Mazda MX-5 Cup - Mazdaspeed Motorsports - Sport Coupe Comparison

Mazda MX-5 Cup // $50,000 (ESTIMATED) // Lap Time 1:55.8
Mazda's MX-5 (a.k.a. Miata) has long been one of our favorite sports cars, blessed as it is with a brilliant chassis, just enough power to keep you grinning, and a relatively light curb weight. The MX-5 Cup - a racing series sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America's Pro Racing arm - takes the time-honored spec-racing formula of equal preparation and modest equipment and applies it to the current MX-5.

Fortunately, Mazda played a key part in the development of the MX-5 Cup's series-mandated setup. Mazda's Mazdaspeed Motorsports division provides you with a mandatory parts kit containing race-spec springs, antiroll bars, dampers, and front suspension brace; an exhaust header; and a cold-air intake for the engine. You bolt these parts onto your new MX-5 and add the requisite safety gear, uprated brake pads, and race tires, and you're ready to go racing. (Well, almost: the engine must be dyno-tested for conformity and sealed first.)

If all this has you thinking that the MX-5 Cup car is the odd man out in our track-rat grouping, you'd be right. At an approximate $50,000 build cost (that estimate includes a new MX-5, the Mazdaspeed development kit, and assembly labor at a shop of your choosing), the Cup car is half the price of a Viper ACR and one-fourth the cost of a 911 GT2. But don't be fooled - we've included the Mazda because it's a prime example of the less-is-more approach, a testament to the fact that big power, big tires, and a big price aren't always the path to big results.

Ready for a few surprises? Here goes: On Spring Mountain's 2.2-mile-long course - a fast, sweeping track that favors high horsepower - the 175-hp, 2675-pound MX-5 Cup was only 7.9 seconds slower than the 530-hp Porsche. And although the Mazda is equipped with relatively modest rubber (comparatively tiny 225/45WR-17 Kumho Ecsta race tires), its cornering speeds were on par with those of the fat-shoed GT2.

How is this possible? Simple: to paraphrase the late Colin Chapman, speed comes when you add lightness. The Mazda's low weight and focused suspension allow it to make up for lost straightaway time with excellent balance and eye-watering cornering grip. The Cup is what's known as a "momentum car" - because power is far outweighed by grip and acceleration is limited (60 mph arrives in 7.2 seconds), almost all of your behind-the-wheel effort goes toward preserving the speed you generate. You tap the brakes, pitch the car into the corner, and immediately bury your right foot. Sound like fun? It is. As technical editor Don Sherman put it, "The MX-5 is so responsive that the lack of power doesn't bother you in the least. It's the height of entertainment, and it challenges you to make the most of what you've got."