My NC2 BBR Super 200 story so far

[Antony_NC2]

Hi everyone

I have owned my NC for a year now, and have been meaning to do a blog style post for a while. So here goes!

I bought my 2012 NC2 PHRT Venture sport in Oct 2023 from a nice young couple up in Blackpool. I’m 39, and they were defo younger than me… They had owned it for some time as it was the girls “dream car” and were having to sell to buy something more practical.
I was coming out of a 2020 Audi S4 and wanted something more fun, which I could modify and make my own.

I’ve owned lots of pretty cool cars, several 911’s (my fav being a 991.1 C2 Manual with the areo kit), a Focus RS Mountue MT385, Many fast BMW’s and Audi’s and a couple of other hot hatches. I have always lusted after an NC after driving on at the British Motor show back when they were launched.

Anyway, the car was pretty straight, the engine sounded sweet and other than a knocking shock absorber and some pretty ropey tyres I could see it had been cared for.

The modifying started literally right away.
I stopped on the drive back down to Kent at KwickFit to get a full set of Yokoharm tyres fitted. The difference was very noticeable right away. I got the BlueEarth GT’s as I wanted Yokoharma and I liked the balance of grip, wet grip and compliance they offered.

Tyres: 8/10

The first few things I had to sort were the headlights and suspension.
The headlight lenses were completely yellow and cloudy. A few hours with a buffing pad did the trick, and I also fitted LED bulbs. The difference was huge.

Next onto the suspension. After plenty of research I decided to get a set of Meister R Zeta CRD coilovers and spent a cold Saturday in my garage fitting them. After an alignment and some fine tuning, the car was transformed! The ride is controlled but not jarring. It feels excellent and a massive improvement over stock.

Coilovers: 9.5/10

Next big job was to replace the brakes. The callipers were pretty well knackered and the front right was sticky. I just went for some OEM callipers and basic pads and discs. Performance was not changed, but they look a lot cleaner and the sticking has gone. I’d like to upgrade the front pads and discs to something a bit spicier in the future, but they are fine for now. All painted black, they look pretty smart I think.

Then I did the gear box oil and diff oil with millers. Honestly I could not tell any difference, but it was good for piece of mind.

After this, came a mod I was not happy with. I changed the shifter for a cobalt short shifter. I have previously posted about this. I also installed a Likewise Daytona Pro shift knob.
The Cobalt short shifter is not a good piece of kit unfortunately, and I have reverted back to stock and also changed out the shift know to a more simple setup you can see in the pics below.
The Cobalt short shifter constancy buzzes and rattles and is tricky to get set up right. I did several mods to remove the buzz, but it never fully went away.

Cobalt short shifter: 3.5/10

I then did an open airbox mod, which I have previously posted about. Along with a K&N panel filter, this gave the induction note a harder edge and more sound. Best of all it was free!

Open Airbox Mod: 9.2/10

Shortly after this, I took the plunge and planned a day in Brackley with BBR GTi. I got booked in for the Super 200 Catted manifold setup.
It took a full day for the install and mapping to be done, and there was a dispute over the price which ended up costing me £100 more than I had been quoted, but overall the experience was positive.
My first impressions were “oh my god, I’ve just spent the best part of £3 grand and I can’t feel the difference!” I was really worried. But after a couple of hundred miles the car really started to fly. And now I am OBSESSED with the drama at 7,000rpm at WOT. I would highly recommend this kit. The sound is immense even with a standard exhaust.

BBR Super 200: 9/10

I have also now had the steering wheel retrimmed in Alcantara by Royal wheels and fitted a 2" spacer. Along with a new Alcantara shift boot and handbrake boot, and a new set of mats the interior about perfect to me. I’m really happy with it. All I would say is I am prepared to retrim the wheel every 2 years as the Alcantara will not last like leather.

Alcantara wheel and spacer: 7.5/10

Last big mod was the Whiteline Anti Roll Bar kit. The kit includes uprated anti roll bars, uprated end lines and poly bushes.
Fitting was a bast@rd! But my god the difference is incredible, I could not believe it. Even with my uprated coilivers the difference in handling is profound. It’s so flat and darty, but still nicely compliant.

Whiteline ARB Kit 9.9/10

Other things I have done include the RX8 intermittent wiper stalk, front splitters, alloy wheel DIY refurb (this was good fun!) painted brake callipers, replacement exhaust tail pipes and 25mm wheel spacers.

Now I would say this, as I am bias, but I truly think my NC2 must be one of the best in the UK. It is not garage queen, and could not compete with the 25th AE or Recaro boys and girls. But mechanically it is as sweet as a nut. It does scrub up well to. Have a look below.

Thanks for reading

Antony

[Dutchie]

Looks great, I love a white NC. Mines black and spec wise more or less the same apart from the steering wheel.

Is it a massive downer coming out of a 911 to a 5?

Re the BBR 200, I felt exactly the same, it took a while for me to appreciate it.

Cheers Nick

[njkmr]

Looks a beauty.
Nice write up.

[WingsofIcarus]

Great write up… what a journey!!!
The car is a credit to you and probably has all the performance and handling mods any keen driver could desire.
I was particularly intrigued in what you had to say about the arb kit…it seems if you were to do one thing and one thing only that would be the one
I would be good to know how you feel the driving experience compares to some of the other stuff you’ve owned.
Take care

[Antony_NC2]

Hi

The change from standard (and knackered) sports shocks to the Miester coilovers was a bigger change. But the ARB kit was a close second.

I would always advise Coilovers first as that brings greater wheel control as well as reducing roll thought the more supportive springs.
But I would advise to do ARB’s above just lowering springs with the standard shocks. (I think that makes sense?)

All my own opinions obvs. Someone more informed than I am may have a different view.

As for 911’s. They are great, but very expensive to buy, run and modify. The black one was an older 996 generation that I completely overhauled the suspension and brakes. It was quite easy to do, but cost a lot of money relative to the value of the car.
The white 991.1 C2 was lovely to own, but very expensive.
£/pound the MX5 is a far better ownership proposition in my opinion. 9/10 of the fun for 1/10 the cost!

Thanks

Antony

[Dutchie]

Hi Anthony,

Yes a great write up. After your post I was looking at the ARB’s. Logically that feels like the next step…… or try to find a ND BBR where someone else has had the expense.

I keep looking at Boxsters or even another SL R129 that I absolutely loved back in 2001. I had it for 3 years and it was a beautiful car to own. Perhaps a different proposition these days.

In the three years I’ve had my NC it’s been a 100% reliable daily and just an easy car to own.
Maybe a Boxster will be less so.

Nick

[alienpimp]

I enjoyed reading this. I will have to start a project thread for myself. I also had a bit of a chuckle at your past car history; you must be my long-lost twin! 993 C2, 997.2 C2S Manual, M2 Focus RS, MK3 Focus RS Mountune 400. now onto an NC3.75 2013 for some less expensive but fun motoring!

[Mike-P]

Guys, just a minor point, the standard suspension setup consists of coilovers. In my case Bilstein and Eibach coilovers. Meister are just a different brand of the same type. Minor point.

My 2p worth.

[Tucker]

To what do you attribute it taking 200 miles to feel the extra power? Better exhaust flow clearing out the muffler? The ECU perfecting it’s maps?

My NCFL is finished apart from the power mods, and I dither between the BBR 180 and 200 packages.

[Belle427]

Would seem that a lot of previous Porsche owners wouldnt go back due to the costs involved of ownership and potential problems.
Ive been considering a Boxster/Cayman but do worry about the running costs compared to an MX5.

[Antony_NC2]

I really don’t know. It made 200bhp on the dyno at BBR. I think it is because it makes the power at the top of the rev range. I just needed to drive it differently.

It’s noticeably faster now after the upgrade.

I’d personally recommend the 200 package.

Thanks

Antony

[Mike-P]

I concur, after the upgrade to Super200 the car was more flexible in-gear and much faster.

[WingsofIcarus]

Hello mate
I saw your reply but am only just now replying so apologies for my tardiness… good news is I’ve paid the deposit on a NC2 kuro edition which I’ll be picking up at the end of the month.
I hear you on the 1st gen water cooled Porsches…I had a Boxster S from 2002. Liked it but didn’t love it… mostly I think down to how needy it was…so the cost Vs fun marks are definitely a huge huge plus in the MX5s favour… looking forward to taking ownership…just trawling through comparison sites looking for a no mileage limit deal… onwards and upwards…

[Antony_NC2]

Congrats, enjoy in good health!

[Roberts.pjm]

Hi Anthony, great looking car and similarly I’ve moved from high power Merck’s and BMW’s to an MX5 I can work on and make my own!

I guess my question is around the suspension changes. I’ve a mk3.75 graphite sport which has bilsteins as std - way more comfortable than any other car I’ve had.

Would like to address some of the role and loose some ride height but wondered how comfortable they are on the pot-holed roads of the uk?

Also, which led bulbs did you go for?

Thanks for sharing the mods and changes… giving more to think about.

One of the best and easiest mods I’ve done is the smart top for the PRHT … simply brilliant!

Cheers, Paul

[Antony_NC2]

Hi Paul

The Meister R Zeta CRD coilovers offer a very good compromise for the price.
They are adjustable for rebound, so you can make them more or less comfortable depending on your driving style and goals.

The coilovers removed a lot (A LOT) of roll and make the car so much more engaging and enjoyable for me.

The Whiteline ARB kit then added a further layer of composure and “darty-ness”.

If you only do one mod, I would recommend the Meister Coilovers.

As for the bulbs, I can not in good faith make a recommendation as the bulbs I use do not last very long (8 months). I have changed both recently. However, as my car will soon become a second car only to be used on dry days I don’t really care too much.

I just got some LED bulbs from Amazon. There are loads on there.

Happy modding

Antony