Keith Tanner has finished the build of his Martini themed Miata for competition in the Targa Newfoundland... It really turned out nice!
http://www.targamiata.com/images_lrg/800/IMG_7731.jpg
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Keith Tanner has finished the build of his Martini themed Miata for competition in the Targa Newfoundland... It really turned out nice!
http://www.targamiata.com/images_lrg/800/IMG_7731.jpg
I like it. I was surprised that it is not FI since Flyin' is sponsoring it.
Why Martini? I may be a little slower today . . .
He's using an FM stroker motor. 200hp should be pretty good.
That's hot.
It has to do with the race requirements... the most appropriate class for the Miata is "Late Modern, Modified Small" where forced induction is not allowed.Quote:
Originally Posted by onething
I think he just always like the Martini Racing paint jobs.Quote:
Originally Posted by onething
Edit: Yep.... here is a comment about it.
Yep... nothing like a high compression 2 liter motor. That is the engine I would like to build for a Locost some day.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sharpie
If I wanted a small displacement, normally aspirated engine I think I'd start with an SR20 or F20C before I started with a Miata motor, YMMV.Quote:
Originally Posted by Titus
I'd have figured you'd go for a 13B or a 20B.Quote:
Originally Posted by altiain
That is being that you're a wanker.
Perhaps, but they would not be right for my situation...Quote:
Originally Posted by altiain
1) I only have experience working on my Miata. Knowing that a locost build is nearly over my head to begin with, I would be best off going with the system that I know.
2) There are several kits out there that are designed to use the Miata drivetrain. Again... knowing that the build is nearly over my head to begin with, I am best off avoiding anything that would require additional engineering to make work.
Not an FE3? It's not as well supported as a BP, but if you're in the mood to fabricate a Locost, some additional grinding and welding shouldn't scare you away.Quote:
Originally Posted by Titus
Kia Motor + B2200 transmission case + Miata 5speed guts + FC RX7 diff and housing + aftermarket ECU and sensors = great Locost drivetrain.
Sorry... not that hardcore... The first requirement in my build is that it is from a Kit. The first question I ask about each kit (besides price) is how complete is it. The second question is "Does it require any welding?" :punchout: There are 3 kits in my radar right now, all based off of Miata donors. There is one that is VERY complete, but expensive. There is a second that is very affordable, but not nearly complete. Right now I am leaning toward the 3rd one that is somewhere between the 2 on both counts. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by modernbeat
Hmm...I'll be the first to admit I don't like the way it looks.
The only welding differences to get a FE engine to sit where a BP engine was designed to go would be the intake manifold, the coolant lines (possibly), and the engine mounts.Quote:
Originally Posted by Titus
FWIW, I'll be selling a Locost once the D-Prepared car starts coming together. It's Gene Young's old car. Set up for D-Mod, but with a bike engine. Now legal for B-Mod.
dittoQuote:
Originally Posted by miataspeedracer
No, you're the second.Quote:
Originally Posted by 2K Miata
Keep in mind that a good deal more of the white areas will be filled in by numbers and more sponsor logos.Quote:
Originally Posted by miataspeedracer
Also, out of curiosity... Are you not a fan of the Martini livery, or are you just not a fan of this Miata interpretation of it?
I don't like the "interpretation." The stripes are not very harmonious and don't work well with the overall shape of the Miata, especially at the nose.Quote:
Originally Posted by Titus
Semantic Man strikes again!Quote:
Originally Posted by tailchaser
Didn't Martini livery have not quite so much white? Maybe I'm thinking of the Gulf GT40s...
I did a search and it seams to vary...Quote:
Originally Posted by redmenace
http://www.historiclanciarally.it/eq-carrara.jpg
http://www.classicdriver.com/upload/...127/teaser.jpg
http://www.blogmotori.com/wp-content...-martini-3.jpg
http://galeria.forocoches.com/data/5...e_917_K_01.jpg
http://faimg1.forum-auto.com/mesimag...ham%20bt45.JPG
With all due respect to Mike Myers, Sean Connery, etc... if it's not Lancia, it's craaaaap.
Erm... I'd say Martini Racing is more synonymous with Porsches, but that's just me.Quote:
Originally Posted by tailchaser
BTW, I dig the silver Martini livery on that 917.
I believe they were heavy into Porsche in the 70's, but then got actively into Lancias in the 80's. My first real R/C car when I was a kid was a Martini 936. It looked like this one:Quote:
Originally Posted by altiain
http://www.classicdriver.com/upload/...127/teaser.jpg
I think it's purty :D
While I like the paint job, I'm not a fan of running livery that you're not actually connected to. If Keith isn't being sponsored by Martini, why run their logo? He said he likes it. Fine. Put the stripes on, but make a custom logo at a minimum.
I like the paint job. It's a unique Miata.
Hi guys! Thanks for the kind words.
A few comments.
The car is being built to run in the Targa Newfoundland. Class rules keep me naturally aspirated, and I've been a fan of naturally aspirated motors for years so this is an excuse to build a big one :) At our track day last weekend, the car did outrun every turbo Miata that wasn't driven by a coworker, and I was less than a second behind the fastest turbo car despite a suspension setup that prevented me from putting down power on corner exits. You didn't know about the 2050 lb wet weight...
There's no Miata racing livery. The only Mazda racing liveries are the hideous argyle from the 787B and a fairly bland blue/white design used on the GTX. I tried to come up with a new design but couldn't work up anything really compelling. Since the Targa is a historic event, I figured it would be cool to show up with an homage to one of the most famous liveries out there. Besides, people are more likely to take pictures and talk about the car with the Martini paint than if it was Just Another Miata, and my sponsors like that. You lot have proved it!
Why not a custom logo? Because that's like one of those knock-off t-shirts with a molested version of a logo. It's part of the look. If I'd done the Gulf colors, I'd have put Gulf logos on it. I played with various corrupted versions, but it moved it away from being an homage to being a cheat. Instead, I modified the Flyin' Miata logo to use the Martini font and put the name where the LANCIA or MARTINI RACING would go on the other cars.
There's a whole gallery of the car from different angles. I spent a lot of hours playing with tape to get the right shape. The nose was the most challenging part, and nobody who's seen the car in person has had anything bad to say about it - it works pretty well and really jumps out of the crowd. A few people have asked where I got the widebody kit thanks to the way the stripes play on the contours of the car :) The Martini paint jobs were indeed designed for individual cars, and the amount of white vs stripes varied over the years. There's a book on Martini racing that discusses this, including marker sketches of proposed layouts on various cars - a great resource. I even managed to get the original paint colors from the Italian paint shop by way of a Finnish restoration company. If it makes you feel better, I'll try to get some money out of Martini!
The car's nowhere near finished. I still have a lot of development to do before the Targa in 2008. But the basic look is in place now. Hopefully it'll be the fastest Miata on the track at next year's Open House!
http://targamiata.com/images_lrg/IMG_8731.jpg
http://targamiata.com/images_lrg/IMG_1780.jpg
Glad to see you still lurk around here from time to time. ;) Any idea how much TV coverage the race usually gets in the states?
Speed usually shows a special on it, it's about an hour or so. Not huge coverage, but more than your typical WRC event :(
Tivo then put it on FM TV!
I think it's awesome -- nice job Keith! Is this naturally aspirated engine really pushing 200hp? Excellent. Where do I get one (for $500.00 or less of course...;))?
It is really pretty easy... you just take that $500 of yours to Vegas and let it all ride at the roulette table. After you pay the taxes on your big winnings, you should have just enough left to buy the engine (Hint... start with the stroker kit and 11:1 forged pistons. Then just keep on clicking check boxes until your clicker finger hurts). Unfortunately, you probably wont have enough left over to cover the ECU you need to control it all.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kestrel
Thanks for the information, Keith! Best of luck in the Targa next year!
For $500 or less, you want to search a junkyard for a wrecked Chevy van with a V8...Quote:
Originally Posted by Kestrel
The engine hasn't hit the dyno yet, although that should happen next week. It's not to full power yet as I'm still pretty early in the development process. But during the Open House, I was taking someone for a test drive and Brandon was doing the same in his turbo Miata. And you know what? I wasn't getting away, but he wasn't really gaining on me. I figure our power/weight ratios are pretty close.
The fact that the car did so well on the track is a good indication. I couldn't believe the speeds it was hitting on the straights when I was able to put down full power - much quicker than expected this early. The 200 rwhp estimate comes from my 148 rwhp 1.6 - this engine has the better 1999 head and a Hydra along with more headwork, so I'm hoping for slightly better specific output.
I'll see if I can find a copy of last year's Speed presentation to share. Sorry, no TiVO here :) But if you search YouTube, you'll find a bunch of in-car video from the Targa.
Thanks for the kind words, guys.
Nice... thanks for the link. It was fun clicking all those check boxes. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Titus
Yeah, I figured it'd cost a little more than $500, but I was willing to go $550. ::Daisy:: Kidding aside, those are some pretty impressive numbers and sounds like a blast to drive. Good luck!Quote:
Originally Posted by Keith
It needs navy blue wheels and an r-pack air dam. Good try though.
White wheels are by far the most common for Martini-sponsored cars. Lancia always used them, as did Alfa Romeo and Ford. A few of the endurance racing Porsches used red wheels or gold. Porsche ran a 917 with a silver base color instead of white and that car used black wheels. I've never seen a Martini car with navy wheels.Quote:
Originally Posted by mr brg
The air dam would be good for a circuit car, but we need more approach angle than that allows. So it's not an appropriate modification.
Well, good luck at NOPI without the spoilers...lol.Quote:
Originally Posted by Keith
Looks good though. If you do up a car in Martini regalia, does Martini and Rossi send you a few complimentary bottles of Vermouth?