Steve's car is a 2011 Sport Black special edition in the exclusive Spirited Green Metallic paint and is based in Dunfermline, Scotland. Steve had wanted the Sunflower Yellow colour but sadly that option was never made available in the UK. The next best thing then was bright green. This colour has been used on other Mazda models but was only available on the MX-5 in a limited number and only on this edition and its variants (eg. Black Tuned and Karai).
Spirited Green is an appropriate name in this case as there is something lurking under the bonnet of this car that makes for a very spirited driving experience. The Sport Black is Steve's fourth MX-5 and he'd been thinking about a new project to keep himself busy in retirement. The promise of more power proved too much and Steve got in touch with Brodie Brittain Racing (BBR) to talk about the options for supercharging the NC. BBR's name is synonomous with fast MX-5s and they have a lot of experience in reliable forced induction. This proved very useful as due to the travelling distance involved, Steve decided to take on the conversion himself and was able to get telephone support when needed.
The BBR supercharger is a development of the original Cosworth conversion and together with a BBR performance exhaust system, including a sports catalytic converter for emissions, makes around 260Bhp. This is enough to propel the car to 60mph in just over 5 seconds and on to an (estimated) top speed in the region of 155Mph. The finished conversion is so well packaged it could easily be mistaken for a factory fitted unit. Steve opted to paint the supercharger's intake manifold to match the car's bodywork, which just makes it look that bit smarter under the bonnet.
The suspension has been lowered 30mm on Eibach springs and fitted with uprated anti-roll bars from IL Motorsport. The car was then treated to a full wheel alignment by Pro-Grip using fast road settings. The factory wheels were changed for Team Dynamics 17" 7J Equinox with a 45 offset and fitted with Bridgestone 205/45/17 tyres. Other modifications carried out include EBC Green Stuff brake pads, NC2 appearance package side skirts, rear diffuser trim, orange bulbs replaced with silver, short radio antenna, front foglight bezel trim, Voodoo gearknob, chrome heater vent rings, a leather covered instrument binnacle, and a custom wind blocker.
All round really tastefully done and in one of my favourite colours, this car has the performance to match its looks. Great work Steve!