolute hotrod with the company's LS3 V8 conversions for earlier models. Imagining the more modern chassis from the latest generation with a massive dollop of more power is an exciting thought. We can't wait to see how this project turns out. Related Video:

Driving the Chevy Corvette Z06 and Porsche 911 Carrera T | Autoblog Podcast #551

On this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Green Editor John Snyder and Associate Editor Joel Stocksdale. We talk about the wide variety of the cars we've been driving, starting with the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and Porsche 911 Carrera T. Then we discuss the more powerful 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata, our long-term Honda Ridgeline and our week with the Hyundai Ioniq PHEV. Finally with Pebble Beach on our minds, we preview the Concours d'Elegance.Autoblog Podcast #551 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown 2019 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 2018 Porsche 911 Carrera T 2019 Mazda Miata 2018 Honda Ridgeline 2018 Hyundai Ionic Plug-In Hybrid Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video:

2021 Mazda3 2.5 Turbo is official, with automatic transmission only

The Mazda3 Turbo is here, and while it’s no Mazdaspeed, this is still a happy day for enthusiasts. Its full, official name is the 2021 Mazda3 2.5 Turbo, which begins to describe it perfectly. Just as was expected, Mazda has taken its 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder off its shelf and plopped it into the compact 3. When run on 93 octane fuel, Mazda claims 250 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque. You can still run it on 87 octane, but the numbers drop to 227 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. Mazda says this engine has a specific calibration for the Mazda3 “to deliver the unique driving dynamics expected by our most passionate drivers.” The engine delivers a stout low-end shove in its other applications, so perhaps Mazda has found a way to make it more excitable in the upper rev ranges. WeÂ’ll see about that when we drive it. The Turbo is also paired exclusively with all-wheel drive and the six-speed automatic transmission. It is sad to see the six-speed manual being left in the dust here, but Mazda has decided to not offer it as an option. The all-wheel drive system operates the same as the one in the naturally aspirated version, which should hopefully be good enough to mitigate torque steer and understeer. Mazda hasnÂ’t quoted any official acceleration times for the Turbo yet, but we expect it could chop about a second off the carÂ’s 0-60 mph time. Something in the low 6-second range seems plausible. There are no changes to the chassis, suspension or brakes for this model; Mazda says "the current Mazda3, as well as all our vehicles, are always designed and tuned to be focused on dynamic driving. We are confident that the turbo engine will help to refine the already exciting driving experience without the need to add more than is necessary." It does come in a base trim (similar to a base hatchback in content), but even that trim is relatively well-equipped. A Premium Plus Package is available that raises the bar. This package includes leather seats, navigation, HomeLink, Traffic Jam Assist (provides steering inputs below 40 mph to stay in lane), 360-degree camera, rear automatic emergency braking, rear cross-traffic braking and parking sensors in front and back.  Unfortunately, the new driver assistance features we listed above are exclusive to the Turbo and wonÂ’t be available on other Mazda3 models this year.