How It All Began
The Concept
The Birth
I remember driving in the car after Derek had first gotten it. It was fairly new, black with tan interior. It seemed so luxurious at the time — leather seats, power windows, cruise control. Little did we know that 8 years later it would all change. After a short time with the car, Derek gave it to his parents as a gift. They drove it until very recently, when Derek made an eminent domain claim on the car so that it could find its final calling as a track beast.
The Change Begins
Derek and I decided to build the car together, but it was really difficult to find some times when our schedules lined up. The Miata was at my house for a week before I went coocoo wanting to do something to it. I decided to take matters into my own hands. Removing the convertible top would be harmless right? Well, an hour later and that sucker was sitting on the lawn, conquered. I started to learn just how easy this car was to work on. It’s small, and everything is right there in the open. Very few tricks.
This was encouraging. I spent the next several days seeking out the parts that we would need to build the car. Brake pads, suspension, seats, harnesses, wheels, tires. I spent about $6000 in short order acumulating the necessary items to make this thing into a race car. That’s just the beginning.