Rocketeer Mazda MX-5 Gets 300bhp V6 Power

The Mazda MX-5 has never needed huge power to be entertaining, but Rocketeer clearly disagrees.

Its new N/C conversion takes the Mk3 MX-5 and replaces its four-cylinder engine with a 3.0-litre Ford V6 producing 300bhp.

Rocketeer has already built V6-powered versions of the Mk1 and Mk2 MX-5, and the third-generation roadster is now getting the same treatment.

The result is a little over a tonne of rear-wheel-drive sports car with a 50:50 weight distribution and considerably more muscle under the bonnet.

The engine is Ford’s AJ30 3.0-litre V6, the post-2003 unit that appeared in cars including the Mondeo, Jaguar S-Type, X-Type and XF. The engine’s origins are particularly interesting, having started life as a design acquired from Porsche. In Rocketeer’s current standard specification, it develops 300bhp and 265lb ft of torque.

It isn’t simply a case of dropping the V6 into the MX-5 and hoping for the best. Rocketeer has fitted a carbon-fibre intake, revised exhaust, new throttle body, clutch and flywheel, while modifications to the Cosworth cylinder head allow the engine to clear the MX-5’s bulkhead.

The original chassis and subframe structures remain unchanged, as does the car’s overall weight distribution.

The company says development took around 18 months, with the project focused on retaining the characteristics that have made the MX-5 such a popular driver’s car while adding the sharper response and soundtrack of a high-revving V6.

Rocketeer managing director Bruce Southey described the N/C as a “full re-engineering project from the ground up”, with each part of the conversion developed to ensure the character of the original MX-5 remained intact.

For UK enthusiasts, the interesting part is the price. A Rocketeer N/C conversion starts at £25,000 plus VAT, which works out at £30,000 including VAT.

That makes it a serious investment for an older MX-5, but the proposition is rather different from simply buying a newer, faster sports car. Here, the appeal lies in combining the lightweight simplicity of the MX-5 with 300bhp and a naturally characterful V6.