Mazda Motor Corporation is close to the hearts and minds of driving enthusiasts. Their "zoom-zoom" ad campaign is not just an interesting catch phrase thought up in some late night advertising brainstorm; it has some basis in company history. From their claim to fame as the only Japanese car company to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans race with the dominant 1991 787B and their steadfast development of the high-revving rotary engine, to the release of the track-ready third generation RX-7, Mazda has successfully been doing things differently from everyone else. Thinking outside the box, if you will.
In the early 1990's, if you were looking to buy a cheap, compact, fun, open-top roadster with Japanese engineering, your choices were limited. Nowadays you can choose from the Mitsubishi Eclipse, Honda S2000, and the Toyota MR2, among others. Fourteen years ago, none of those cars existed. Those were the days when car manufacturers weren't too interested in top-down fun. However, always one to go against convention, Mazda had both the 2nd generation RX-7 and the MX-5 Miata on the market. Some guys believe that the Miata is only fit to be driven by post-menopause housewives who have finally let their hair down with a cute roadster after being freed from the shackles of child rearing. Those guys are wrong. If you're ever seen Keiichi Tsuchiya drifting a Mazda Miata in the Drift Bible DVD in what he calls "dynamic drift", then you'd know that the chassis and handling of the Miata is top-notch. However, drop a 1990 Mazda Miata into the hands of PJ Bonifacio and you get the one of a kind pocket-rocket before you.
With his shop churning out masterpieces, Bonifacio is no stranger to the import scene, having finished, among others, our cover car from December 2003. Therefore, when he built up this Miata, Bonifacio had to be different. First up was a wide body fender conversion carried out at his own PJ Bonifacio Autobody in Industry, Calif. Next on the list was a Hella HID headlight conversion kit and aluminum fuel door before the car was repainted by PJ himself in the shade of blue before your eyes.
With only 116hp stock, next up came the motor work. Combining some of the greatest ideas in the Mazda parts bin, Bonifacio employed the help of Dan Quiambao of Danstoy in Norwalk, Calif., to remove the stock 1.6L motor and drop in a 13B rotary power plant using custom mounts, fuel delivery, and ignition. The motor received a bridge port job, and a 48 IDF Weber carburetor on top of a custom intake manifold. A Racing Beat oil pan was added to the rotary motor for proper oiling, and the exhaust system is now a custom Danstoy fabricated exhaust manifold hooked up to an A'PEXi muffler.
The only transmission modifications done to the five-speed box is a custom mount to connect the transmission to the 13B motor, and a Mazdaspeed limited slip differential. Suspension mods are equally simple, proving the capability of the stock package. TEIN coilovers at all four corners tighten up the handling response, and Rotora brakes were chosen to bring the car down to a halt. Adding some stick to the connection with asphalt is a set of Falken Azenis tires wrapped around SSR Reverse wheels with a healthy polished lip.
Inside the Miata, it's obvious this is a driver's car, not a show car. There is no suede backseat, subwoofer enclosure, or Playstation 2. There is just a Nardi Torino three-spoke steering wheel and a set of Bride seats with Sabelt racing harnesses for the driver and passenger. Behind the driver's head is a Racing Beat dual hoop style bar and rear deck cover. The only concessions to interior dress-up are the aluminum pedals, dash trim pieces, and e-brake cover.
With the availability of choices from a supportive manufacturer, the help of a skilled fabricator, and the bodywork of a professional, a driver's gem like this can be yours too. All it takes is the foresight to envision what you want to put together. Just remember not to call it a girl's car when you're having that much fun behind the wheel.