Ive owned an Elise 111R for a year but its a little too hardcore for what driving i do so ive put it up for sale. I was considering a Cayman but the running costs dont appeal to me really.
Im considering going back to either an NA or NC, i dont know why but im not a huge fan of the ND.
I owned an NA for a while and loved it but the Lotus itch needed to be scratched and it went, kind of regret selling it now.
Id love to do a S/C or T/C conversion but the cost of both of those probably is going to be at least Ā£5000 so am wondering about maybe something like a BBR super 200 NC.
Those that have modified are you happy with the outcome?
Ive heard mixed reports on BBR especially if problems arise but maybe someone here could give some feedback.
I do like to do all the work myself to be honest but am not against sending a car away for a few days to get done.
Thanks.
I have a Super 200 ND and had the conversion done at BBR. Iām happy with how the car performs. If I were to do it again Iād make similar modifications but have someone nearer to me that I have had good experiences with do the fitting. There were a couple of things that took a bit of effort to resolve with BBR (but they were resolved) and they are really busy so it was sometimes hard to get hold of Neil. Another option for you to consider: https://www.performancelink.direct/ Iāve got no personal experience with Performance Link. Roddisons is another to consider as well.
I would echo those exact thoughts.
There are obviously other companies offering similar options, and Performance Link and Roddisons came to mind for me as well. Personally, either would be preferable to BBR in my book, but thatās obviously just my opinion.
Iāve used Performance Link for NC2 manifold fitting and they now offer remapping options in-house as well, so can also be a āone stop shopā. Iām happy to recommend them and will likely use them myself in future.
Cheers,
Steve
I can recommend performancelink but I donāt think they have experience with the nd engine. How do you find the 200 on the nd. Seeing a few carbon up and not run right. What were the problems with yours ?
It runs well - no issues with the engine or anything like that. The CarPlay upgrade didnāt work properly first time and some parts had to be changed. Otherwise it was just minor things and communication being a bit tricky sometimes because of how busy BBR can get. I donāt want this thread to turn into BBR-bashing as I donāt think it helps the OP. Weāve had threads like that before and some people have had flawless experiences whereas others have had problems. Like I said, the issues were resolved and my preference now would be to get work done more locally to me even if I did use BBRās parts. It was a learning curve for me as I hadnāt had a car modified before. I now realise that when you modify a car there may be minor things to sort so youāre far better off if you can have someone working on it near to you that youāve got an existing relationship with.
Thanks for the feedback, makes me wonder if an NA with a comprehensive diy Turbo kit may be the simpler option, not looking for silly power but i think roughly 200 Bhp in these cars is more than enough to enjoy really.
I loved my 1.6 NA but felt it just needed some extra sparkle.
Hi,
I had the BBR 200 upgrade and the complete GT exhaust system carried out in Feb 2022. My car is a 2010 and Iāve had no issues since it was done. Since then I have had further upgrades such as Mesiter CRD and head unit. Only last week contemplated a ND and would be happy to have BBR work on any future car. I also have used Roddisons for service and upgrade work and Iām very happy with the work they have done too. For me though I wanted to use BBR as I have associated the name with MX5ās since I was 20 and wanted a BBR Turbo.
Dutchie
Had the BBR Super 200 installed in 2016 on my ND and now done 29k with no problems whatsoever. Quite a few upgrades done since then.
Hi , I run 2 NC1s both with BBR super 200 plus other mods , one on track one on the road , no issue with BBR or after , great upgrades 
OP, if you loved your NA, then get another one. With luck youāll find one thatās already had the BBR conversion done.
Yes im still a bit undecided, i do love the shape of the later NC but i could probably buy a tidy NA and do the Turbo conversion for Ā£10000.
Owner converted cars do pop up now and again though for around Ā£7000
I have a MazdaSpeed Roadster Turbo imported from Japan. Google iot if youāre not sure what it is. They were aimed at the US market but of course, they were LHD. About 400 or so were made in RHD for the Japanese market mainly for senior Mazda personel.
I have had it for i think 7+ years and am now ready to part with it.
So have a look online info and if you fancy it think about making me an offer. For a while, I thought it was the only one in the UK but someone told me recently that heād heard of another but I think that is LHD from the USA.
You can view the pix from when I purchased it here
MazdaSpeed
Lovely looking car there, sadly im waiting to sell a car before i can move forward but its certainly something id consider.
Hello,
Iāve an MX5NC Sport. It came with a 6spd box, an LSD and Bilsteins. Whilst the handling was OK it lacked the grunt of my 530i. First task was to prepare it for more power by fitting Wilwood 4 pot calipers with drilled and slotted discs (they also reduce unsprung weight by a lot) - together with 5mm hubcentric spacers to get safe clearance from the stock rims. Then to BBR for their Super 200NC upgrade together with their stainless exhaust system (the catted version) and a couple of other tweaks. Result was brilliant, apart from the fact that under hard driving conditions the tail could wag the dog! Alloy IL Motorsport ARBs and adjustable drop links from MX5 Parts rectified that issue. Prepping my 44k miles, Winter stored, dry Sundays driver for itsā 2024 Spring MOT I discovered a broken rear spring. Binned the Bilsteins for TEIN Flex Z coilvers. Lowered car by just 15mm. Set shocks at number 8 of the 16 optionsā¦ a little bit hard for long journeys on our Third World B/C roads but very rewarding otherwise. Total upgrade spend was about Ā£6.5k. Covered about 3.5k miles since the Super 200NC upgrade. Extremely happy with the finished product. Other improvement work has included Samco silicone hoses and a Moroso coolant reservoir to ensure max reliability as the car is scheduled to make a late Summer trip from Santander across the Pyrenees and around the Med to Italy. (Having to call the AA from Canfranc Station in the Pyrenees would be my worst nighmare!)
Hope this helps? Best, Sundaydriver
Very informative so thanks for that.
I too have a MX5 NC Sport and like Sundaydriver1, my daily family drive is a 330d M Sport and I also found the 2 litre NC just a bit underpowered. Iāve taken note of some of Sundaydriver1ās great upgrades but all I have done to mine is the basic BBR Super 200.
My NC is winter stored and only used on the road in summer ā no track days. So far, I have been delighted with the result. The BBR conversion makes an already solid reliable and exceedingly competent car into something that gives me more āsmiles per mileā than I could have expected for such a modest outlay. Sure there are more expensive and faster 2 seater sports cars, but for a total investment of around Ā£10k, my little NC with the BBR Super 200 is a definite keeper. So far it has delivered road trips to Scotland, Wales and the South coast and we are now planning our first European trip for Spring 25. So, Belle 427, Iād go for it. I canāt speak for other companies, but I have nothing but good reviews for Neil and the BBR team. I took my car down in the morning, found a nice cafĆ© to have some lunch and do some work and was driving home by 4 oāclock. Good luck.
Probably quite an exciting day out waiting for it to be done.
Id probably take it and go off for a walk for a good few hours, could kill 5 hours easily so not too bad really.
I understand Belle427.
I am not in a rush to sell. But when Iām offered a good price, the next objective would be ensuring it goes to the right owner. This is a high performance car straight from the factory which means insurance is a lot less āComplicatedā. The only modification is that I changed the Diff from 4.1 to 3.3 which makes a huge difference to quiter cruising and MPG. What this does is gives normal 5 speed ratios with 6th being an overdrive. Because of the extra powerover standard it still pulls well in 6th and makes for effortless cruising on our motorways and dual carriageways. Since doing this conversion I have been on a number of long trips that I wouldnāt have done with the standard revy ratios.
Happy to take you out in a Turbo NA to give you a comparable.
Iām based in shropshire.
Thanks but im a bit far away in South Wales. Im just weighhing up the options at the moment, Turbo a Mk 1 or Mk 3 with BBR super 200.
Personally i think the Mk 1 would be the better car but i do love the look of a later Mk3 so its a tough choice.