In 1994, Mazda introduced that nadir of Miata-ness, the special edition M-Edition, which persisted like a lingering sore through the '97 model year at which point Mazda mercifully euthanised the concept.
Essentially loaded Miatas with different paint, trim and hideous chrome wheels, the M-Edition was that shameless money-grab by automakers -- the badge and sticker job. M-Editions were the poodle chariots of Miatas. The wine-and-cheese version. They were given names like Fifi by the kind of people that name their cars.
They're also a goldmine for hardcore Miata enthusiasts.
Say what?
If you're befuddled, good. And I swear I'll tie this in to Project Miata, but you'll have to hit the jump first.
Being loaded, all M-Editions packing a manual gearbox also came equipped with a Torsen limited-slip differential. Meaning that unlike other trim levels, there are no questions or guesswork when you find one for sale in the classifieds or craigslist -- stick equals Torsen.
And being the range-topping frilly-frill version, M-Editions tended to be bought by affluent (read: older) buyers that maintained their cars well and drove them only as hard as they needed to get to bingo night on time.
It turns out being asspacked by a Blazer was a blessing in disguise for Project Miata. The insurance settlement worked out very nicely, especially once I located a one-owner 1997 Miata M-Edition to replace the totaled white '94. This froggie had the optional ABS, a clean title, no damage of any significance and an integrated poodle harness. I might be lying about that last bit.
The fact that the owner was asking just $2000 made it an easy decision -- we bought it on the spot several weeks ago and swapped over the bits from the white car when time allowed. So far that includes the suspension (FatCat Motorsports coilovers, Racing Beat stabilizer bar, 949Racing endlinks) and nearly-new service items including upper wishbones, ART hubs, R/LE tie rod ends, plus Stoptech 309 brake pads.
With 125k miles on the clock, this bass-boat green Miata has 50k fewer miles than the white car and was obviously treated better. Still, it's a used car, and it turns out some older drivers can't hear, and the butt-dyno of their inner ear ain't what it used to be. During my test drive this one pinged at part throttle and pulled hard to the right at speed on throttle and hard to the left off-throttle.
Fortunately, those are easy fixes. A compression check showed that the pinging was benign, and one rear tire was responsible for the pull since the differential can't tell the difference between turning and when its simply dealing with mismatched tire diameters. Once I put on the 14" Dunlops Star Specs we had lying around, it tracked straight and true. The 949Racing 6ULs will go on once I get the fenders rolled.
What's that? STFU and tell you why it's on the dyno in the lead image? Right, then. The gentleman behind the wheel is one Oscar Jackson, proprietor of Kraftwerks Performance Group, and it's being baseline dyno tested as part of its Kraftwerks supercharger kit installation.
Lots more to come. Enjoy your holiday, you crazy kids.
Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor @ 125,214 miles.
blueguydotcom says:
01:50 PM, 11/24/10
Lovely little buggers. My sister had an NA, my mom an NB. They're just fun to drive.
ekimfeenux says:
01:54 PM, 11/24/10
May I perchance get the name and address of the Blazer owner who demo'd the previous Miata? I would like to send him a thank you card.
06scooby says:
01:56 PM, 11/24/10
Finally!!! I can't believe you got that car for 2k. looks fairly clean and the top looks like its in excellent shape.
srlracing says:
02:15 PM, 11/24/10
What kind of power are you guys expecting from the Kraftwerks system? Why did you choose that over a turbo or a traditional Jackson Racing supercharger? Why is there a cylinder head sitting in front of the car!?
Now I'm all excited Project Miata is back!
old_volvo says:
02:18 PM, 11/24/10
awesome, glad you replaced it with another miata. well done, well done.
roadburner says:
02:28 PM, 11/24/10
Why are you wasting time on a bunch of POS Miatas? The truly discriminating and intelligent participants on this board want to read more about the Cruze!
hybris says:
02:28 PM, 11/24/10
*sigh* I'm torn I wanted to see a 5.0 Miata but at the same time I wanted to see the Miata come back in one form or another.
(prophecy)
One day Edmunds you will see the glory of the V8 and Hardtop combo once again.
(/prophecy)
Anyway now that's out how much are you guys going to get out of the supercharger and when are you going to pit this thing against the Z06?
prndlol says:
02:35 PM, 11/24/10
You can type out and hyperlink asspack on the intarwerbz now??
hurls65 says:
02:41 PM, 11/24/10
I still think the 14s and Star Specs are a great combo for the street, but perhaps you'll be tracking the poodle-mobile :) And I do understand the appeal of the sixuals.
Glad you didn't swap the engine, and I'm curious about this 'charger... I've read next to nothing about it thus far...
jstandefer says:
02:49 PM, 11/24/10
Hooray! Nice find! Although you were a bit harsh in your description of the M-Editions. Shameless money grab? Maybe. But those shameless money grabs are also the ones that become some of the most collectible down the road. (Not saying that the Miata will become collectible - although I think they will and I've seen some shockingly high asking prices for early special editions in excellent condition - but this holds true of any car that becomes collectible.)
The '97 Marina Green is the only one that came with chrome wheels and is probably the least popular of the M-Editions (the '95 Merlot being the most popular). The other M-Editions had polished ('94 - I know, big deal... polished vs. chrome), BBS ('95) or Enkei ('96) wheels. What is nice about the M-Editions is that they are limited builds and, except for the '94, the paint colors have not been used before or since. There were only 3,000 Marina Greens imported to the U.S. out of over 215,000 NAs (of which 84,000 were Classic Red). It should be a very rare sighting to come across another one. But that's still not rare in the world of Miata colors. If you want rare, there were only 151 Laser Blues ('02), 239 Vivid Yellows ('02), and 646 Evolution Oranges ('00).
Does it still have the Nardi wood shift knob and brake handle?
sierrabravo says:
07:55 PM, 11/24/10
Project Miata is one of my favorite pieces yet...glad it's back!
uncanny_man says:
08:11 PM, 11/24/10
Hooray! One of the cars in your fleet has a color! I've got to admit, I dig the tan and green combination on convertibles.
sabastian says:
08:22 PM, 11/24/10
Holy cow! Where did you find a '97 M-Edition for $2,000!?!? You guys must be swimming in Miata's in SoCal! Actually, you probably are swimming in Miatas. If you want a '97 Miata in PA (like I do), you will be paying at least five grand.
stovt001 says:
09:40 PM, 11/24/10
Alright! Glad project Miata is back, albiet in different form. This sure sounds like an upgrade to me. And I love that color too - wish my NC was green. And best of all, we'll probably hear more about how this one drives rather than how it smells.
I'm very interested in this supercharger project. I'd love more power in my Miata, but I'm not sure how FI will alter the pure driving experience that is the whole point of driving a Miata.
chirsch3 says:
10:59 PM, 11/24/10
FINALLY!
but its all so exciting again this is awesome
and sounds like you got a great deal for a better car
firstwagon says:
11:52 PM, 11/24/10
Excellent.
Had a really crappy day and came home, read this and feel better again.
Even got my favourite colour, now if only I could find one that good for only $2K.
85se says:
04:25 AM, 11/25/10
Awesome!
That would be an $8k car in my part of Canada. So glad to see that Project Miata is back, and that you've spilled the beans on the engine mods :)
Andrew
captainvw says:
06:42 AM, 11/25/10
did somebody say supercharger??
Oooh this Miata is going to be funnn :)
Quite a bummer about the '94 Miata though. The damage didnt look like it was totaled but I guess it was one of those scenarios where its cheaper to get a new(read: different) car than to pay to get the previous car repaired.
Looking forward to track numbers on a SUPERCHARGED Miata (damn that sounds crazy...)
halmcgee says:
08:43 AM, 11/25/10
Glad to see project Miata back. I figured snow white was a goner. I can't beleive the deal you got. That would still be $5k around here. Post the stock baseline power please.
spaceywilly says:
04:05 PM, 11/25/10
How long was it on mismatched tires? That is not good for the differential at all.
tankrust says:
06:35 AM, 11/27/10
It's nice to see a project Miata back in your stable.
My friend and I installed a Kraftwerks supercharger on his 2001 Miata, which also has quite a bit of suspension work done to it. It proved to be a smooth and easy installation that we accomplished in 2 evenings after work. It makes great power. While still a supercharger, the Rotrex makes boost in a slightly different manner than the more common Roots type units. The power is linear and the throttle response is very good, and impressive in the higher RPM ranges. It almost feels like a turbo without the lag, instead of having a big power hit at the lower RPM ranges like most Roots superchargers.
The Rotrex has proven reliable at the track as well. We are now waiting for the intercooled kit to be released to raise the power even further.
greg9811 says:
10:07 AM, 11/28/10
Nice buy, I lost one at $5k recently in SoCal to a higher bid.
These are the nicest of the first gen Miata's and I'm looking forward to your project work.
Especially if you sell it for $2k at the end. I'm first in line.
jacton says:
06:57 AM, 11/29/10
I'm glad you got a new Miata to replace the totaled white car. I'm very intersted in seeing how this one evolves. I'm trying to get my mother-in-law to sell me her sunburst yellow miata as a project car!
makakio says:
05:04 PM, 11/30/10
No more cockpit stench!