Power to weight ratio has always been a promising factor in high performance race cars. "Mazda Miata, meet V8, V8, this is Miata." Power to weight ratio check, "ALL GOOD!" The question of "what's the most power I can put in a car and what's the most weight I can shave off" is asked by every tuner out there. One man has accomplished this in a big way and I am proud to present to you Johnny Cichowski! He took the idea of putting the power of a space shuttle(V8) into a lawn mower(Mazda Miata)! A little over exaggerated but long story short his "Monster" is just that. Miatas are pure bred, fun, small, sporty cars. They have amazing handling abilities and are super fun to drive. Lightweight and very nimble is what makes these cars so great. Upgrading suspension for better handling is no issue here but, the issue is making power. It's small engine can take mods and build a little more but Johnny took a look at that in a different angle. Why not put a V-8 in it? Through lots of time, patience, and love, he has accomplished something many would not think is possible; a pure bred, steroid injected, sports car. Here's what he has to say about it.
Nine Lives | 1999 Mazda Miata
.jpg)
· VISreplica bumper
· Mazda Miata small side skirts
· Hard Dog hard coreroll bar
· Nardi 370mm classic wheel.
· 949 6ul 15x9 +35 wheels
· Toyo r1r 225/45r15 (wet)
· Custom Stance springs
· V8Roadsters tubular control arms
· Racing beat sway bar end links
· Wilwood brake kit with2 piece rotors
· GM performance Corvette ls1 engine
· GM performance Hot Cam
· Kwik performance alternator locator
· Summit Racing AN fittings
· Accusump oil accumulator
· Samson ls1 huggerheaders
· Thrust glass pack 2.5 dual exhaust (not pictured)
· V8Roadsters tubular k member
· V8Roadsters ford 8.8 differential mounting kit
· V8Roadsters trans mounting kit
· V8Roadsters aluminum upgraded drive shaft
· V8Roadsters Miata to 8.8 diff half-shaft's
· Tremic tko600 6 speed transmission
· Ford racing limited slip differential
· Ford 8.8 differential
· McLcod sfi rated bell housing.
· Autokonexion fast back
· Autokonexion wheel flares
• paint or vinyl wrap
• premium exhaust
• motor work for 425rwhp"
• premium exhaust
• motor work for 425rwhp"
Sponsors:
THMotorsportsProject X
The PhotoMotive
| PHOTO GALLERY |
Q: What did you drive before this Miata?
The car before the Monster Miata was a Nissan 350Z. We had it all race prepared and equipped with a Stillen supercharger. It was a good little car and it set seriously quick times. I was constantly one of the "fattest times of the day" with it. That was when I was new to racing, my level of knowledge has grown tenfold since then. If I had to race one of those cars again I would be hard to beat. Due to racing restrictions the Z wasn't competitive at any events. It didn't have enough power to race with fully built track cars, and it had too many modifications for a stock class. Sadly, it was time to move on.
Q: Why did you choose to build a Miata?
Miatas are amazing. Miatas are the most raced car on the planet. The amount of support for them is huge. It doesn't matter if you're trying to make a street car, show car or a race car. There is aftermarket support for any end goal. The amount of knowledge about them is readily available. Everything about car set up is documented in several books, for young racers it's the only way to go.
Miatas are amazing. Miatas are the most raced car on the planet. The amount of support for them is huge. It doesn't matter if you're trying to make a street car, show car or a race car. There is aftermarket support for any end goal. The amount of knowledge about them is readily available. Everything about car set up is documented in several books, for young racers it's the only way to go.
Q: Did horsepower TV convince you to make a miata V8 build?
On a one word answer, kinda. If you're talking about Stacy David's 5.0 miata build then, no. He was building a really nice street car. The 5.0 and the kit he used was very heavy, and not very beneficial to racing. The power block itself took over my Saturday morning cartoons. I've been watching it for years! It made me a big fan of V8 power; that's the way it influenced me.
On a one word answer, kinda. If you're talking about Stacy David's 5.0 miata build then, no. He was building a really nice street car. The 5.0 and the kit he used was very heavy, and not very beneficial to racing. The power block itself took over my Saturday morning cartoons. I've been watching it for years! It made me a big fan of V8 power; that's the way it influenced me.
Q: How did you get affiliated with THMotorsports?
I've been ordering parts from them for years. Eddie and the gang offered me a spot on the team and it was hard to turn down. I've been building this car using as many parts as I could from the THMotorsports catalog. Their professional service and quick shipping made building a car a little less painful.
I've been ordering parts from them for years. Eddie and the gang offered me a spot on the team and it was hard to turn down. I've been building this car using as many parts as I could from the THMotorsports catalog. Their professional service and quick shipping made building a car a little less painful.
Q: What was your goal in this car?
I wanted to make a bad-ass Miata. Plain and simple. I wanted it to go fast, stop hard, and corner healthy. I have an end goal of 2200lbs, and 425whp. So far we have 330whp and 2400lbs. We are looking into bigger wheel and tire combinations right now. I would like to see the cornering G-forces increase too. Our end goal is to win races. So far we have a few first place finishes and one dead last, lol. The last place finish was our first outing and I wasn't expecting much.
I wanted to make a bad-ass Miata. Plain and simple. I wanted it to go fast, stop hard, and corner healthy. I have an end goal of 2200lbs, and 425whp. So far we have 330whp and 2400lbs. We are looking into bigger wheel and tire combinations right now. I would like to see the cornering G-forces increase too. Our end goal is to win races. So far we have a few first place finishes and one dead last, lol. The last place finish was our first outing and I wasn't expecting much.
Q: Tell me about the problems and issues you faced building this car?
Well, it all started when I first went to install the motor. Being used to 350Z's I thought the lsx kit was going to take a few days. The kit was put together by a 3rd company. They used V8 Roadsters engine, trans, and diff mounts. The kit was a nightmare, incomplete and with no instructions. Quickly a few days turned into 6 months of hunting for parts that will work. V8 Roadsters stuff fit sweet though, and I am very happy with their product. I need to put together a list of parts to make a full kit. Everyone can keep an eye out I'll post it on my website www.johnnycichowski.com. I'll do my best to make a ls swap easier for the "next guy". This is a new race car, everything on it is new and needs adjustment, so when I first started racing it felt like garbage, but now that we had it going for 3 months it's becoming fine tuned. I think we have a real good car on our hands. I will tell you one non issue. Traction! I thought this thing was going to be loose as a goose, but the power is incredibly controllable. The term "never lift" holds true in the Monster Miata.
Well, it all started when I first went to install the motor. Being used to 350Z's I thought the lsx kit was going to take a few days. The kit was put together by a 3rd company. They used V8 Roadsters engine, trans, and diff mounts. The kit was a nightmare, incomplete and with no instructions. Quickly a few days turned into 6 months of hunting for parts that will work. V8 Roadsters stuff fit sweet though, and I am very happy with their product. I need to put together a list of parts to make a full kit. Everyone can keep an eye out I'll post it on my website www.johnnycichowski.com. I'll do my best to make a ls swap easier for the "next guy". This is a new race car, everything on it is new and needs adjustment, so when I first started racing it felt like garbage, but now that we had it going for 3 months it's becoming fine tuned. I think we have a real good car on our hands. I will tell you one non issue. Traction! I thought this thing was going to be loose as a goose, but the power is incredibly controllable. The term "never lift" holds true in the Monster Miata.
Q: Anything else you like to add?
Yes a big thank you to my lovely fiancé Andrea. She is with me at every race, and she keeps busy helping out. She allows me to focus on racing and for that I cannot thank her enough. Also a big shout out to my team over at Nine Lives Racing. Nackers and Mr. Thompson. We keep each other on our toes and constantly learning. we have alot of driver development going on between the three of us, and there is no sight of stopping. To anyone looking to build a V8 Miata I say, "do it!" This thing drives like a street car and goes like hell. Making it a race car like mine isn't necessary. With the use of a good muffler, a sleeper V8 Miata is very obtainable. You could leave some very surprised expensive cars in your rearview mirror.
Yes a big thank you to my lovely fiancé Andrea. She is with me at every race, and she keeps busy helping out. She allows me to focus on racing and for that I cannot thank her enough. Also a big shout out to my team over at Nine Lives Racing. Nackers and Mr. Thompson. We keep each other on our toes and constantly learning. we have alot of driver development going on between the three of us, and there is no sight of stopping. To anyone looking to build a V8 Miata I say, "do it!" This thing drives like a street car and goes like hell. Making it a race car like mine isn't necessary. With the use of a good muffler, a sleeper V8 Miata is very obtainable. You could leave some very surprised expensive cars in your rearview mirror.
His amazing story will influence a lot of tuners out there to think more outside the box of bolt on turbos and following others footsteps. Through the impressive journey and future of his racing, I'm sure there will be many amazing times and memorable moments that await. We are all looking foreward to the future of this car and await to see what other crazy ideas you come up with!
