This Snail Ain’t Slow
Rather than running a Garrett GT2871R turbocharger that helped put down 330 horsepower at 20 psi for Abbott, Guillote thought he would choose a smaller snail and aim for mid-200-horsepower output like the many others found in the Miata community. However, he ended up making more power instead. Artech Fabrication crafted a custom low-mount manifold to feed into a Garrett GTX2860R turbocharger. A custom downpipe routes gasses to the back, while aluminum piping directs pressurized air to the Vibrant Performance intercooler core with custom end tanks. Instead of spraying expensive 110- octane fuel into the combustion chambers like Abbott, Guillote elected to convert his fuel delivery to support E85. With Injector Dynamics ID1000 injectors taking their place at the intake ports, a DeatschWerks 300-lph fuel pump supplies the fermented corn juice to the fuel rail. Hooked up to the hubs of Road Race Engineering’s Dynapack chassis dyno, the fuel and ignition maps of the AEM EMS4 were refined. With boost set to 22 psi, the Miata spun the hubs to the tune of 374 horsepower and 331 lb-ft torque. Guillote recalled, “I was initially set on smaller numbers, but I guess it really didn’t work out as I had originally planned. I just wanted to bolt on a cheap T25, but that quickly evolved into a Garrett GTX series turbo with a TiAL Sport V-band exhaust housing, followed by a full V-band manifold and exhaust setup. Jeff [Abbott] has always poked fun at me for deviating from the plan.”
Fortified to Slide
As a fanatic of drifting, Guillote prepped his Miata for some slideways fun. To handle the increased torque and the abuse of clutch kicks, an ACT XACT flywheel and clutch take their place at the end of the crankshaft. The clutch transfers torque to the input shaft of a gearbox sourced from a RX7 Turbo II. Ensuring equal distribution to both drive wheels, an ATS limited-slip differential replaced the stock unit. Moving on from the driveline to handling, a set of Stance AL+ coilovers replaced the factory shocks at each corner. TC Sportline rear upper control arms enabled proper camber adjustment for the new ride height. Since the chassis is over two decades old, he upgraded the remaining stock suspension components with a full set of Energy Suspension urethane bushings to replace their rubber counterparts. To stiffen the chassis and protect the occupants, Parts Shop Max fabricated a custom cage that fits beneath the factory hard top. Parts Shop Max also adapted its billet aluminum hydraulic hand brake system to help facilitate drift.
Father-Son Paint Project
Now that the Miata could perform the part, it needed some help to look the part. Just about any car subjected to two decades of sun will have suffered paint damage, so Guillote worked with his father to do a color change to the special edition purple of the 1999 Miata. So why choose purple, specifically of this shade? Building this Miata chassis brought about a sense of nostalgia for Guillote, reminding him of one of his favorite Miatas from his past. In Guillote’s garage, they finished the painting of the chassis in only three days.
Rippin’ N’ Tearin’
Having a fun streetcar to take to weekend drift events was the original purpose of this build. However, direction changes inevitably happen, but the results can be seen in the final product. Guillote concluded, “The build started to get wild and turned into the Miata I’ve always dreamed of building. My friends played a hand in the build, as I relied on many of their ideas. For the cage and piping, for example, I gave Martin Muench, the lead fabricator at Parts Shop Max, free reign to fabricate how he saw fit.” “The last two things on my to-do list,” continues Guillote, “would be a custom body harness and to have the interior and engine bay professionally painted. Otherwise, this car is way more than I could have ever asked for in a Miata. Few in the community go for bigger power numbers; most tend to stay in the low 200s. Therefore, I had to learn a lot on my own. It’s been an amazing learning experience, but at times, a headache too.” With a weight-to-power ratio of 5.34 lbs/hp, this Miata sits ready to hit the track, shred the tires and bellow smoke with the greatest of ease. Not bad for a third-hand build.
