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- The Tipo184 uses a second-generation Mazda Miata as a source for many integral parts, like the engine, transmission, and steering rack.
- The starter kit will set you back about $13,500 before taxes and fees.
- Tipo184 also offers accessory kits that can be ordered to complete different parts of the project, which total around $10,000.
Vintage open-wheel race cars are two things: awesome and expensive. In fact, there aren’t many vehicles cooler than an open-wheel racer from the ‘30s, whose astronomic price tags reflect both their historic pedigrees and general scarcity. While you might not be able to afford a vintage Alfa Romeo 158, a used, second-generation Mazda Miata might fall within your budget. A 20-year-old Japanese roadster might sound like a far cry from a classic piece of Italian racing history, but with a little elbow grease, you could get close.
Enter the Tipo184. The UK-based kit car company offers an interesting proposition for handy MX-5 owners. Their kit will help you turn your Mazda MX-5, an MX-5 parts car, or a handful of MX-5 parts into an Alfa-inspired open-wheel race car. Limited to just the second-generation Mazda Miata, the kit mates your Miata essentials with a custom tube chassis, hand-formed aluminum body panels, and a ton of other accessories that give you the look of a pre-war Alfa racer.
As we’ve seen with kit cars in the past, this kit will obviously cost you more than the roughly $13,500 that it takes to get the starter kit and $10,000 for the other kits, before taxes and shipping—let’s not forget the price of the Miata donor—but when all is said and done, you could have an incredible track toy that will surely be a blast to drive.
If you’re not just interested in having a fun toy to buzz around your local track but are also looking for a bit of competition, you’re in luck there, too—at least if you’re in the UK. There is a spec series starting up for these Tipo184 machines. We can only hope that a network of folks in the US would start something similar if the Tipo184 catches on with hobbyists stateside.
You can take a look at the Tipo184 kits right here, and it might lead you down to your next project.
Do you think a ‘30s-style Miata-based race series would take off in the US?
