I don't usually copy my posts from one forum to another, but since this technically WAS a street race of sorts, I thought I'd share today's earlier adventure with my fellow S2K brothers and sisters. It's copied as originally written. One note. I didn't go into this encounter looking to race his Miata, but the owner's overbearing pretenciousness needed a body check. I realize there are some freaky fast Mazda's out there but this guy was just a cocky anti-Honda geek that needed an introduction to another convertible. He was acting as if Mazda created the ragtop and all others are imitations. I begin:

Had to run an errand today and had a stoplight encounter with one of Mazda's annual "limited edition" Miata's. I'm a two-time owner (had one of the rarer black BBS editions with the chrome package and red leather interior a few years back). Anyways, I give the guy a friendly wave and he looks over with a look of disdain. Since he rode up on me from the adjacent lane I figured he took a look at my dual Tanabe exhaust hook-up in the rear (now sporting carbon fiber cans) and took me for one of Uncle Ben's nephews. "How do you like it?" I said and he acted like he didn't hear me. I figured I might as well bait the guy at that point and followed up with, "what's it got under the hood?" and that finally got his attention. He looked over and said, "160hp. Stock."
Now...I know just about every guy in here at one time or another has had a conversation with another owner who gives you a "what do you have under the hood?" response that in most cases, results in you making valiant efforts to refrain from pissing yourself with laughter but like most of us eager to continue the charades, I tried to keep the poker face going and played stupid. "Wow, I didn't realize they were that quick. Wanna run 'em?" and he kept gawking over at me like, "why bother?"
"Is that Honda's version of the Miata?" he asked dead seriously.
I was having a hard time keeping a straight face since it was apparent the guy had no idea what an S2000 was. "Honda's Miata?" that was hysterical.
When I asked him again for a run he didn't reply and I hollered over, "come on, 160hp...let me hear her!" and that seemed to do the trick. He darted his head forward and started revving his engine. I did a quick glance ahead and it appeared clear sailing was greeting us. I didn't rev my car at all and just listened to his Miata. Once the light turned green, he jerked forward and barked his tires a bit (which got the attention of someone waiting for the bus) and he took off. I cruised out from the green and let him roll on me (I knew he was looking to get on the interstate). Once he got about 2-3 cars ahead, he jerked over into my lane, hit his turn signal and gunned it towards the interstate onramp. After I followed him into the turn, he was then about 4 cars ahead of me and nailing the throttle. I paced him at that point in 2nd gear right just short of VTEC. Once the onramp road opened up into two lanes, he kept in the right one and I went straight for 9K. When the car hits 6K, the speed at which it goes to redline is so damn quick that it's hard not to bounce off the rev limiter (so far, no bounces to date) so my 9K shifts were all crisp and keeping me in VTEC. By the time I clicked the Momo into 5th, I looked in the rearview and that pretencious little bastard was so far away it would take ****ing "Q" to bring him back to me.
Now, before the Miata contingency pounces, let me state I think they're awesome cars (otherwise, I wouldn't have owned two of 'em) and the V-8 or turbo'd Miata's are sinister, HOWEVER, as is the case with any automobile, the poor things can't decide who owns 'em and in this case, that 40-something quoting 160 stock horsepower for his Miata probably has a case of Starbucks in the garage of his $400K home, no doubt sitting next to his stack of Architecural Digest back issues housed in boxes originally containing Euro beat rags which no doubt came in handy when the stay-at-home Oprah-watching, Dr. Phil fantasizing whank widow was too busy finding her "inner self" with the paper towel dispenser.


Sometimes you don't race the car, rather the owner.

 

Great read. I agree with your evaluation and have encountered that very same personality type. They need a good dose of humiliation.

 

I would love to hear what he would have said after the race.

 

Just to add fuel to the fire...

No "stock" Miata sold in the USA makes 160bhp. Mazda screwed up with the facelifted '01 or '02 (can't remember the model year) and claimed that it made 155bhp. Turns out that it doesn't and Mazda stepped up (and did the right thing) by offering owners compensation (by buying back the car for the transaction price or paying for maintenance for a set period of time) to owners who were pissed because the car really makes somthing closer to 145bhp.

I am not bashing the Miata. I alsow owned one (1995 popular equipment package) and to this day I think they are fantastic cars right out of the box. If I were on a tighter budget, I'd have no problem driving one.

 

99-02 models dyno about 112 rwhp..and run 16's in the 1/4.

 

Nice story Russ! It is always nice to give someone with attitude a little lesson in VTECology.

 

that should be a religion VTECology

 

When I saw 160 h.p, I figured he must have a supercharged Miata...guess I was wrong.

 

lol. that was great. I gotta use that line sometime.

 

I have to step in here.....I am a loyal mazda owner, I have owned 2 miata's , a 1993 C package and a 1999 10th anniverisary 6 speed. When the S2000 first came out I parked next to one at the grocery store. As luck would have it we both got out of the store at the same time and I said "Nice car" He looked over at my 99 miata and said "How many HP you have?" I said "140" he said "hummmm your missing a 100". He got in his car and left.

My point? Every car brand has pretentious and cocky owners. RX7 owners get blamed for having a ferarri syndrom, etc. To be honest, most miata owners in my opinion know that the car was not designed for super high performance anyway.

After 7 years of miata ownership I gave it up. I now own my dream car a 1994 Rx7. I do hope to see that S2000 owner next to me in a parking lot so I can say, "How much torque you got" . Better yet, I want to see him at a redlight.

I still want to own a S2000 along with my RX7 though, lol.