With so many cars from tuners, magazines and club stands to choose from at Trax 2012, the biggest problem was deciding which ones to cast the spotlight on. I have whittled down thousands to the six that really caught my eye. The first one that really stopped me in my tracks was this outrageous Mazda MX5.
To be honest you couldn’t help but notice it with its enormous rear diffuser, equally huge braced rear wing, centre-exit exhaust…
…wide over-fenders..
…deep-dish wide rims with spats and splitter. It’s not your ordinary MX5 Mazda!
The car has the power to back up its looks!
We don’t see very many modified Honda NSXs here in the UK, so this one is definitely worth a mention.
I love the NSX! Honda’s everyday supercar looks fantastic and is as easy to live with as a Civic, but can go like a stabbed rat when asked. Perfect! So a subtly modified one can only be a good thing.
The twin shotgun style exhausts enhance the voice of the three-litre V6.
Looking at the cabin you just know this is an awesome driver’s car.
A sticker on the bumper gives a little nod to the legend that made the NSX so dammed good to drive.
Among the modern machinery on display at Trax this MGB GT stuck out like a sore thumb.
It was the bonnet that really caught my eye. In 1967 MG released the MGC to compete with the awesome Austin Healey 3000. Unfortunately the three-litre straight-six didn’t actually fit under the bonnet, so in true British Leyland fashion they just stuck a bulge into it to clear the extra two cylinders and a blister to clear the twin 1-3/4 SU carburettors. The perfect bonnet to use when fitting a bigger engine into an MGB then.
So fitted with an MGC bonnet it was perfect for a 4.6 litre V8 transplant, replica Sebring arches to house the wider wheels necessary to handle the extra power…
…and Willwood callipers to handle the stopping department, you have a very cool little track weapon.
I was really surprised to find the original dash had been kept, even down to the original Smiths gauges.
This Volvo 240 estate is actually owned by our very own Bryn Musselwhite.
This car has been in build for a number of years but is now 99% complete and looking fantastic.
Sitting on Custom ‘Brynstine’ coil-overs and Compomotive rims, I don’t think I have seen a better looking 240 estate.
The side exit pipe venting the turbo motor…
…the ‘Strip Club’ hand-painted logo and tow-bar finish it off. Bryn, I think we need a full feature on this!
S15 Nissans in drifting have seen a multitude of engine transplants. 1JZ, 2JZ, RB and V8 have all been done…
…but David Waterworth’s S15 is unique in the UK, sporting instead a Dodge Viper V10 transplant. Ten cylinders and over 500hp on tap out of the box, plus all the torque in the world, all combined with an S15 chassis. The figures make for a perfect drift car.
The weight is something else though. With the engine weighing in at over 300kg I didn’t expect it to work well in practice…
…but this is the reason I take photographs of cars rather than build them. I obviously know nothing, as the V10 S15 is just amazing on track!
Just a lightly modified Mazda FD, right?
Some subtle over-fenders.
As are the shotgun exhausts.
But open the bonnet and you find a twin-turbo LS7 motor putting 720hp directly to the wheels.
720hp is only the beginning: the twin-turbo set-up is capable of around the 1,200 mark…
More Trax coverage coming soon!
Ross.
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
Talk about impressive! Really diggin the MX5 and NSX!
The MX-5 was entirely built by the owner, he did all the work himself. Very impressive car.
RX7 with anything other than rotary makes me cringe so hard..
Great cars featured though!
like them all. never really been an nsx guy but i think they are all feature worthy
v10 s15 and twin boosted ls7 rx7 is the shit!
Wow that MG is stunning.
"…but this is the reason I take photographs of cars rather than build them. I obviously know nothing" - at least here you were right...
Viper V10 is 8 liters (not 7) and produces 400-450 hp in stock form... such glaring factual mistakes really don't help your credibility :/
Oh shit a LSx again, holy crap you never see th... wait everyone does that because they are computerized junk which causes them to be too expensive to modify.
Please do a feature or link a build thread or something on that 240 estate! That is exactly what I want to do to a Volvo as soon as I can find a good starter car in decent condition with a manual trans.
Wow, to many dope cars in this post! <3
I thought the Viper engine is a 8.4 liter.
Looking at the engine bay, most of the engine sits in front of the shock tower.....throwing off the weight balance of the car.....I'm not sure it's a good idea....
@LSx suck woah buddy.....why 4 u hate on teh pushrods!!..? im not a fan of peeps putting it in everything they can think of but you gotta give credit it is a nice motor parts are plentiful lightweight-ish great bang for your buck hell i imagine if 2JZ's were as common in america we would see them in everything....but over there its prob a rare USDM motor...and as far as being expensive...i doubt it prob as much as anything else if not cheaper due to the abundance of them...
Wow, awesome cars!! Thnx for sharing with us
Please do a in depth build feature on that rx7. So awesome. I know it's sacrilege but still awesome.
@LSx suck it's hard to imagine the LSx being very abundant in Britain, so it's probably a cool swap over there.
Anyone know what the rims on the miata are?
This is totally what my Miata look like when I close my eyes.
bakemono858: I think they are ATS Classic wheels
@bakemono858 Chris is right, ats classics
Please feature the Volvo!
I took some photos of it back at the Retro Rides Gathering at Gaydon in 2008 and I'd look to see a full feature on a truly unique wagon like this.
Of course there's gotta be some LS hate when an lsx rx7 is pictured.
What engine is in the MX5?
Is that an NSX-R? Or does it just look like one? And i second the Volvo feature
Love the subtle vents on the RX-7's hood. Is that a Feed bonnet?
Viper engines are anywhere from 8 to 8.4 liters depending on the year. By the intake manifold that looks like the older gen 1 or 2, so 8 liters, and 400 or 450 hp stock. My guess its a Gen 1. Weighs around 700 lbs. Doesn't look like it has a problem gettng sideways but who knows what it's like to drive.
I'd love to see a feature on the volvo wagon, its unbelievably fresh!
not an NSX-R to the guy who asked
that VOLVO is the SHIT !!! love it !!
@Biz its the standard 1.6 fitted with a td04 turbo kit, running 240bhp
lol @ tiny brakes on MX-5
MX-5 looks mean! I love it.
@ENRIL_WAXX wew Volvo-nya unyuuu.. tapi emg yak, Honda NSeX emg ultra beautiful :9
Yes please. Feature the volvo.
@JamesHayward29 do you know of any other links to that miata? id love to read up on it
@JamesHayward29 do you know of any other links to that miata? id love to read up on it