BBR Mazda MX-5 Turbo or TRD-Tuned Toyota GT86?

Both the Mazda MX-5 and Toyota GT86 (Scion FR-S) suffer from having too little power, whichever one you go for. This is apparent whatever sporty car you climb out of before driving either of them, but as the EVO video posted below tries to illustrate, there’s no harm in trying to improve these cars to really make the best of their chassis.

First off, the Toyota can be had with a list of factory updates, in the form of a TRD kit. However, that does nothing to up the power and torque of the GT86, the car’s two main quibbles. It does address the grip problem brought about by the use of 17-inch Prius tires in the basic car by swapping them out for larger 18-inch forged rims with much better rubber.

Still not fast enough, but that’s where the MX-5, tuned by BBR, comes in with 70 hp more than the stock GT86, courtesy of a turbo kit. It’s a car that has been slightly neglected ever since the Toyobaru came out, but as the folloowing comparison illustrates, in this slightly-tuned guise, it’s actually a better choice (for the money).

 

Audi TT vs. Lotus Elise S CR vs. Nissan 370Z Nismo vs. Porsche Boxster vs. Toyota GT86

Ladies and gents, are you ready to place your bets on which of the following cars will win a drag race at the Rockingham Motor Speedway in England?

The contestants gathered by the folks at UK's Motors used car site are:

Audi's TT (we assume it’s the 158hp / 160PS 1.8 TFSI) and Toyota's 197hp (200PS) GT86 that are both available for around £25,000; the Porsche Boxster (probably the base 262hp / 265PS model), the 339hp / 344PS Nissan 370Z Nismo, and the 217hp / 220PS Lotus Elise S Club Racer, with all three models priced at around £37,000.

Not exactly a fair comparison, but an interesting one to watch in the following video nonetheless.