MX5 2011 MK3 NC 2.0 BBR Stage 1 Turbo

chris9696

RMS Regular
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39
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Guilia QV
I wouldn't say this is a thread I was expecting to make but I am definitely happy to
Was scrolling through Gumtree on Friday afternoon for MX-5s as I've always fancied one as a bit of a toy for the summer
Then this car catches my eye, first thing I noticed was the plate - I've been reading Evo magazine for years and they always feature these BBR tuned MX-5s in group tests and on track
I've had an Autotrader UK wide search set up for one for the best part of 3 years and I can safely say I've never seen for one for sale that firstly wasn't across the water and secondly was even close to the spec I'd be after
Better still the car turned out to be a 5 minute drive from my house
So I pondered whether to go and view it or not for an hour or two, then when I decided I would I logged onto Gumtree and the ad was taken down
Suffice to say I was gutted

I kept checking Gumtree all through the rest of the day to see if it was just a technical error or something
Then a few hours later there it is reposted with a few quid of the asking price
I was down to see it about 15 minutes after calling the seller and here we are

So the story behind the car is it was owned by a chap in England who had a BBR Super 225 MX-5 (the one with the ITBs) and then traded it in against a car BBR had in stock ready for a conversion (this car) and before he took delivery of it he had them install the following

-BBR Stage 1 Turbo Kit
-Aftermarket ECU, I believe its ECUtek
-Full BBR exhaust system from the manifold back
-BBR suspension kit which is Koni dampers and some custom springs

As well as that the car has a few other nice bits on it
-The interior has been retrimmed with Alcantara and some fancy white stiching
-Steering wheel recovered in Alcantara by Royal
-A Raceseng shift knob, £300 worth according to the receipt and I have to say it is lovely
-It has the BBR plate which came with the car
-Has a Pioneer head unit for bluetooth audio

The original car itself had 60k or so on it when the conversion was done late last year
Full Mazda main dealer service history and 2 owners
It's a 2011 so a MK3.5 and it's a Sport Tech
From what I can gather this means it has the stronger version of the 2.0 engine, as well as the 6 speed gearbox and LSD

As you would expect from 1150kg and 270hp it goes very well lol
Makes a great noise with the BBR exhaust, I assumed the turbo would quieten it down a lot but it still has a real nice old school note to it
Handling wise with the suspension kit is possibly the most impressive thing on the car, it manages to be really controlled over bumpy b roads without being crashy or overly stiff

My plan with the car was is mostly take it out on the road but also do the occasional track day in it down at Trackskills
It probably needs a few things before that like some upgraded pads & fluid and a few other odds and ends
Does anyone know of a good mechanics in the Newtownabbey area who they could recommend for this sort of thing?
I don't think there are any MX-5 specialists as such over here but any good mechanic would be fine
 

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saxo_man

RMS Regular
Messages
15,838
Very nice, and great to see another BBR tuned MX5. The NC seems to take the turbo tuning well.
 

pizza85

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2,508
Location
Newry
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E92 M3
Seen this advertised, love it. I really enjoyed my NC sport and it was standard, imagine its quick with that power!
 

gav525

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Co Down
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Anything
That's brilliant, love it! I'm sure its great fun up a back road! Be good to see what times it can do around Kirkistown
 

chris9696

RMS Regular
OP
C
Messages
39
Drives
Guilia QV
Bit of a thread update on my MX-5
After spending more time with the car last summer I decided the brakes needing upgrading to match the extra power
So looking for upgrades online I came across a Youtube channel called 'Circuit Driver' which is run by a guy called Will who had recently bought an NC and was documenting his upgrades -
On this recommendation I decided to go for some upgraded Mintex M1144 pads, braided lines and Castrol SRF fluid and a full new set of Brembo blank discs all round

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And to test out my upgrade I took the car down to Trackskills at Kirkistown, was very impressed with the handling car was very stable at speed and inspired a lot of confidence
But I did find that the road tyres I had on Goodyear F1s couldn't really cope with the heat, particularly the front right and whilst there was plenty of tread remaining the blocks themselves were essentially melted

Before the next time I did a track day I set about finding a second set of wheels/tyres for the car with semi slicks
Didn't have much luck on marketplace or ebay finding a set, the NCs are becoming more popular as a track car but are still not as easy to get used parts for as NAs or NBs
I really fancied a set of OZ wheels but were a bit beyond what I wanted to spend, ended up ordering some ProTrack One's as they now come in MX5 fitment
Around this time I also got the car up on stands, cleaned the arches out and sealed the plastics
Then the car got a full 2 stage correction and then coatings with Gtecniq CSL and Exo v4, I couldn't get over the condition of the paintwork it really is remarkable for 68k miles and 12 years old
Whoever had this car before me really must have looked after it and kept it inside, the arches and sills which I know are weak points on these are exceptionally clean

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Took the car back to Trackskills with the new wheels and tyres and it really made a huge difference
The turn in was much much better, was prone to understeer on the road tyres but with semi-slicks the car just gripped even in the tighter bends
I also fitted some lowering brackets to the driver seat which was another welcome change, these cars have you sitting like you're in a family hatchback from factory
I've enjoyed the car this summer and last summer and done a few track days, and with my first baby on the way I've decided to put the car up for sale
Looking to keep the plate and wheels as I don't feel like I'm done with BBR MX5s, I've heard great things about their new supercharger kit for the NC. I also have a bit of an itch to scratch for a DC5 Integra at some stage and the man maths stacks up if the wheels fit lol
Advert is on RMS if it is of interest to anyone, for the money in my opinion you can't have more fun than in a turbo MX5! I'd say this car cost the previous owner £20k+
I daily drove it for a while there in the summer and it was brilliant, stereo is great, the roof goes up in down really quick so you can do it at the lights and the noise just puts a smile on my face. I'll be sad to see it go.

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Lappintyre

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Looked at this thread a few times before I bought the M3. Was tempted to send you a PM at the time to see if you would sell...
 

Burt2000

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Type RA Ltd
Are they not something like £150 to list because you need the professional photos. I’d try eBay tbh, big audience and a max of £45 fees iirc.
 

Jbridges522

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986 & RR
Are they not something like £150 to list because you need the professional photos. I’d try eBay tbh, big audience and a max of £45 fees iirc.
Never reatlly looked at selling a car through them tbh so wouldn’t know on the £150. But yeah ebay is a gd option for something rare, id just worry it wouldn’t get many views, be lost in searches of mx5 and not many searching bbr. Where as ud hope loads of people with no intentions of looking for one would see it on cc.

Maybe worth contacting bbr as well encase they know of anyone looking one.
 

chris9696

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C
Messages
39
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Guilia QV
Finally found a buyer for the car a few weeks ago, ended up staying locally in the end and now resides somewhere round Banbridge
That's the last time I'll try to sell a convertible in the Winter haha - thankfully got reasonable money for it in the end and allowed me to buy its replacement while the market for MX5s is still quiet
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Separate thread coming for this
 

ace275

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Belfast
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Legacy SpecB
Finally found a buyer for the car a few weeks ago, ended up staying locally in the end and now resides somewhere round Banbridge
That's the last time I'll try to sell a convertible in the Winter haha - thankfully got reasonable money for it in the end and allowed me to buy its replacement while the market for MX5s is still quietView attachment 426514
Separate thread coming for this

I was trying to talk a friend into this for ages who's after a 350z. Looks like a fantastic car and I'm sure it is great fun too. Good to see it's staying fairly local.
 
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