A Camaro V-6-Powered Exocet Is the Right Kind of Insane
The Exocet is like an Ariel Atom on a budget. It's a kit consisting of a steel-tube frame and Miata suspension components. Typically, you put a Miata driveline in one, but there are other engine options. Like the 3.6-liter LFX V-6 from the previous-generation Chevrolet Camaro. With 320 horsepower on tap, the LFX is a lot more powerful than any stock Miata motor, and when you put it in a car that weighs under 1600 pounds, fun stuff happens.
Just ask R&T contributor Zack Klapman. He drove an LFX-powered Exocet in this new Smoking Tire video, and I think it's pretty safe to say he had fun. After all, he described this car as being "like someone gave meth to an MG."
It's a pretty visceral experience, with intense acceleration, and a surprisingly sweet-sounding engine note from the V-6. Sticky tires means can grip, but the crazy power-to-weight ratio means it'll still wheelspin on corner exit. Steering is stock Miata, which is overly light, since the power steering was tuned for a far heavier car. And yes, it's absurd when a Miata is far heavier than anything other car.
The only major problem with the car is high aerodynamic drag. Just like a Caterham, the open bodywork and open wheels mean air doesn't pass smoothly around the car. Eventually, it'll run into an aerodynamic wall of sorts, where acceleration tapers off significantly. Which is why the owner of this Exocet is designing new bodywork for the car. You know, for when a 320-hp tube-frame kit car isn't fast enough.
And if you thought 320 hp in something like this is crazy, know that Flyin Miata' built one with the 556-hp supercharged V-8 from the old Cadillac CTS-V. Madness.
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