Through a variety of circumstances, I drove the Mazda 2 to an open house at Ed Pink Racing Engines, all the way out in a remote and very disreputable corner of Van Nuys where Ed Pink began building Hemis for the best drag racers of the 1960s.
Frank Honsowetz, EPRE’s general manager, offered to liven up the Mazda 2 with one of the 360-hp, 165-cubic-inch (2.7-liter) inline-4 Toyota engines that the shop builds for racers in the USAC Midget series, but I respectfully declined.
Then he showed me one of the vintage-racing engines that EPRE rebuilds these days, and while the 800-hp, supercharged, twin-plug version of Bud Winfield and Leo Goossen’s Novi V8 tempted me for a moment just for the opportunity to hear the scream of its 10-inch, Paxton centrifugal supercharger (the tip speed of the impeller is on the order of a wildly inefficient Mach 2!), it was clear that this engine from one of Andy Granatelli's Indy cars of the 1960s would never fit into the Mazda 2.
By the end of the day, though, I was happier with the Mazda 2’s 100-hp 1.5-liter engine. That’s because I drove all the way down to San Diego and back to see another racing friend drive in the HSMA event at Coronado Island, and once I filled the tank I discovered that my long day on the freeway had been made pretty affordable thanks to a final tally of 38.7 mpg.
It’s easy to be dismissive of small-displacement engines, but they incorporate more technology than you realize. EPRE’s Larry Ingham reminded me of that as he showed me the cylinder head from the 3.0-liter inline-6 of a 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL, which he says became the inspiration for the 2.4-liter inline-6 of the original Datsun 240Z. Every generation of engine builds on the knowledge of the generation before, and the engines that we take for granted today incorporate secrets at which we can barely guess.
Since horsepower seems so much more impressive than mpg, fuel efficiency doesn’t get much play when car guys gather. Maybe there should be more talk about what it actually costs to go someplace, like the $32 in regular fuel that the Mazda 2 went through while in my hands for more than 300 miles over the weekend.
After all, no one understands that performance costs money more than racers.
Michael Jordan, Executive Editor, Edmunds.com @ 14,085 miles
hybris says:
08:06 AM, 09/28/11
You can fit that Novi V8 in the Mazda you just wouldn't have much of a interior left though.
addicted2sp33d says:
08:11 AM, 09/28/11
Think Renault Clio Sport V6. =D
ed124c says:
08:47 AM, 09/28/11
Michael:
After all, no one undrstands more than racers that performance costs money.
offset_98 says:
09:12 AM, 09/28/11
Mmmmm...SHOgun revisited.
isaacl says:
11:03 AM, 09/28/11
wow! someone reminded me of the SHOgun! I wonder if those are still running around.
teampenske3 says:
12:46 PM, 09/28/11
Hmm...I dunno about a V8, but I'd love something like a Renault 5 Turbo.
isend2c says:
02:00 PM, 09/28/11
I'd like to see a 350+ HP Mazda2 as a new long-termer...
ocramidajzj says:
05:56 PM, 09/28/11
Yeah, not to kill the idea but me thinks the poor Mazda would self-destruct with all that power. Now doubt the chassis isn't designed to take the loads and twisting forces that a 350HP V8 would exert on it's monocoque frame. Either that or it's lightweight would just cause the chassis to go into a perpetual donut motion the minute you gave it gas.
heartlessbstrd says:
06:39 PM, 09/28/11
I'd stroke that engine
xorbe says:
06:40 PM, 09/28/11
They managed to fit a small-block V8 into a Chevy Sprint a long time ago even with RWD conversion ... thought I don't think it was SC or 800 HP. I tried to find it, but only found 3 threads asking the same exact question. I remember that the article described the vehicle's handling as "squirrelly", lol. Probably like the rear-engine W12 Golf was.