'08 Track-prepped NC for sale w/ lots of extras.

[Chris S]

I'm buying an '08 S2000, so my NC unfortunately has to go. I realize the likely scenario would be to return it to stock, but it's a near-perfect track ride as is, and it would be a shame not to offer it to the TJ crowd first.

Here are the details:
'08 True Red Grand Touring model w/ canvas softop
"Sport suspension" option, i.e. LSD and crappy Bilsteins w/ maybe 1 or 2K miles
Premium package, incl. AKE, HID's, heated seats, Bose sound (only the amp is left), alarm, etc.
~18K miles, 2K on brand new '09 long block (improved vs. prior yrs w/ forged steel crankshaft and connecting rods, stronger pistons, stiffer valve springs. Redline has also risen from 6700 to 7200 rpm.) New engine arose from Cosworth supercharger experience gone bad.

Mods:
- AWR double hoop rollbar
- AWR brake duct kit (only the vent plates inside the rotors have been installed so far)
- Goodwin Racing header and Q exhaust (will include GWR midpipe not on car w/ bad cat)
- Tein Mono Flex coilovers w/ 7K f / 4K r springs
- RX-8 Sport sways
- IL Motorsports chassis braces
- Enkei RP-F1 17x9 wheels w/ center caps, Yoko Advan AD08's, 235-40. Lots of tread left.
- Carbotech XP10/8 pads w/ plenty of remaining life and fresh Super Blue
- Mazdaspeed front bumper
- Moddiction Anvil II shift knob (a must for all NC owners, easily my best bang for buck mod)
- '09+ dash inserts (matt silver to replace piano black dust/fingerprint magnets)
- Pioneer double DIN HU w/ iPod/USB inputs, HD radio, and Bluetooth phone/audio streaming
- Clearwater component speakers
- new Sparco Roadster seat, still covered in plastic wrap. (not installed)
- sparco side rails and mounting hardware (not installed)
- AWR seat mount (not installed)
- Fidanza lightweight aluminum flywheel
- ACT HD clutch
- cool scoop
- Fumoto oil change valve
- NTB unlimited alignments through
- you can even have the orig. engine, though it doesn't make much power

Excellent running condition. The front end has a handful of small rock chips, but car otherwise looks great. No accidents or paintwork.

I'll include all the OEM parts as well, OEM tires have lots of life left. Pics coming later, need to get ready for work.

Asking $20,995 for everything including all OEM parts, spares, etc. - will entertain removing any parts you don't want for a commensurate reduction in price.

Pics:






below pic was @ JC AutoSpec when I picked it up w/ new engine. I did 1st oil change w/ Castrol GTX dino oil within a few hundred miles, then just did Castrol Edge synthetic on Sunday @ ~2K miles.



I'm willing to sell the seat, mounts, and hardware separately.


Car is located in Austin.

[Nails]

Hey Chris,

I responded on FB to this but can't see your posts or mine. I think the marketplace doesn't like google chrome or something but anyway, glad you posted here.

First off I wish you best of luck on this sale even though I think it's a mistake to go for an S2000 over this car, it's your decision and you know best what you want. Altiain, on here, has followed the same path and I look forward to seeing you both on track in my mirrors unless it's Eagles Canyon and then I'll gladly point ya by with my middle finger.

Seriously though, this is a great NC prepped for track and very streetable. Anyone who buys this car will need nothing to add and will have a car that dominates. It may look like a high price, but compared to a nearly new 09/10 NC, at the same price, I think it would be 10-12 seconds faster per lap. I also think, car to car w/ same driver, it would have 4-5 seconds on mine.

So, if you remove any parts, I may be interested in the diff and the monos depending on what you want for them. I'm also wondering what you want for the seat and rails.

[Chris S]

Thanks, Michael. It's been a super fun project/ride, and I have a lot of hesitation about trading it for a heavier car w/ worse brakes, higher insurance costs, and more expensive/faster wearing consumables. The main reason is I found a really nice '08 that already has most of what I'd want to do done to it, as I don't have time or $$$ for a similar build again. Also, since S2000's are no longer being made, I figure now is the time to nab one before they're all wrecked or riced out. I had a Supra Turbo, and can envision the same thing happening w/ these cars. At any rate, I can always go back to an NC if I have any regrets - I've already had 2 Miatas, and this will be my 3rd S2000.

I'll keep you in mind for the Mono Flexes, but you're not going to get the LSD unless you buy the rest of the car that it's attached to! I can do the seat, Sparco aluminum side rails, AWR (what Goodwin sells) seat rails, and hardware for $600 - all parts are brand new.

Here are a couple of more views of the seat for you:

[Bigsrturbo]

Nice NC!!!

[Chris S]

Thanks, Bigsrturbo!

[ken o]

As it sits now is this car legal in SCCA STR class? If not, why?

[Chris S]

A quick perusal of the SCCA rules leads me to believe it's almost perfectly set up for STR w/ the following exceptions:

14.1 Engine and Drivetrain, spec. pars. D and E - I have a Goodwin Racing Header, replacing exhaust manifold which includes pre-cats. There's a header on the market that includes pre-cats designed specifically to meet this requirement. I still have the orig. manifold, as well as all other orig. parts.

14.2.H It may have more under-chassis bracing than permitted (I'll leave it up to your interpretation), but they can be easily removed in 5-10 mins. once up on jackstands. The NC's chassis is already pretty stiff, so these braces are at the lower end of the bang for the buck scale.
http://www.mx5mania.com.au/product1794.htm

Otherwise it s/b very competitive and built near the limits of STR rules.

[altiain]

Nice looking car. Good luck with sale.

Ken, the Mazdaspeed front bumper wouldn't be STR legal under the current ruleset. You'd have to replace it with an OEM piece.

Clutch and flywheel are legal for SP, but not ST.

I don't think the motor is legal, either. The rev limit isn't an issue, but the internals are different than what originally came from the factory on an '08.

This would be a great start for a CSP car, but I think it would take a lot of effort and expense to make it legal for STR.

[Chris S]

DOH! Thanks for the clarification, Iain. I don't race auto-x, so won't pretend to be an expert on this, though my interpretation of the MS bumper is different than yours, since per 14.2.F.2 it is listed in the mfg's US accessory catalog (when I bought it, it was listed on Mazda's web site)

I've heard (not confirmed) that Mazda isn't stocking '06-08 engines any more, so could the '09+ engine be considered an OEM replacement if that's the case?

[altiain]

Hmm... if the bumper is indeed listed in the accessory catalog, then it might be legal. I'm not 100% sure - the rules on bumpers just changed this year, and I know more than one STX RX-8 removed their MS bumper due to the new rule. I'd want to clarify this one with the SCCA before I purchased the car.

Regarding the engine - I'd contact Mazdacomp on this one. Unless the existing P/N for the '06-'08 engine has been superseded by the P/N for the new engine, it would not be a legal swap for STR (CSP is a different story, since all '06+ MX-5s are on the same line, iirc).

I hope you don't think I'm trying to rain on your parade. It's a really great looking car, and I wish you the best of luck with the sale!

[OZMDD]

AWR double hoop rollbar
- AWR brake duct kit (only the vent plates inside the rotors have been installed so far)
- Goodwin Racing header and Q exhaust (will include GWR midpipe not on car w/ bad cat)
- Tein Mono Flex coilovers w/ 7K f / 4K r springs
- RX-8 Sport sways
- IL Motorsports chassis braces
- Enkei RP-F1 17x9 wheels w/ center caps, Yoko Advan AD08's, 235-40. Lots of tread left.
- Carbotech XP10/8 pads w/ plenty of remaining life and fresh Super Blue
- Mazdaspeed front bumper
- Moddiction Anvil II shift knob (a must for all NC owners, easily my best bang for buck mod)
- '09+ dash inserts (matt silver to replace piano black dust/fingerprint magnets)
- Pioneer double DIN HU w/ iPod/USB inputs, HD radio, and Bluetooth phone/audio streaming
- Clearwater component speakers
- new Sparco Roadster seat, still covered in plastic wrap. (not installed)
- sparco side rails and mounting hardware (not installed)
- AWR seat mount (not installed)
- Fidanza lightweight aluminum flywheel
- ACT HD clutch
- cool scoop
- Fumoto oil change valve
- NTB unlimited alignments through
- you can even have the orig. engine, though it doesn't make much power

All of these would be problems for SCCA STR class, and I too believe the motor is not legal. You could have rebuilt the stock motor, and I don't think Mazda lists that motor as a replacement part in the FSM, even though they might be using them as warranty replacements.

The roll bar and header are likely to become STR-legal next season.

I'm assuming the LSD is the factory unit? This would be a pretty east car to prep for STR if you don't mind the labor/expense of the header and clutch swap. I'd think you could run it locally without being completely STR-legal and then do the heavy-lifting during the off-season once the updated ruleset is clear. One could also recoup some $$ from selling a few of these parts to pay for a MS or giken LSD, which is a must, IMHO.

While I do not doubt the quality of the car or the price of the upgrades, I think you're really reaching on your asking price for a car that has been driven hard at the track and has had a blown motor. $20K will buy you a 2010 straight off the dealer's lot. Might be better off with a part-out, since the car itself is only worth $14-15K.

GLWS!

[Chris S]

I hope you don't think I'm trying to rain on your parade. It's a really great looking car, and I wish you the best of luck with the sale!

No worries, it wasn't built w/ autocross rules in mind, and I'm certainly not marketing it as such. Obviously, I'm not the right guy to authoratively answer autocross-related questions! :) It handles very, very well and is quite capable on both autocross and road courses, but as you and others w/ more expertise on such matters are chiming in, it's def. not an STR-class build as is.

[Chris S]

Yes, I could have rebuilt the orig. motor, and will throw it in w/ the sale if the buyer wants it. It still runs (not sure how you assumed it's blown), but is def. sick and down on power. I wanted to go w/ the '09+ engine b/c of the internal improvements and higher redline.

LSD is the factory Torsen unit, part of the "sport suspension" (LOL) package.

I fully expect that I may have to part it out, but I have a local prospect that's supposed to check it out tomorrow, and another one tentatively planning to travel from Houston to see it later this week. Yes, it's been driven hard, but very well maintained and it's in great shape. The engine has nothing to do w/ the way it was driven, but something went bad w/ the Cosworth S/C and I couldn't get anyone to adequately diagnose the issues on the track (which is why I'll never do aftermarket FI again). The new engine is stronger, revs higher, and is barely broken in. In my mind, it has the main improvement of the NC2 w/o the ugly smiling face. It had a couple of hours of track time after ~800 miles break-in, and is now feeling quite a bit stronger after it's 2nd oil change @ 2k miles, when I switched to Castrol Edge synthetic.

Assuming it's not sold by the time I return from driving the S2000 home from WI, I'll probably start parting it out - don't be shy if you're interested in any parts!

All of these would be problems for SCCA STR class, and I too believe the motor is not legal. You could have rebuilt the stock motor, and I don't think Mazda lists that motor as a replacement part in the FSM, even though they might be using them as warranty replacements.

The roll bar and header are likely to become STR-legal next season.

I'm assuming the LSD is the factory unit? This would be a pretty east car to prep for STR if you don't mind the labor/expense of the header and clutch swap. I'd think you could run it locally without being completely STR-legal and then do the heavy-lifting during the off-season once the updated ruleset is clear. One could also recoup some $$ from selling a few of these parts to pay for a MS or giken LSD, which is a must, IMHO.

While I do not doubt the quality of the car or the price of the upgrades, I think you're really reaching on your asking price for a car that has been driven hard at the track and has had a blown motor. $20K will buy you a 2010 straight off the dealer's lot. Might be better off with a part-out, since the car itself is only worth $14-15K.

GLWS!

[Flyin96M]

I'm not a big fan of red, but this car looks nice and fits what I would do with an NC. Any plans of going to the Wed night meet with it?

Edit:
Uh nevermind I just saw the car is in Austin.

[Chris S]

Sold!