Mazda NA MX-5 lifted and supercharged for rally fun

A US car enthusiast has built a supercharged rally-spec Mazda NA MX-5 and filmed the entire process.

In a six-minute timelapse video, the MX-5/Miata/Roadster owned by Caleb Sandlund (or ‘Gingium’ on YouTube) goes from being a rather rough-looking NA to a rather tough-looking off-roader.

Starting in early 2017, the first step of the process is the raise, which gives us a few close-ups of the seen-better-days suspension and underpinnings of the Mazda.

All-terrain Maxxis Bighorn tyres are next, which requires the guards to be cut. Rust galore.

Next, the front and rear bumpers come off, which makes space for the baja buggy-style bars which take their place later on. Pretty much everything freshly exposed is covered in a layer of black paint.

Lights are swapped for high-powered replacements, and then the surface rust is cut and filled in, the roof is sanded, and the whole car gets ‘plastidipped’ olive green before black bolt-on guards and a roof rack are added. A spare tyre is mounted to the bootlid.

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The interor also gets a toughen-up, which means its stripped and seats are replaced with aluminium bucket seats.

Then comes the supercharger, with a top-mounted intercooler and a very makeshift hood scoop to feed it air.

Thankfully, it doesn’t end there. There are a few clips of the ‘Rallyata’ taking to the mud, following a Toyota FJ Cruiser though the tracks. It’s not sped-up like the rest of the video, mercifully. Gingium also has several more videos of the MX-5 at events and driving various courses.