I’ve owned the car for two years (this is my 5th MX5) and was bought specifically to convert to Jaguar v6 power. It was the best condition low mileage mk2.5 I could find and had spent most it’s life garaged. I chose a mk2.5 as it has the strongest shell, drivetrain, safety kit etc. The car is an Icon special edition which added heated leather seats, leather wheel, mohair hood, (heated rear window) front fogs, remote central locking, remote boot opening, hardtop preparation etc.
The car was made using the Rocketeer full self build option:
- MXV6 Components kit
- Jaguar AJ30 3.0L V6 engine (fully rebuilt, balanced & tested) Dyno’d at 271bhp
- Electronics pack (MBE ECU, loom, harness, sensors etc.)
The conversion was completed by myself late 2021 and has done approx. 2,500 miles since completing. The new engine has been registered with DVLA and issued with new V5 accordingly (no change in tax!) In addition to the Rocketeer kit I’ve added:
- Sport brake conversion (front & rear), consists of bigger calipers (refurbished), disks & pads (all new) + larger matched brake servo, Braided brake flexi lines
- New Clutch Master + slave cylinders, braided direct clutch hose
- Refurbished Mk4 MX5 wheels – 16” these are much lighter than the mk2 16” wheels and needed to clear the larger Sport brakes. + keep OEM offset
- All new tyres – Kumho PS71
- Meister Zeta CRD adjustable coilovers with adjustable height and damping rates
- Four wheel alignment at WIM Amersham
- Stainless steel re-enforced frame rails fitted under car to stiffen chassis
- Torsen LSD with 3.6 ratio differential
- Diff mount void fillers – poly
- Aluminium larger capacity radiator – Mishimoto
- Additional exhaust resonator fitted by Infinity Exhausts
- Washer bottle relocated to scuttle (Davefab kit) + converted to Ford washer nozzles
- Twin hoop roll bar (structural) TRLane + bespoke closed cell roll bar padding + vinyl cover
- Third Lambda sensor installed – wideband with AEM AFR gauge
- Oil temperature sensor + VDO gauge
- Continental Bluetooth radio with wireless streaming & phone connection
- Instrument cluster changed to black dials + speed sensor swapped to suit new diff
- RS type front lip spoiler
- Delrin door bushes
- Recent oil change c250 miles ago
Once the engine was installed it was quickly apparent that the original 4.1 diff without limited slip was inadequate. The car would spin one wheel on demand in the first three gears! Revs were also very high cruising on the motorway. A 3.6 Torsen diff was inspected & installed with void fillers to stop any movement when accelerating. The car now cruises at approx. 3000rpm @ 70mph and is much more predictable when accelerating now
Despite using a mk2.5 with the additional factory bracing there were still signs of chassis flex (after all power had gone from 114bhp to 271) so Jass stainless steel frame rail braces were fitted, plus the dual hoop rollbar. These made a big difference.
Brakes were upgraded at the start of the build to Sport ‘big brakes’ with all new or refurbished components, these are very capable and the factory ABS has been kept. OEM Mazda pads were fitted to ensure they work well from cold.
The Rocketeer s/steel exhaust is a work of art, but not very neighbour friendly as it only uses one single box. In 2022 Infinity exhausts fitted a bespoke resonator box which has calmed the initial low revs down but still has the fabulous V6 bark when accelerating.
The car has MOT until Sept 23 and has never failed an MOT with only one advisory in 2020 for a perished tyre. The sills and front chassis rails are all solid and the paint is very good all round with just a couple of minor marks. I set out to build what I considered to be the ultimate “sleeper” MX5 and it always puts a smile on my face when I turn the key. It’s a great car for touring and has been to France, Belgium (Spa), Luxembourg, but never been on track. Reason for sale is that my Son who comes away with me on our trips abroad has grown too big to drive an MX5 (6’5”) so the time has come to pass it on to someone else. Price is £17,500 which is considerably less than I’ve spent on the car – A Rocketeer kit is £15k including VAT and 3-6 month waiting list. Price does not include the personal plate (J30 MXV) although that could be negotiable.
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