Life and Times of My Mazdaspeed Miata: THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

I'll soon be making a trip to Indianapolis. While there, my cousin and I plan to get some things done to my car. But those details can wait for a post after the fact. This post is about getting there. Like most folks, I have normally taken the Interstates to my various destinations. Shorter travel time = more fun time (at the destination). But now I have this little car that is so much fun on the twisty backroads. The equation has changed.

Instead of taking I-24 from Chattanooga to Nashville, and I-65 from Nashville northward through Kentucky, I'll ditch the Interstate for part of my trip, climbing Signal Mountain out of Chattanooga, and not rejoining the masses until Cave City Kentucky.

click for larger version
All new roads for me. I'll go up and down mountains (well, what we call mountains back east anyway), wind along rivers, and cross the Cumberland on a ferry. I'll go through places named Mount Airy, Mount Crest, Bone Cave, Rock Island, Boiling Springs, and Nameless, with the ferry crossing at the point where Turkey Neck Bend Road has never had a bridge.

I love to drive, even on the Interstate. These twisty backroads with the 'Speed Miata should be memorable.

(If anyone's interested enough to care, the roads are:
US27, US127, 30, Bone Cave Road, Rock Island Road, 136, 135, Ditty Road, 56, 290, 53, 214, 100, 63, and 90)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...: Rock Island is pretty sweet if you have a sec to drive up Great Falls Rd. There you have the convergence of two rivers and a dam, which results in the unusual phenomenon of one river flowing backwards and water seeping through and finally pouring out of a hillside/cliff. Should be some pretty cool photo ops for your Colored Micah. Ooohh- and you can drive across the dam: very narrow and appealing.; June 25, 2008 at 3:26 AM
Anonymous said...: Cool - I'll do it. Thanks for the tip.

(and...)

What?? OH! LOL.; June 25, 2008 at 7:02 AM
Tim said...: tim / blog reader said...

That's really awesome. Have fun. I'd really like to see the converging rivers that Nathan is talking about.; July 1, 2008 at 11:06 AM

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About the Mazdaspeed Miata

In 1989, the rear wheel drive Miata (a.k.a. MX-5) resurrected the British concept of small ragtop sports cars, and coupled it with Japanese reliability. Then in 1999, the 2nd generation Miata hit the streets, with a little more muscular body shaping.

Then in 2004 and 2005, MAZDASPEED, the in-house performance tuning division of Mazda, produced this high-performance edition of the car for these final two years of the 2nd generation. The MAZDASPEED Miata was given a turbocharger, intercooler, stiffer springs, gas-charged Bilstein shocks, a slightly lower stance, stouter stabilizer bars, 6-speed stick, unique Racing Hart alloy 17" rims, among other things, with interior upgrades as well.

The only wording on the car is "Mazdaspeed" and "MX-5," the names "Miata" and "Mazda" appearing nowhere but the paperwork. The Mazda emblem is present. There were even fewer 'Speed Miatas built than planned. Mazda produced 4000 for the '04 model year, but a factory fire in December 2004 ended production of the '05 model year early. Only 1428 '05's were produced.

The 'Speed Miata is fairly quick (0-60 in 6.2), but certainly not the fastest car on the road. What it does best is handling, taking the tight turns flat, and without a whimper from the tires...unless of course you want to induce some whimper with some throttle enabled oversteer. Autoweek says "At 48.4 mph through the slalom, the Mazdaspeed Miata ranks second only to the Dodge Viper SRT-10, at 49 mph, among all the cars we've tested" (8/30/04). Additionally, the car is easy to modify for even more capability.

The best ways to sum up this car? It's a comfortable, super-reliable, street legal go-kart, with guts. So much fun to drive. Open air. The epitomy of "Zoom-zoom!"

Quotes

Jeremy Clarkson, of Top Gear, on Miatas generally
"The fact is that if you want a sports car, the MX-5 (aka Miata) is perfect. Nothing on the road will give you a better value. Nothing will give you so much fun. The only reason I'm giving it five stars is because I can't give it 14."

Chris Paukert, Exec.Editor of Autoblog.com, Jan. 2015
"Here's an uncomfortable truth: I'd rather spend a day driving a properly sorted Mazda MX-5 Miata of any generation on a winding road than I would nearly any other vehicle, regardless of power, price or prestige."

Barry Winfield, Car and Driver, April 2004
"On a purely subjective level, the Mazdaspeed car feels wholly transformed, capable of top-gear traffic slaloms at just a jab of the pedal."

Autoweek, August 30, 2004
"At 48.4 mph through the slalom, the Mazdaspeed Miata ranks second only to the Dodge Viper SRT-10, at 49 mph, among all the cars we've tested."

Edmunds.com
"The standard Miata is a sporty yet affordable roadster. Aided by a turbocharger and an array of chassis upgrades, the Mazdaspeed version is a full-blown sports car that still fits the budget of an enthusiast with a day job."

Automobile.com
"While friendly to drive, the MazdaSpeed Miata is still mean on the road. It is friendly because it is easy to operate from the first shift. Yes, the throws are short but the gearbox isnt stiff and neither is the clutch. Its just a very agreeable car to drive. When on the road, however, the handling is mean. What do I "mean" by that? Well, it handles like a charm. The lowered, sport-tuned suspension and rack-and-pinion steering system connected with the leather-wrapped steering wheel to make for accurate and precise steering and handling. It cornered fiercely, yet somehow beautifully when pushed a little. Whats more, when executing tight turns of any shape or form there was minimal body roll. The suspension is comfortably stiff, making for a sporty ride. Bottom line, its awesome."

Philip Reed, Edmunds.com, March 2004
"The result is a real pocket rocket, a car that retains its vaunted English sports car feel while keeping pace with the raging horsepower war that's being waged these days. The new Miata weighs in with 33% more torque (166 lb-ft) and 25 percent more hp than the standard model. Combine this lusty engine with a curb weight of 2,529 pounds and you have more power than you really need (this owner objects to that last line - what does "more power than you really need" even mean?). Still, this car isn't about getting from Point A to Point B in the fastest time — it's all about the journey.

"We can't think of another car that provides such a great sense of fun with the way it handles. A Mini Cooper comes to mind, of course, but the Miata is even lower (lowered by 7 millimeters as compared with the regular Miata) and the steering is quicker, giving the driver a greater sense of being centered and at one with the driving experience.

"The Miata was introduced in 1990 and has been a favorite ever since. The lovable little Japanese two-seater, with its roots in the English sports car, has struck a chord with American drivers. Its longevity is due to the unfiltered driving experience it delivers — pure fun. With more horses under the hood and an even more responsive chassis, the Mazdaspeed version is, incredibly enough, even more fun to drive."

...and since I'm a lanky 6'4", I have to include this quote:
Aaron Gold, on About.com
"You don't sit in a Miata; you wear it. I'm 5'6" and weigh 150 lbs (OK, OK... 160) and this car makes me feel like Shaquile O'Neil. It's comfortable for me; I just never saw how anyone bigger could fit inside. So I asked my friend Joe, who tops 6' and 300 lbs, to take a test-squeeze. Joe not only fit in the car, but he had plenty of room to drive comfortably. How does Mazda do that? Magic seats, I guess."

Life and Times of My Mazdaspeed Miata

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

3 comments:

About the Mazdaspeed Miata

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