04/06/2026
Build Breakdown | Connor’s stylish NB
Connor bought this NB as a completely stock, 1.6-powered example just three years ago. By his own admission, he had “no knowledge of cars, modifying cars or anything JDM” at the time. But here sits his low, aggressive, engine-swapped NB drift car. Quite a transformation in only three years.
“I originally bought it because it was a cheap, lightweight two-seater sports car, so I thought it would be fun,” he says. But soon afterwards, he began to realise that he’d bought the perfect blank canvas - the ideal starting point for his dream build. Once he realised how easy it was to upgrade and alter the way his MX-5 looked and drove, he was hooked.
“I started going to meets and getting into the scene a lot more, making loads of great friends and learning so much more about cars and how to work on them,” he recalls. “After driving it for a while, I got used to the power of the 1.6 engine it came with and wanted to swap 1.8 VVT engine into it. So I took the car to and they swapped the VVT engine in for me in a day!”
Connor had a major setback last year when the car was rear-ended while he was stopped at a red light - but it didn’t deter him from completing the build. “I spent the first six months of last year rebuilding it and completely levelling it up, only finishing it a month or two ago.”
All of this is proof that you don’t need any prior knowledge or experience to start modifying your MX-5 and making it your own. Ask around, do your research and put in the work, and anything is possible.
Spec Highlights:
1.8 VVT swap
K&N induction kit
Revved steering wheel with NRG quick release
Sparco Sprint/Option bucket seats
Chrome half cage
Full Gundam Aero bodykit with roof and boot spoiler
Revved livery
Clear rear lights
Chrome headlights
Garage Vary eyelids
Hardtop
SSR Professor MS3 wheels (16x8 ET0)
195/45 tyres
MeisterR Sportive coilovers
Extended braided front brake lines
15mm extended front lower arms
Shortened knuckles
Shortened rear lower arms
Torsen 4:1 L*D
Custom exhaust system
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