Feature – Slick Auto Mazda Miata Turbo
By Joey Leh, Photography by the author
Long ago, before the dawn of dual-clutch gearboxes, electronic stability controls and factory 20-inch wheels, the Mazda Miata began its domination by combining the essence of a classic English sports car with Japanese reliability.
The little Mazda roadster was cheap, fun to drive, light and reliable. The Miata was easy on gas, tires, brakes and, unlike any true English car on Earth, if you turned the key it started rather than just strangely confusing you. The Miata was an instant success and became a favorite among autocrossers, road racers and other enthusiasts.
But, over the years, the Mazda Miata began to garner another reputation. It was a girl’s car. A pansy mobile. A limp wristed, half done effort that was packing very little steel and about 120hp. Big block drag racers and sky-high lifted monster truck owners couldn’t be forced behind the wheel of one and stat-obsessed bench racers couldn’t get over its 0-60mph time. We admit, on paper the original Mazda Miata doesn’t seem to be packing the hottest spec list. But take one out for a spin and you’ll be hard pressed to find another car, even to this day, that will be more fun to drive.
And that whole “girl’s car” thing? May we present Exhibit A, Slick Auto’s 1990 Mazda Miata track car. Given the Miata’s massive following, it was only a matter of time before tuning companies began to offer turbochargers, superchargers, suspension kits, brakes and even V8 engine swap kits for it. This Mazda has them all beat. With a turbocharged engine under the hood, a full cage, bodywork that can fit 275-width Hoosiers and a sinister flat black paint scheme, Slick Auto’s Miata is about as girly as bull fighting and peeing standing up.
Driven and built by Jeff S. Lee, proprietor of Slick Auto, this Mazda began life as a daily driver, complete with such luxuries as air conditioning, power steering and power windows. After 2.5-years of street use, the downward spiral of the racetrack called upon Lee and the “Baby Monster” project was born.
Lee’s build is fairly straightforward, focusing on optimization and efficiency rather than huge power or 5-liter V8 engine builds. Lee put a significant amount of effort into revising the aerodynamics (flat bottom! – Ed.), braking and suspension setup on his Miata. The mixture of OEM calipers, bigger aftermarket rotors and Carbotech racing pads has stood up to track abuse and fits under 15×9-inch 949Racing 6UL wheels, which allow the use of normally unheard-of 275/35/15 Hoosier A6 tires.
Covering those tires and transforming the Miata’s bodylines is the very striking and flared Autokonexion widebody kit. Combined with the Autokonexion fastback lid, hood, APR Performance honeycomb front splitter, rear diffuser and massive GTC-300 pre-preg carbon fiber wing, this Mazda is almost unrecognizable as a Miata. Its bulging muscled flanks and flat black paint job (actually a very tough primer coat) scream racecar more than any Miata we’ve ever seen.
