New Fun Weekend Toy

[Deako]

So since I got shot of the M135i, as I just wasn't using it and it was bleeding money. I decided I still wanted something to enjoy at the weekends.

It had to be RWD, cheap £/performance and pretty depreciation proof.

A mate of mine was looking at Westys since last year, and I've always been a huge fan of Lotus 7 style kit cars. A Caterham r500 was out the question due to very high prices, so I decided to look at Westys too.

I happened upon this car, it's a Mazda MX-5 based Westfield and as soon as I saw it with it's insanely high build quality, I had to have it. Loads of CF bits on it, rebuilt engine. Everything still looks new in spite of it's 2010 build completion. It had covered around 9500 miles when I purchased it, and was still in winter storage.









It's a lot of fun. :)

[Marc-5-GTI]

That looks brilliant fun!! I bet you can't wait for summer and dry roads! 

[MAT ED30]

Now that's cool and I bet loads of fun

[usmangti]

I would love to have something like this as a weekend toy! What's power/weight?
I'm sure you will have a lot of fun in that

[xjay1337]

Was it built by a man named Keith, with a beard, in his shed?

[dan930]

Looks very fun...roll on the summer

[Deako]

I would love to have something like this as a weekend toy! What's power/weight?
I'm sure you will have a lot of fun in that

It's about 570kg and 130bhp, as the 1800 MX-5 lump is standard at the moment. Head and cams are on the cards, Blink Motorsport say 160bhp for Stage 1 and then with throttle bodies about 185bhp.

Even with 130bhp it's still 0-60 in around 5 seconds.

Was it built by a man named Keith, with a beard, in his shed?

Lol. No, it was built in a very large she'd attached to a garage by a man named Rick and his father. Neither of them are beardy. Rick worked for a team supplying cooling systems for F1 teams, this Westy has a lovely alloy radiator that would have been destined for a Lola originally.

[Wardy91-ed30]

Nice mate. Wack a supercharger on it

[Garf]

That looks a great weekend toy. I too am a fan on the Lotus 7 kit cars.

I know what I'll be googling today - MX5 based kit cars!  

[Deako]

That looks a great weekend toy. I too am a fan on the Lotus 7 kit cars.

I know what I'll be googling today - MX5 based kit cars!  

You can buy the MX-5 SDV kit from Westfield for a reasonable amount of cash. Then just a donor vehicle required. I had contemplated building one, but it'd take me years with the spare time I get.

[tony_danza]

Great purchase!

 

[Deako]

Great purchase!

 

Cheers Mike. Don't feel quite so guilty with the wife about this being sat in the garage unused for a couple of weeks at a time either. Haha!!

M135i was still the best all round car I have ever owned. Fantastic machine!!

I'm thinking if the engine ever blows, I will do a 1.8 20v throttle bodied replacement lump.

[tony_danza]

2.3 Duratecs are cheap and silly too 

Although I imagine it really won't need it for a while, it'll go like a stabbed rat as it is. I'm a little bit jealous, that day I had lashing Caterhams made me realise just how awesome these things are in terms of feel, enjoyment and skill required.

[phil1975]

  Nice

A mate of mine owned both a bike engine westfield and zetec engine westfield at different times, the bike engine one tried killing him a few times (my god it was so quick though!!!!!!)  he always said the car engine based westfields were a much nicer drive! the bike engine ones are just toooooo light!   enjoy!! 

[Frenzy]

Looks good and i bet it's loads of fun too, unless you accidentally hit a pot hole of which there are always many to choose from