Camming a std low CR NC engine is a half-assed way of doing things.
Ok it’s easy, it’s cheap, but from an engineering perspective it’s not great. The reason is the engines DCR goes down. (Dynamic compression ratio).
Once you lift the static and dynamic CR with some new pistons, then cam it and maybe use a 99 Ron with a few other bits n pieces things get far more interesting.
All of a sudden you get a lot more torque to go with the extra bhp, as added bonus your MPG is good too and it’ll pass an MOT with one (the secondary) cat on emissions.
I used to be able to nail the car coming out of a bend (on track) and it wouldn’t come unstuck, do the same with a 2.5 with an engine modified like that and it’ll swap ends quite easily.
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A 2.5 is a different beast as it is a much longer stroke so in its own right has more torque but not as rev happy
I’ll likely be seeing you at donny in December then!
It doesn’t matter, the same principles apply. Just to a greater or lesser degree dependent on engine size.
The NC engines are ok but nothing special. I have had the dreaded bottom go out. When I did some research about it I found só many stories about it from people having experienced the same. I come from the Honda world, not once have I read so many destroyed engine stories about 1 Honda engine family. When you read about blocks getting wrecked with oil still at more than half way…A mate of mine who is absolutely frantic about buying the best car he can for his money and also keeping it in the best condition, told me stories about oil consumption that really shocked me. Yes you never hear people when they’re happy and always when they’re not happy. Weird then that it doesn’t seem to happen in the Honda world. And dare I say it, I think that there are a lot more chavs in Honda’s than in MX5’s.
I also don’t find it a particularly exciting engine, but then that’s personal. Although I have to say getting a decatted 4-1 manifold and center pipe with racing cat resulted in a somewhat enjoyable sound instead of some purring whine ánd I can’t help but feel a lot of restriction in the higher rpm’s is removed. This does make the engine more exciting to me. But imho the MX5 NC is certainly not about the engine but about the handling (potential) and driving experience in total.
I have looked at putting in a Honda K20 into my NC when my old engine went but that would become extremely expensive very quickly 
I think the question is if there is a roadster with the same feel but just higher powered. Without having driven the specific cars you mention but having some experience with BMW, they’re just different beasts to drive. Less pure and/or less unfiltered. Maybe the GT86 is somewhat the same in the handling department, not sure, but it’s a coupe.
On the other hand, a lot of people, me included, like to personalise their car. Make it yours. Fit the car with stuff of your choice and maybe also done by yourself. For a lot of people that’s worth something
Agree totally on all points!
My wife’s Celica 1.8vvti makes better noises and felt nicer than the 2.0i in my Mk3.
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respectfully I disagree… 
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Toyota TwinCams have been making better ripping noises than any standard 5 exhaust.
It’s just what they do.
Like my Liftback twin in the early 80’s…albeit with an SS pattern exhaust.
I had a test in the just launched Mr2. Mid engine. What a car.
I kept running out of road before it ran out of grip & poise.
Mazda always built affordable funsters.
Toyota built superior and sometimes even brutal driving machines.
Different target markets, different shoppers.
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Haha they do sound much better with the full exhaust (I’m BBR 185 but with Racing Beat Rear silencer as opposed to BBR) but volume aside, I prefer the tone of her Celica over mine. 
Some stunning roads in that area! We visited C&M a while back and while expensive, we had a nice evening and stay over. Coffee is v nice as are the breakfasts! Plan to go back in the near future.
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That road in the video is actually behind c&m 
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do you know what engine goes into that?
Yup its a 2L duratec (albeit its modified and tuned by them). The early NC engines did have an issue but they were upgraded and as long as you make sure they have oil they are absolutely fine for road use. If you rag them on track it can starve out of the the oil in the sump due to sloshing. Its nothing to do with the engine its to do with the application of that engine. you can buy aftermarket baffles if you want to limit the oil escaping the sump during cornering however you could buy a dry sump conversion pan and fit an external oil reservoir as they do in the Caterham.
The most charismatic four cylinder I’ve driven was in my last Seven. In standard form in the R400 it gives 210 bhp but although powerful and torquey it sounded uninspiring compared to the screaming K series (another wonderful engine ) in my first Seven.
I upgraded the Duratec with the Caterham supplied roller barrel throttle bodies and the difference was enormous. Nominally it was a 15bhp increase but it felt nearer 50 , or more - it went from seriously fast to insane . It had razor sharp response, grumbled and popped at low revs and sounded like a late seventies Formula 2 car when roused.
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I loved the engine in my K series caterham. Sounded angry and hard. Loved to rev and pulled hard.
I also drove the caterham 420R that bad the duratec engine. It was good fun, but the engine was definitely less characterful. However the higher lift cams and 8000rpm rev limit in the caterham application made up for it by being hilarious to drive, and a stupid amount of power in such a small car.
It was a good engine in it’s day, but as it was first introduced circa 2005 things have moved on a lot since then.
It’s better than the Mk1 & 2, but not as good as the Skyactive in the ND.
Just to clarify one point above
The NC irrespective on year does NOT suffer from oil starvation when tracked if oil level is maintained
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Paul, agree if oil level is maintained it should be fine for the odd trackday. in regards to the sump. I have seen kits sold online from addon baffles to complete wet sump redesign. I know you raced these cars so your opinion would go a long way why these products exist.
Because it makes me wonder why they dry sump them in the caterhams - cant be purely for lower cg can it be?
I raced both sprint and endurance races a mk3 from 2009-2016 we never had an issue so certainly not the ‘odd track-day’
Re caterfields…… it’s to lower the engine in the car to prevent a bonnet bulge lol
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If you seal a sump and apply vacuum (by pumping oil and air out) the engine makes more power.
The lower the engine the lower the C of G so you go faster around corners 
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