Rocketeer Cars was born out of one man’s project to improve his NA-generation Mazda MX-5. The goal: replace the original inline-four engine with a V-6. After a bit of discussion with friends and work colleagues, founder Bruce Southey settled on the Jaguar AJ30. This V-6 was a bit of a nomad itself, originally designed by Porsche but then finished by Cosworth and first put into service by Ford. Over its life it ended up in all sorts of vehicles … including Rocketeer’s modified MX-5 that Henry Catchpole drives in the latest episode of The Driver’s Seat.
The brilliance of this engine lies in its weight, or relative lack thereof. The V-6 is marginally lighter than the inline-four the NA got at Mazda’s Hiroshima, Japan, factory. The result is more power and torque without disturbing the MX-5’s famously balanced chassis, which already boasts a nearly 50:50 front:rear weight distribution. How much additional power you’ll enjoy depends on how you spec the car from Rocketeer, based in Whitchurch, England. Output ranges from around 280 hp up to roughly 375 hp. The Rocketeer has even retained the MX-5’s fabulous gearbox, so that lovely shift feel remains, and the V-6’s balance ensures the powertrain’s smooth operation.
A big question with any restomod always revolves around cost, and the refreshing answer with the Rocketeer is that it doesn’t have to be extreme. If you want to buy a kit and do the swap yourself, then you can score the entire necessary kit for under £10,000 in the U.K. If you want Rocketeer Cars to handle the swap on your car, the cost doubles to £20,000 all-in. If you want the full, back-to-bare-metal, re-trimmed restomod experience, prepare to fork over around £70,000, which is still a fraction of the cost of other restomods. (That the base car is the humble MX-5 plays a major role in that relative affordability.)
You could, of course, look at other readymade, manual, six-cylinder sports cars on the second-hand market. But while something like a Porsche Boxster, a BMW M Roadster, or a Nissan 350Z are always appealing, none of them are as small or light as the MX-5. As Colorado’s Flyin’ Miata also found out with its popular V-8-swapped Miatas, Mazda’s fun-loving roadster lives in its own little sweet spot. It seems like Catchpole had a blast in this Brit-six version.
