Quote:
Originally Posted by Spartarus
If you listen to the feedback from the market, it's clear that the disappointing sales are a result of completely missing the mark on power. That's literally everybody's first comment. It's the first argument that gets made about the car. It's the white elephant that every journalist, owner, and prospective buyer has to deal with. It's clear that's what held it back. It's the first question you have to answer to every other enthusiast. Leaving the power alone is not automatic, it's a decision you have to justify to people.
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You can already see this with the number of FI NA and NB miatas driving around. The 6 speed out of the mazdaspeed and some special edition NB's bolts right up and pretty much eliminates any worry about drivetrain failures when more power is added. The mazdaspeed was a brief offering and really, the OEM hardly offered a faster offering at all. Instead people are making what Mazda didn't, and the cars are working.
We are going to see the same thing with the Abarth Fiata vs. the ND. ND owners are already getting really pissed off and defensive, and claiming their 180 WHP naturally aspirated record is more than enough. The turbo Abarth engine can do that with nothing but a tune. I expect that will become the more enthusiast focused car because of the ease of adding more power even despite the extra 100 lbs of weight and the lack of a mazda badge and direct generational lineage.