The Anaheim, Calif., Mazda specialists pride themselves on their tuning prowess for good reason. Racing Beat has taken the original intention of Mazda's engineers to a new level. Their version of the car outperforms the stock Miata in every way without making drivability compromises that make a race car driver cringe. In other words, this little MX-5 really works. Racing Beat's attention to detail goes far beyond that of many of the tuner cars which appear in these pages and it shows in the driving experience. It takes only a quick blast through the gears (six of them in this case) to realize this is a special Miata. The urgency with which it buries its tachometer and rips through corners, combined with tenacious grip and much improved chassis composure speak highly for the tunability of the car as well as Racing Beat's competence behind the wrenches. In fact, more than once during our evaluation, we questioned whether or not its engine internals were really stock as Racing Beat said. It's that good. in the end we believed them, but there's no denying the drastic improvement.

Try 1.2 seconds faster to 60 mph than the stock Miata, more than a second quicker in the quarter mile and nearly 7 mph faster through the slalom. It also hung on around the skidpad to a brain-cell-punishing 1.1g That's the highest lateral acceleration figure any of us have ever seen from a street car. It stopped from 60 mph almost 14 feet shorter than the stock car. Mind you, all these numbers were achieved on race tires (Kumho's V700 to be specific)- an advantage only one of the other tuner cars in this issue had. Nonetheless, impressive figures. The beauty of this car is its livability. While (SCCâs) Project Miata will almost match Racing Beat's lateral acceleration and likely its slalom numbers, we've made a huge compromise in everyday drivability to achieve that performance. While its stiff sidewall tires still give a fairly rough ride over undulations, potholes and railroad tracks, it's ride is still better than SCCs project car on street tires. Thanks for the smooth ride goes to the newer Miata's revised suspension and Racing Beat's choice of springs and shocks. The roadster uses Racing Beat's own springs and Koni adjustable shocks in conjunction with a host of off-the-shelf Racing Beat anti-roll bars, adjustable end links, stiffeners and chassis braces. Other changes deep within the Miata drivetrain include swapping the roadster's standard five-speed transmission for that of the Anniversary Edition (one more cog) and installing Mazda's Torsen limited slip differential. The six-speed tranny is the most significant-and most expensive- change made to the car, which began life as a base model.

The six gears, combined with the Miata's improved power, make for the most fun that can be had in a naturally aspirated Miata. Racing Beat's high flow air intake, header and exhaust improve power and give the car one of the most pleasing engine notes we've heard. Sort of a raspy snarl at low revs that sounds just right at high rpm without being too loud. Pounding through the Miata's gears on our usual mountain test road was pure joy. The Miata driving experience is taken to new levels in this car. Steering effort is high as the power steering has been removed in the interest of weight savings and steering feel. Race tires and the lack of power steering mandate high effort and eliminate some of the elegance in the driver/car interface but result in a more involved driving experience. (It isn't a bad arm workout, either.) The stock Miata's chassis dynamics in addition to awesome performance, Racing Beat's Miatas have set the standard in Miata aesthetics for the last 10 years. Clean, uncluttered and purposeful, the cars retain Miata character, yet add some necessary attitude. The new car utilizes a prototype Racing Beat tonneau cover, a Mazda chin spoiler and side skirts and Racing Beat's Type II rear wing. Racing Hart 15-inch CP-F wheels finished in white complete the package. Bottom line: The best all-around naturally aspirated Miata we've driven.