Curious to hear from other V8 guys about reception received at Miata Club functions/meetings. I've heard everything from "Come on in!" to "you're not welcome here".

 

I went to a couple local meetups. I have discovered that Miata people are typically stuck up and keep their noses in the air like little British car owners. There were a couple of people that were the exception. One lady was a real bitch and kept telling me how I messed up a perfectly good car. I won't be going back to any Peak to Peak Miata events in Colorado.

 

I went to a club meeting a R-speed a few weeks ago. It seems as though the folks at MX5ATLANTA liked it. They are a great bunch of people that enjoy their turbos, superchargers, v-8's, & anything that improves looks or performance.

 

I know I enjoy seeing (and hearing) your car!

 

Depends on the type of gathering. At the "wine and cheese" runs, you get the sort of person who is mostly interested in the latest chrome parts for the NC. At more performance oriented events, you get the gearheads. There are a bunch of guys in the Peak to Peak club who get it, but you'll have to go to the performance events to meet them.

Example: at the Miatas in Moab event, there wasn't that much interest in the 480 hp car we brought to show off, or the stripped out Targa Miata. But at Laguna Seca, there was a line of people waiting to go for rides and to check the cars out.

At normal non-Miata car shows, the reception is usually fantastic.

 

I've not attended any formal Miata events; but, I have shown my Miata to local Miata nuts in our area. All have given it rave reviews. However, one must also realize the Miata is the favorite car at AutoX and track events, around here. Leebo's V8 Miata is already a part of that group and is accepted. I show my car at car shows, in the area, and have done fairly well. The workmanship in the swap is very professional and is appreciated by those in the show crowd.

Actually, this is the first time I've heard of folks being snobbish in the Miata community. As a regular at Miata.Net, I have yet to see snobbish behavior with that group. I know it happens in some other groups, such as the treatment some V8 RX-7 owners have encounted in the RX-7 community; but, I was not treated that way at a local Mazda event. In fact, Leebo and I showed our V8 Miatas with two other stock units and had a blast talking about them. We also had an engine swapped RX-7, there. Our cars got more attention than any other cars in the group; and, we crashed the event!