It’s not perfect. There’s some paint burning on the nose and tail, a couple of dings around the gas filler cap, and for some reason it was delivered with three Club wheels and a Grand Touring wheel, all of which were in lamentable condition. The transmission synchros have all taken a bit of a vacation and first gear is a journey rather than a destination. Still. 2014-model-year NC Clubs are virtually impossible to find and with just 4,600 miles on the odometer this one would have fetched the better part of twenty-three grand had we bought it from a dealer or private party.
We named it “Ava”, after Ava Gardner and in keeping with the same spirit that saw our MX-5 Cup race car named “Marilyn”. Ava spent a total of seventeen half-hour sessions at Summit Point Main this past weekend. Total wear: half a set of Hawk brake pads and maybe one-third of the tread depth on its BFG MX-5 Cup takeoff tires. We also had a lugnut snap, requiring a quick replacement of the left front hub, but that was probably just a consequence of a hasty wheel change while the rotors were still hot. The Blackbird Fabworx rollbar was the envy of every Miata pilot who saw it; like the Anniversary Rolex Submariner, the heavily-braced and perfectly-powdercoated Blackbird product commands a bizarre amount of respect and adulation when you see it for real.
Last week was a busy one, and it gave me the rare opportunity to write an absolutely classic TTAC piece from the old school.
For R&T, I took you on a quick trip to Spa and discussed the possibilities of beastly luxury cars.
At TTAC, Brother Bark reviewed a rental V8 Chally. I discussed a tragic accident, gave away a child seat in a pair of articles, asked the readers about upscale pickups, and exposed a referral scheme masquerading as a news website.
This upcoming weekend, I’ll be joining the team at Flyin’ Miata for a unique attempt at a turbocharged endurance run around Laguna Seca. More details to come!
How much harder is the main circuit on brakes than Shenandoah (assuming it is?)
It’s not. There are fewer places to brake and longer distances between them. I think Main is significantly easier on a car than Shenandoah.
Interesting. I didn’t think about it, and just assumed my calipers would turn into plasma because it’s a faster course. I’ve wanted to do Main, shoulda signed up. Oh well.
Another mule kicking in your ever changing stable, Jack ? .
-Nate
In Long Distance Call, Muddy Waters was referencing getting cheated on by his woman, not adding another female to his harem (and Muddy once moved his girlfriend in to the house he shared with his wife). “Another filly” would have worked better, particularly because the Miatas are named “Marilyn” and “Ava”.
The thing is that “another mule kickin’ in your stall” works great as a lyric but if I’m not mistaken, mules, which are horse/donkey hybrids, are usually sterile, so while another mule kicking in your stall might be distressing, it’s not going to bring up questions of paternity.
I had read that Mazda changed suspension geometry by modifying the uprights between the NC1 and NC2 gens. Is that something masked by your track setup or a noticeable improvement?
Our NC1 is sitting on Penske coilovers with a fully-tied-together cage, compared to our bone stock NC3. It’s too much of a difference for me to be able to tell.
As Jack says, it would be hard to tell since the race car is so modified but I have had a look at both and would hard pressed to believe that there is a significant difference. I think we measured the NC2 lower ball joint being 1/4″ or 3/16″ closer to the center of the hub and the rest of the upright casting being completely the same.
NC is unfairly underrated by the late-to-the-party Miata types. I like it more than the S2000(!). I would have gotten one if I didn’t find a 25k mile NB, but you know what? The NC is the better car.
and a nice shoutout from Zerohedge on your Tesla article last week!
I KNOW! In the past year I’ve had Vox, Heartiste, Steve Sailer, ZeroHedge… not bad for a guy who isn’t much of a modern conservative.
I just stopped at R&T.com - I’m reading you and Clarkson from the same source. Hump day indeed. Will this be a regular feature?
I hope not… I don’t think they can afford us both! 🙂
I’ll be in that neighborhood too this weekend, hmmmm.
I might go bust some caps at the range next door.
Ava and her drivers looked great on track! Looked like a fun car to have out there!
Maybe you’re being deliberately coy so far, but what’s the plan? Is this a replacement for Marilyn, or are you now running 2 race cars, or is there some other arrangement going on?
No obscurity intended… Right now we have two race cars, the MX-5 Cup and my Neon. Ava the Club Car is just going to be used to recreational trackdays and commuting.
How many race cars is enough then?
when does the new issue of R&T hit?
It’s on stands for the next two weeks!
ok. usually has popped up on my iPad by now.
not sure what I think about the new digital format.