News Source: topspeed.com

What happens when Flyin’ Miata  gets a hold of an old Mazda press loaner and the supercharger kit that was designed for the Super20 concept? It creates an all-out targa rally car, of course. Meet "Nancy," the supercharged and rally-prepped 2006 Mazda Miata MX-5  .

Nancy started life as a test bed for NC-generation parts, but after the application of the supercharger kit and a full suspension upgrade, she got wrapped in a racing livery vinyl and Flyin’ Miata took her racing across Canada in the 2011 Targa Newfoundland.

I got to spend several days, a few hundred miles and some track time with this incredible machine. Did Flyin’ Miata ruin the balance and fun of the Miata with all of its racing upgrades, or is Nancy merely a better version of an already great car? Read on to find out.

The outside of Nancy is very familiar to any Miata fan, but Flyin’ Miata did make some modifications. While Nancy may be a 2006 Miata, she has been fitted with the larger smiling mouth from the later cars. Of course, Nancy is also covered from intakes to exhaust in a racing livery vinyl. The vinyl itself is white and features an aggresive black and purple design. A full set of sponsor decals that helped pay for the Newfoundland race are plastered across the door, and the traditional application of racer names and country flags are found on the A-pillar. Brandon Fitch is emblazoned across the driver’s side and Zach Bowman can be found on the passenger pillar, both with a U.S. flag.

The other noticeable distinctions of Nancy over lesser Miatas include wider wheels for more substantial rubber, and a dual-exit exhaust system with massive openings. The noise it makes is properly angry and exciting.

Beyond what I mentioned, Nancy is a fairly stock Miata as far as the exterior is concerned. There are no massive wings or body alterations. If it wasn’t for the racing livery, most would be none the wiser of what was hiding under the hood.

Much like the outside of Nancy, very little has been altered on the inside of this Miata. What changes have been made are purely functional. A full roll bar is mounted behind the seats for added stiffness and protection in the event of a roll-over, a small, steel mounting bracket is in the passenger floorboard, and a fire extinguisher has been mounted to the center tunnel.

The seats, gauges, interior trim and equipment all remain the same. With the cockpit of the Miata already being a display of function over form, there was precious little that needed modification in the process of race prepping it.

This is where things start getting interesting. Rather than sticking with the bone stock 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, FM has gone the route of forced induction via a supercharger. Under the hood, the modification looks completely stock, and that is because it almost is. Mazda at one point created a concept car called the Super20 and this supercharger system is the exact same used on that concept. Sadly, Mazda decided not to create a factory version of the supercharged Miata, so Flyin’ Miata is taking care of it for the Japanese automaker.

According to the FM staff, Nancy is good for about 240 horsepower and 200 pound-feet of torque. That torque level may not seem like too large of a gain compared to the horsepower increase, but thanks to a flat power curve, it makes the car much more driveable and responsive.

Beyond the supercharger kit, Nancy also has strengthened engine internals with stronger rods, pistons, and a forged crank for improved reliability and longevity; a must for racing applications. Nancy is also equipped with a new electric water pump.

Nancy is actually the first car that FM has fitted with this new electrically driven water pump, and is being used to test its effectiveness. It was only installed last week, so I am basically the first major guinea pig for the upgrade. A larger FM radiator is installed in the nose to help provide even greater cooling.

The fuel-injection system has also seen an upgrade with 440cc injectors.

The only other major drivetrain changes are the addition of a FM lightweight flywheel and an ACT Extreme clutch. The NC chassis is also far stiffer than previous generation Miatas so no strengthening of the frame was necessary despite the more-than 40-percent horsepower increase.