BARGAIN PERFORMANCE: Supercharged MX-5 -- BBR MX5 NC Review

[@gpajic1987]

MK3 was where they finally got a chassis that wasn't made of cheese, and the MK3 has the best steering...

[@OurTim]

The steering on this was phenomenal. So many times I turned into a corner and found myself turning out as it was just so responsive, yet it didn't feel fidgety or over sensitive. Masterpiece.

[@MiataTrips]

Thumbs up NC Gang! NC is an awesome and very versatile platform to build on! But most importantly - smiles per km! Hard to beat that.

[@tas-graz]

Just becuase the NC is heavier than the others, does not make it heavy. Its still a very light car. I have the BBR200 kit on mine, love it.

[@jordanklohr465]

@@tas-graz I’m actually thinking about doing this on my 2014 NC since it appears to have the cheapest HP gain per dollar. I’m tired of being outperformed by Honda Odysseys xD

[@enzo48]

Agreed, I have the Super 200 package too, lowered 30mm on 17" Rota's and it's perfectly balanced all round

[@rcmakingtracks18]

Well said, yep getting a bbr 200 on mine.

[@TheFracturedfuture]

It's only 100 pounds heavier than the NB.

[@simonvancoevorden295]

What utter tosh ! The NC is faster , better handling , roomier for normal size people! Also has the advantage of the available PRHT .

[@mikesavage5545]

My NC is my favorite car I’ve ever owned. Four years ago I bought an 07 for 6200. After a month of owning it I installed wheels, tires, new clutch, exhaust and then due to bad alignment the rear got loose and cracked the rear subframe. All of the sudden I had 6500 into a 6200 car. I was past the point of no return…since then I’ve gone another 20K or so. I CANNOT WAIT to put the last 15-20 grand into it this coming spring! I know you can get a lot of car for 50K but I promise you when it’s done, there will be no regrets. A fully custom, top shelf NC assembled and tweaked by me! I ❤️ my Yata!!! 👊🏼🙌🏻

[@linkuhndave]

You can spend more than a new Porsche. Well, close to it! But you have something very few have. Enjoy the drive!

[@mikesavage5545]

@@linkuhndavethat’s perfectly said and my thoughts exactly! I can’t wait! ❤️🙌🏻👊🏼

[@fraskers]

Aside from your BBR, the NC is a lot better than you make it seem. When it comes to performance, the na and nb are not even close, so the real question here is what are you looking for? You don't seem to really know. The beauty of the MX5....make it what you want.😃 miata is always the answer.

[@rcmakingtracks18]

It's not a lot heavier and it's not a lot bigger. What it is, is safer, quicker and has more room. But I am getting a bbr 200 kit, because it will make my mx5 nc2 even better... john

[@edhot5613]

Dont waste your money

[@davidstorm4015]

The Mk3 (NC) is a great car, hugely underrated by everyone except those who know. Much better car than the Mk1 or Mk2 and much better value than a Mk4. In this supercharged guise it's unbeatable as a 2 seater sports car in terms of performance and fun for the money.

[@youmongrel]

Under £2,000??! Damn Europe has a much different relationship with the NC, in the USA even the oldest NCs start at 6k in not-great shape. My 2008 PRHT with 134k miles was $11,000 last year, bought from a 20-something kid who used it as his daily. People are really beginning to appreciate them.

[@marcodebortoli]

Yes but no, the one at that price point are very high mileage low spec trims and engine most of the times and often Cat N. Of course you have the odd one but it's rare. Something like yours already start to be in the £4k/£5k through online channels for a decent bargain. Also don't forget the weather we have over here in the UK... rust is not joke on those babies :D

[@jordanklohr465]

I picked up a 2014 White NC Grand Touring w/ Bilstein Shocks (38k mi) for $17k a few months ago. Well worth it, NAs and NBs were too old for me, ND2 & ND3s are too expensive and as for a ND1, I didn’t want to take the risk with the ND1 manual transmission. Well worth the buy!

[@marcodebortoli]

@@jordanklohr465 the most expensive I’ve seen recently here in the UK are/were a 25th Anniversary for £15k at 17000 miles and an sport graphite at £21£ with full BBR stage 2 turbo at 36000 miles. But those are the odd ones.

[@qiweihuang5236]

An NC3 PRHT with BBR supercharger would be a unicorn, looks great and handles great. It's just hard to find a tuner here in the US to install the supercharger

[@OurTim]

Contact BBR, I bet they can make it happen

[@linkuhndave]

Great video! It's refreshing not to have bait click,but rather an informative video with real content. Again, great video! I love my NC3 after installing a Cosworth/Flyin' Miata Supercharger. It is similar to having a much larger engine, which is the best way to convey the difference.

[@SaDu-sb3si]

The best Miata (chassis,steering,tuned friendly,suspension etc) stays pure until now,you can take the feeling of a sport car with 2 seats and if you tuned (turbo or supercharger) you have two seats sport sport car!Believe me I have a nc 2.5 forged turbocharged methanol kit etc at 520hp and this car is f@cking rocket 🚀 Before some years I was a owner of one NB Miata,the NC is full over up on almost everything against oldest Miata.

[@patrickjones8209]

This NC Miata is too heavy, blah, blah, blah commentary is so tired. It weighs 1100kg. Fact is the NC has superior chassis, suspension, brakes and more room than anything before it. People who know know just how tunable and solid this platform really is and they understand the benefits of sharing with the RX-8. I V8 swapped my 2007 PRHT GT and its awesome. These cars were born to have more power.

[@johncrofts6058]

Well....... if you like the supercharged 250 bhp NC, you need to try one like mine. Fully forged turbo, 321bhp @ 0.6 bar, very linear power delivery, no spikes etc. real supercar performance for relatively cheap money. A real performance bargain!!!!

[@philipreeves5465]

I'm looking at getting a 25th Anniversary one and want a stage 2 or even 3 conversions. I'm told standard internals are good for 350hp

[@OurTim]

Rather than one like yours... what about a video of yours ;)

[@DSORDR1]

Tell me more mate sounds like what I am looking to do to mine

[@johncrofts6058]

@@OurTim , mine was built by Neil. it's fully forged, polished and ported head. Could run a lot more boost, but wanted to keep it very road friendly.

[@denzilpenbirthy5028]

Just a warning here. I bought a 2 litre NC and had it turbo charged by BBR [ 300 bhp.]. I then occasionally used it on track and it caught fire !!! Not enough airflow round the turbo. Neil then told me that it's not designed to be used on track and that fact was in the small print. Also the ABS and certain brake pipes are very close to the turbo. Other than that, a great car !

[@BoostedNDMiata]

You think that’s fun, try adding another 100 hp! I have the BBR Stage 1 Turbo system with the BBR Stage 2 forged engine parts and cams. My 2018 club makes 350 hp (300 whp)and is an absolutely amazing car. Kit is solid and I’ve had no issues other than the heavy duty clutch still not being able to handle the power.

[@SilverDomUK]

It's still a light weight 2 seater sports car! You get a comfy car that can be driven daily and if you have thee power roof some scumbag isnt just going to slash your roof open! As an owner of a 2L NC i might be biased but it's a great car to own and drive. You dont need to do anything to it, it will still make you smile every time you drive it!

[@marccourt7363]

Great video. By any chance would you know how the fuel economy is affected when you supercharge the NC?

[@98JamesNixon]

The whole weight people complained about was more about the PRHT which was about 50kg heavier (nearly 100 more then the mk2), but the softop version was only about 50kg more then the mk2 and has more power. Also has a lot more storage options in the car like glove box, four cup holders,storage behind seats etc over the mk4. Love my mk3, have done the decat manifold and all the exhaust, suspension etc and it’s superb, now had about 185hp with the map which really opened the car up and handles great on the track, not sure I will go supercharged or turbo as to be honest it’s enough power for the road

[@MrKuritsuka]

I love it bro! Thanks for sharing!

[@Farslyder]

Mine is a 2011 PRHT Sport- It isn’t the 0-60 time in any MX5 it’s how fast your lips find your ears 😂 and in all of them that’s not even measured in seconds. Great review, my only thought between the mk3 NC and mk4 ND is the amount of open air you get in this one VS the targa RF. Doesn’t make me not want one any less 😊

[@kyle4646]

Good video with great sounds of the supercharger and makes me want more power out of my 2014 NC . but well out on the price of NC models maybe if you’re lucky 2k for a very rusty basic 1.8 🤦‍♂️ the model your sat in with Recaro seats is more like 10k+ just for standard car even more for a mint example and that’s if you can find one with those seats in for sale 🎉.

[@OurTim]

Yes the one I was in was a rare Recaro but NCs are very cheap at the moment. Writing this now, there are 80 2.0L NCs on Autotrader alone, 5 under £2k. Speaking to several owners at the National Rally this year, all said how they were struggling to sell their NCs, even when they dropped the price. 2.0L NDs are dipping below 10k now… 😬

[@blueberrycheesecakesupremo7947]

Good video man. You said in this, that you liked the Idea of the supercharger over a turbo. I'm just wondering if you have had a drive in a NC BBR turbo?

[@OurTim]

Not yet… but that is coming…

[@blueberrycheesecakesupremo7947]

@@OurTim Well You'll be blown away. I got the BBR stage 2 turbo fitted at their workshop. It's an NC 3.75 and I love it. There isn't really any turbo lag and BBR say its sub 5 0 to 60. Although I don't really have any way to check that, you'll be shocked. I'll subscribe so I catch your reaction. Keep up the good work man :)

[@ctrain1983]

Im curious about that exhaust! That sounds amazing. What exhaust is on this?

[@OurTim]

BBR’s own, they offer just that I believe 👍

[@barneyrubble9309]

Well I couldn't find an NC for £2k or anywhere near that. However, I still bought one and its going to get the full Rocketeer treatment thanks to my dear late father's inheritance. Cannot wait!

[@OurTim]

Have you tired both Rocketeer and BBR conversions?

[@Booka3141]

If you've got the money for a 10k supercharge kit and to maintain it on an old car, you have the money to maintain a cayman S (which could be had for less and are actually very reliable). The reason to go with this is the comparatively light weight with the supercharger noise and torque, plus obviously personal preference. Lets not pretend a Porsche is ever a bad alternative.

[@OurTim]

Agree, the Porsche is - and always will be - a fantastic car but it will have the running costs of a Porsche. Put £15k in a Porsche and it'll drive and I've no doubt bills will follow sooner or later. This NC really did perform, turn and handle like something half it's age and twice the price. The interior is starting to feel it's age, especially compared to the ND, but to drive, this thing was superb.

[@peterbonnez]

I have two BBRs - Wonderful cars.

[@becauseiwasinverted7971]

Never understand the comments of a modified car when people say this is how it should have been from the factory🤔. Really? In this scenario its an mx5 with 10k of mods to if that was to have been OEM developed and warranted it prob would have been double that making this mx5 something entirely different from the design brief to be an affortable sports car to a large number of customers which includes people who dont care about performance, they just want a little convertible. The mx5 is built to be easily modified by the enthusiasts who want it with a great base car.

[@ShinySenpai]

I own both MK3 and MK4. I love the MK3, just that steering rack along and if you have DSC on, it’s much better configured than the MK4 imo.

[@spencerpieters5502]

I've owned NAs, NBs and an NC over a period of 25 years. Finally did a testdrive with a 2021 ND RF. Could not believe how awkward the steering had become. Under full acceleration it feels like the front wheels come off the ground? I didn't do any twisty bits with it where I suppose the steering is fine. It's either that, or every motoring journalist is blatantly lying about the ND's steering.

[@jordanklohr465]

I’ve only driven an NC3 and ND1/2. I’m biased but my NC steers wayyyy better than the NDs. Like night and day! I also have the suspension package so there’s that

[@n0vi]

I'm 90% sure they changed the steering mechanism from hydraulic after the NC. So yeah, more visceral and fun steering. Another fluid to refill though

[@jordanklohr465]

@@n0vi they did. I’m pretty sure NDs have electronic steering

[@absoluteclownworld]

These are NOT cheap like 2k or whatever where I live... Western Canada. A 06-08 with 100k Miles in good shape, clean title would be around 10-13k CAD 7.5-10k USD. My 2014 with 50k Miles would be aroune 20-23k CAD.

[@SouthCoastFinest]

Can anyone confirm whats better for the NC a five speed or six speed box?

[@mrporsche4236]

At that price it would be a million times more fun then a porsche at similar money. Sorry porsche

[@MegaWayfarer]

Does the 10K include the recommended exhaust and clutch upgrade?

[@OurTim]

Exhaust yes, clutch I need to double check…

[@origamimaster713]

Probably I paid around that for my 365hp 2.5l supercharged conversion obviously needed a better clutch but it goes very well couldn't recommend Neil at bbr and his teams work enough :)

[@nickhaslam3253]

Subscribed as promised

[@OurTim]

Very kind! I hope you enjoy the content!

[@sssfusa]

More “usable” space , excellent steering, more comfortable on the highway…Rx8 frame can handle more power than Any of the other 3.Icon.

[@Philiprreeves]

The Mk4 is a nice car. However, it's a tunabilty is very limited due to weak internals and gear box. £240 hb is ur limited. However, the NC has the a better stronger gear box and engine and is good for 310 bph. That is super car terrain. The NC and ND both need turbo or supercharging to Male it the car is wants to be. Far too under powered, even the ND 3 is dull. However an NC with a stage 2 or 3 turbo, wowowowoww

[@OurTim]

I agree, that extra power - and brakes and suspension - really does bring the NC to life. I've always found the ND a delight to drive and BBR's tuned version was fantastic. I do like the supercharger conversion, elevates the original's linear delivery, emphasising the character, not changing it.

[@richardbradley1598]

The MK3 was absolutely brilliant, people talk a lot of shit about things they know nothing of.

[@squaregaming8964]

£2,000!?!? for a usable one?! Here in Japan, where it was built, we have one of these as the most premium miatas in the used market--almost leveled up with them new stock nd3s! I don't know if this is a good thing or not: the Japanese surely know their cars, or, most likely, they've gone completely mad..... Even the crappiest NC1s are demanding around £8-10K. At this point I'm better off import one for £2000+taxes & fees straight from UK and it might still be somewhat cheaper!

[@bossoli60]

I had not really sparkle in my previous NB my NC石faster chassis

[@CamiiKazeee]

It’s not that much heavier when the mazdaspeed nb weighs the same amount

[@jibson0011]

Enjoyed this vid, but i think the nc and nd price comparison is wrong. For example a 2015 nc/nd price is not that much different. The true price variable between £15k & £30k is age. In many circumstances the newer car would be the cheapest option in the long run.

[@OurTim]

Running costs on newer car should be less, but no two used cars are the same. Newer doesn’t always mean cheaper. Yes, last of the line NCs are close to early NDs. However writing this now, there are 80 2.0L NCs on Autotrader under 5k, whereas 2.0L NDs start at 10-12k. Speaking to several owners at the National Rally this year, all said how they were struggling to sell their NCs, even when they dropped the price. 😬

[@jibson0011]

@@OurTim A £15k BBR NC is indeed a cracking car. For me though I need a daily good for 8k miles per year, that I take to a garage for maintenance, so a BBR nd makes more sense to me. If I did my own maintenance and didn't need to daily then the NC would be more appealing. However, there is mx5 based competition from MK & Rocketeer for £15k that I would maybe consider before the BBR nc in that scenario. Nevertheless great food for thought and a very worthwhile vid to highlight the BBR NC. I imagine it would be perfect for a lot of enthusiasts 👍

[@philipreeves5465]

Great review!! Ive just purchased a 2014 NC 25th Anniversary Edition for £13k and 63k miles. Its had over 15k spent on it at BBR. Stage 2 turbo, track and Road coilovers costing £3k plus fitting on top. Uprated intercooler and charge pipe. All carbon fiber under the hood and brakes. The conversion was done by BBR in 2014 wity 205 miles on the clock, now has 63k and still hitting 300bhp. Its a flying machine, it really is. Id love to test out one of their 370bhp conversions. Maybe, if the price is right id consider it. However 300bhp is simply outstanding. My work car is a new BMW M340I and this is far faster. kzbin.info/www/bejne/lYe4gGiHeZ6Mobcsi=RE0W7TXLuqTkLu9l

[@lassydogpie5390]

2k 😂😂😂

[@SouthCoastFinest]

I always thought the MK3 MX-5 was the best looking. The first is the most iconic, the second is utter dog shit and I like the 4th gen but the NC has it all for me.

[@marcodebortoli]

A lot bigger and a lot heavier hahahahaha so not true.

[@edhot5613]

BBR is over rated and fragile too more power does not equal more fun no matter which car NA NB NC or ND you have they all drive great.

[@martinishmael9490]

Presenters like these are totally irritating. They just go with the narrative everyone says the NC is the least favourite so let's go with that My order would be least favourite NC it's just bland and the ND NC ND then NC3(3.75) You might be able to pick up NC3 for £2,000 But you're not getting an NC 3.75 for less than 5K and that's the one he's driving he's driving. And standard the NC is it slow is it blisteringly quick and that's the narrative people have. But in the real world a lot of people are pleasantly surprised. But then take it down a country lane or anything that has a bends. And then tell me if it's slow that's where it comes into its own and a lot of things will struggle to keep up. My brother has a 991 Porsche targa pdk four-wheel drive. And he was not dropping me in the country lanes in Essex not a slow car In standard guise. If you're going to be a motoring journalist be thorough and objective

[@OurTim]

Hi… irritating presenter here 😉 To respond to some of your comments… I have driven all generations of the MX-5, in various guises, and what I said in the video is based on my own experience and the comments of many, many owners I have spoken to over the years. Yes, I was in a later gen NC, but BBR confirmed the mods done to this car can be fitted to all NCs. So a 2k NC can be taken to the spec seen here, but it may indeed require more remedial work that a later, lower mileage car. The NC is a well sorted car out of the box but with the BBR upgrade, it felt more balanced between the power and the weight, never lagging. In my experience, the only disappointing part of an NC is the power, especially when you have a FMHP, and the BBR conversion makes it as electric as - if not even more so - the other three generations.

[@lassydogpie5390]

Mk1 and 2 💩

[@OldCarsNewVan]

a true example of not understanding what the mx5 is all about - less is more. Plenty of dreadful cars that can offer you 250hp if that's your thing. And it's a NC so butt ugly whatever stickers you put on it 🤣

[@davidrubin2612]

a true example of not owning an mx5 yourself and complaining about other peoples builds instead

[@OldCarsNewVan]

@@davidrubin2612 🤣you don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to work out we own an MX5 - click on the thumbnail pic🤣 The point I was making was the true essence of the MX5 was a light, simple, relatively low powered (and low cost) fun car with brilliant handling. It was never meant to be a 250hp monster. And it's not as if this is a bloke at home doing his own thing - this is a for profit company (BBR). It just seems a complete perversion of what the mx5 was meant to be. Buy a Honda S2000 that was designed to have circa 250 or so - leave the mx's alone and enjoy them as they were created. Except the NC - which is still butt ugly🤣🤣

[@davidrubin2612]

@@OldCarsNewVan you dont own a car

[@gpajic1987]

Best looking mx5

[@TheBaldTruth1]

@@OldCarsNewVan Feel better now?

[@JETZcorp]

I love how the UK just unanimously decided that every update to every object shall be numbered in Marks. "NC? Sorry, mate. Issa mach free over 'ere."

[@OurTim]

Probably because mark designation has been used widely for 100+ years. Looking into the history of “Mark”, it originally referred to the mark on the modification plate of a system, component or machine, which was used to identify which modifications have been applied. It then became a common method of versioning and given Britain was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, it’s hardly surprising that us Brits are more comfortable referring to generations of cars as Marks. A number of Jaguar models were called Mark (x), starting with the Mark 1 in 1955 - which was technically called the 2.4 Litre and 3.4 Litre until it wvsreplaced in 1959 by the Mark 2 and retrospectively named Mark 1. The Mark X was the last of the series, produced from ’61 to ’70. Many other makes and models have also used mark designation for new models, such as VW Golf, Ford Mondeo, Toyota MR2, etc. But its not just cars that use mark designation… The British Mark 1 Tank, the American Mark 2 Grenade, Lee-Enfield Riffles, Atomic Bombs, British Railway Coach Stock, Pianos, Guitar Amplifiers, Saxophones, Computers, Aircraft… there are lot of applications of mark around the world. NA, NB, NC and ND are specific to the MX-5 and, unless you are familiar with it, would likely default to the established system of versioning. Not to mention N(x) naming doesn’t represent the mid-life facelifts, such as the Mk3.5 for example…

[@JETZcorp]

@OurTim The N(x) naming absolutely does cover the mid cycle refreshes. Mk3.5 is the NC2. A lot of other cars get referred to by VIN or similar chassis code. EG Civic, R32 GT-R, Mercedes W201, Porsche 997.2, Jeep YJ, Totota AE86, etc. You mentioned the MR2. Those were not officially designated in marks like the Golf was. They were AW1(x), SW20, and ZZW3 by Toyota. But I'm sure the UK marketing used marks to make things more familiar. Brands often change things to be more familiar to the target market. Mazda pronounces their own name differently here vs there, you guys never called it a Miata, and in Japan it's simply called "Mazda Roadster." There's nothing wrong with the Mk.X system. It's just a very British way to talk about things. You just get the feeling that the first time they told the public about a Mk.IX Spitfire, the entire public just collectively said, "Aw yea, I'll 'ave some of that."

[@OurTim]

Yes, you are right on the N(x) naming, I forgot they add numbers to designate, but then that is starting to get towards to mark method... NC1, NC2... I would still argue this is more confusing than Mk1, Mk2, etc to anyone not familiar with Mazda/MX-5. For sure, there are lots of versioning methods used by manufacturers - BMW use Letters, Numbers and LCI for example - but my point was it's not necessarily Brits being stubborn, there is a history behind mark versioning which is more universal, more broadly understood and easier to explain than specific naming systems used by manufacturers. Mazda and MX-5 won't be alone with this, as you rightly pointed out with the Porsche example. To use Porsche's versioning, I would love to see someone explain how the 991 replaced 997 yet the earliest 993 versions are nearly 30 years older than the current 992 to any non-Porsche fan. That, I expect, would require more than a couple of pints down the local, after which it would make perfect sense only to be forgotten about the next morning.

[@JETZcorp]

@OurTim NC1 and NC2 are right on the VIN plate. I think NC3 might be something the community made up; I don't own an NC3 so I can't verify. In the NA, they went from NA6 to NA8 with the 1994 updates. I'd also point out thar some of the things car enthusiasts say are actually a bit wrong. For example, when I had an EG Civic, it was actually EH2 on the VIN. EG is what they were in right-hand-drive markets, and since that includes Japan and includes the mythical EG6 SiR, everyone just rolled with it. But saying I have an EH is being a bit too obtuse, even for me. And I must agree about Porsche's naming. The way I'd explain that to a layman is, "The Germans boxed themselves into a corner UNT VILL DIE ON ZIS HILL." But again, the whole mark thing isn't wrong or a criticism, just a distinctive cultural marker I've noticed from UK reviewers. It's nowhere near as obnoxious as when I had to explain to my uncle that the S2000 is "122 cubic inches." Lol

[@OurTim]

In reference to your additional edits to MX-5/Miata… check out my video from MX-5 Owner’s Club Rally, 2024. There is an interview with Tom Matano and Bob Hall and that was discussed: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f4amgHZ_iLF3j9Usi=A2tKRNEx_5hstMO8