LS3-Swapped Mazda MX-5 Makes Mustang GT Cry, but the 911 Targa 4S Comes to the Rescue

In the first race, the Mazda V8 competed against the 2024 Ford Mustang GT. The 5.0-liter Coyote V8 engine usually develops 480 horsepower and 418 lb-ft (567 Nm) of torque. However, this Mustang has the extra $1,225 Active Valve Performance Exhaust GT option, which provides six more ponies, meaning 486 hp. The extra oomph doesn't turn it into a Corvette Z06 but makes it sound more powerful. You could say it pays for itself in crackles and pops.

A 2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata has a decent "girl next door" front-mounted 2.0-liter engine that delivers 181 horsepower and 151 lb-ft of twist to the rear wheels. The Grand Touring edition costs $37,010, and the Club version costs $40,210. While it's not overflowing with raw power, because it's small and lightweight, only weighing 2,454 lbs. or 1,113 kilograms, it can get to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds and finish the quarter-mile in 14.3 seconds at 96 mph or 154 kilometers per hour.

However, our 4th-gen ND Miata is an entirely different beast. The original engine was swapped for a 376 cubic-inch (6.2-liter) LS3 V8 crate engine which delivers over 430 horsepower. If the engine sounds familiar, you might recall seeing or hearing it roaring in a Corvette C6 or a 5th-gen Camaro SS.

For the engine swap to work, the Miata must come out of the factory with a manual transmission system. Aside from that, there's nothing more to mention about engine mods because there really aren't any. Aside from hearing it, you couldn't tell the roadster was modified just from looking at it from the exterior (hood down, of course).

After the starting signal, the 2,790 lbs. (1,265 kg) Miata took off so fast that it left the Mustang in the dust like it was doing 30 mph. They clocked the Mazda MX-5 at 13.82 seconds, going 114 mph or 183 kilometers per hour.

The Mustang GT did it in 14.9 seconds, but unfortunately, we didn't get a speed count. Remember, this race took place one mile above sea level on an unprepared surface, so who knows what results the Miata would have gotten on a proper drag strip?

After that victory, the MX-5 challenged the Mustang GT to a 30 mph or 48 kph roll race. Unsurprisingly, the little Mazda blasted the big Mustang out of the water again. Seeing that there was no actual contest between the two, the boys from "The Fast Lane Car" pulled out the big guns: a 2024 Porsche 911 Targa 4S.

In the United States, a brand-new one starts from $151,400 and comes with a 3.0-liter turbocharged flat-six engine that produces 443 horsepower and 390 lb-ft (529 Nm) of torque. It's all-wheel drive, it has an 8-speed automatic dual-clutch transmission, and at the end of the day, it's a 911.

The German sports car's spec sheet boasts it maxes out at 188 miles per hour or 302 kilometers per hour and can reach 60 mph from a standstill in 3.4 seconds, provided it comes with the PDK automatic gearbox and Sport Chrono Package. The auto PDK without the package reaches 60 in 3.6 seconds, and the manual transmission version with the Sport Chrono Package gets from 0 to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds.

After all was said and done, the Porsche nobily avenged the 2024 Mustang GT and finished in 12.23 seconds at 117 mph or 188 kph, while the Miata did it in 13.6 seconds at 114 mph (183 kph).

After careful post-race consideration, both drivers agreed that although the Miata lost, it was better than the 911 because it was $71,000 cheaper, and the speed difference was only three miles per hour. They went for a final roll race that was so close that there was no clear winner.

The LS3-swapped Mazda MX-5 is a gem on the drag strip, so it's no wonder it costs roughly $80,000. However, a 2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray with a 6.2-liter V8 engine that outputs 490 hp and 465 lb-ft (630 Nm) of torque costs just below $70,000, excluding tax, title, and the rest of the usual headaches.

Now, maybe a race between these two monsters would make for a great decider. Not to mention throwing in a fully equipped $112,000 Corvette Z06 that can hit 60 in 2.6 seconds. And just for laughs and giggles, why not add the brand-new $105,000 2024 Corvette E-Ray into the mix, which should get from 0 to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds?