According to some on the Interwebs, the Mazda Miata is “girly.” Says who?
In order to compensate (ahem) for this shocking heresy, here is a collection of wild, wacky, and shocking body kits, culled from various Japanese sources. Many of these kits were offered by Japanese tuners and performance companies during the mid-90s, when the first-gen Miata was a darling of the tuner scene. Turns out, with its diminutive looks and self-professed British inspiration, the Miata is also a darling of the aftermarket retro movement that we gaijin just couldn’t understand.
Included in the list are kits to turn your Miata into a clone of an Austin-Healey Sprite, a Lotus Elan, a Toyota Supra, a Ferrari Daytona, a Dodge Viper, a cross between a Jaguar XK120 and an Oshkosh Striker 4500 Aircraft Rescue Vehicle, a surprised chipmunk, or some sort of prehistoric fish. Many of the kits are variations on a theme: enlarged lower lip, bolt-on fender flares, big-block 5-spoke wheels, and the occasional skyscraper rear wing usually round out the package. And if you’re going to add foglights, evidently, it’s go big or go home.
But there’s the occasional complete body transformation designed to draw from the Miata’s Euro-roadster influence, turning the traditional underpinnings of the Miata into something you won’t likely see in the 7-11 parking lot. Want a completely new roadster that will turn heads? Enjoy tweedy European looks and good ol’ Mazda reliability, through a set of ill-fitting fiberglass fenders and countless man-hours of do-it-yourself cutting and swearing! The quirky Japanese love of retro-European styling is alive and well here: who knew bolting on a pseudo-250 GTO rear end on the shape of a boiled sausage could be so vaguely convincing?
Not enough? Here’s another collection of wacky kits, but this time with the intention to transform your worn-out Miata into a completely new car. Can’t shell out the $450,000 to buy one of the 842 T0yota 2000GTs built? Just turn your Miata into one! Think big here: Mustangs, MG TDs, even an Aston Martin – the sky’s the limit when it comes to assuming a new identity. You can even get away with a Cobra replica, but don’t be sad when bystanders anticipate a snarling Ford V8 and are disappointed with a lightweight Asian-built 4-cylinder instead. (There’s a metaphor in there somewhere.) But hey, Carroll Shelby’s done worse.
Or you could just paint your Miata pink—very pink. That’ll show the “girly” crowd!
And if anybody knows any more info on any of these kits, feel free to enlighten us in the comments.
- Blake Rong
