A 1999 Mazda Miata MX-5, which set a Bonneville Salt Flats G/GT class land pace file of 165.296 mph in 2011, and was additionally raced within the SCCA Spec Miata class, is the newest automotive donated to The Piston Basis to go up for a charity public sale on Deliver a Trailer, a digital public sale platform.
The public sale begins on October 23, and ends on October 30, at bringatrailer.com, with one hundred pc of the proceeds, together with the customer’s payment, going to The Piston Basis scholarship program.
The 2 beforehand auctioned automobiles – a 1973 Datsun 240Z and a 1960 Willys Wagon – bought for a complete of $154,240, creating scholarships for 27 aspiring technicians. The sale of the Miata will create a number of extra scholarships for 2023.
Automotive proprietor and Piston Basis Founders Membership member Harvey Siegel, of Lengthy Valley, New Jersey., donated his prized race automotive for this trigger. “I’m a giant believer in chasing one’s desires and, as such, I hope this contribution will assist these youngsters pursue their car-fueled desires the best way I as soon as did on the Bonneville Salt Flats,” he stated.
An achieved racer, Siegel is thought for resurrecting VIRginia Worldwide Raceway and creating New Jersey Motorsports Park.
“We’re thrilled to have acquired this donation from Harvey Siegel,” stated Jeff Mason, President of The Piston Basis. “The provenance of this automotive can’t be duplicated. It’s a chunk of land pace historical past.”
Constructed by Ryan Pilla of Automotive Physician Storage in Water Mill, New York, a profitable Miata racer himself, “the automotive is top-notch and able to maintain racing,” added Mason.
Aptly named the 2160 (as in, “Going to-160-mph”), the Miata racer’s drivetrain, chassis and suspension had been modified to succeed in excessive speeds on the Salt Flats, with the naturally-aspirated Bonneville engine producing upwards of 290 horsepower, greater than double the output of conventional Miata engines. The extremely modified inline-four Bonneville engine was later changed with a 1.8-liter powerplant as a part of the the automotive’s conversion for Spec Miata competitors.
Collectively together with his son Luke, Siegel’s purpose was to set a land pace file on their rookie try, with Luke within the driver’s seat. After an immense quantity of engineering and preparation, the mission was achieved. (Learn the total story at https://pistonfoundation.org/blog/the-rookie-record/).
Just lately, the Miata, in fully-restored Spec Miata configuration, was examined at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut, by NASCAR Xfinity Sequence racer Parker Kligerman, additionally a former Spec Miata Racer. “I like these Miatas,” he stated of the automotive after driving it on the 1.5-mile race observe and on LRP’s Autocross course. “They’re so nimble and llght, and that’s what makes them some of the common race automobiles on this planet, and particularly within the U.S.
“What’s nice,” he continued, “is the customer can both race it in Spec Miata or swap the engine and go for a brand new file at Bonneville.
“Thanks to The Piston Basis and Lime Rock Park for supporting future automotive restoration technicians.”
The client can even obtain the Bonneville engine, the aerodynamic wheel covers and different elements used to set the “rookie” file. The Bonneville engine acquired recent bearings, rings and gaskets in preparation on the market.
The Miata shall be featured at MiataCon at Lime Rock Park this coming weekend, on October 27-28, simply because the public sale ends. Extra info could also be discovered here.
