Keith's Mazda Targa Miata rally special: Readers Rides:

Built from a bare shell for the Targa Newfoundland rally. Back then, it ran a bored and stroked, 11.5:1 compression engine with a complex home-built header. The suspension was built for as much travel as possible and the car was stripped for light weight. The Martini stripes are based on the design used on the Lancia Delta Integrale rally cars, and they’re all paint. The whole car was built in my garage, right down to shooting the paint. And then came the 2011 rebuild. Now it runs a 400 hp L33 aluminum V8 engine with a T56 6-speed transmission. It’s gained a couple of hundred pounds, but also more than doubled the horsepower and torque. At the 2011 race, we led the Open class for a couple of days until a main relay failure dropped us down to 3rd.

Wowak
May 15, 2008, 2:12 p.m.

Trade ya.

ZOOMiata
May 19, 2008, 12:33 p.m.

Good looking paint, Keith! I remember a 911 in Toronto painted in that livery when I was young (early 80's). Rob

carson
May 21, 2008, 1:17 p.m.

So...when are you going to start mass producing that header? I want one.

P71
May 27, 2008, 10:56 a.m.

I LOVE this car! It makes me want a Miata ;)

HunterJP
May 28, 2008, 4:12 p.m.

Funny, doesn't look like its a targa. Still want to drive it some day, if you will let me. :D

nortolano
June 17, 2008, 6:01 p.m.

Absolutely brilliant. Martini livery makes everything good.

1slowcrx
Jan. 2, 2009, 9:47 a.m.

+1 on the header.... PLEASE! ;-)

Keith
Jan. 17, 2009, 6:44 p.m.

I'm pretty sure nobody would want to pay what it would cost to put that header into production!

GregTivo
April 25, 2009, 11:35 p.m.

miata, accept no substitutes...

Matrick
Feb. 1, 2010, 9:05 p.m.

Would you go back to Targa Newfoundland if you had a co-driver?

Keith
Feb. 2, 2010, 9:09 p.m.

I have a co-driver who's eager to go back. What we're missing is the time and the money. Running a week-long event on the other side of the continent requires a fair bit of both. It's a 4000 mile tow just to get to the start line!