If you can't wait to own that Ferrari you have always wanted.....

[kach22i]

http://www.retroforza.com/

WELCOME to www.retroforza.com, the home of the Italia, a stunning body conversion of the worlds most popular sports car, the Mazda MX5.

If you have ever experienced the pulse-quickening excitement of standing near a Lotus, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Cobra, Jaguar or Ferrari, then there’s no need to explain why the Italia was created. These incredible sports, racing and GT cars have been for years the stuff of dreams, affordable only to an affluent few. Designed by Jim Simpson of Simpson Design & Development, the Italia draws its inspiration from these wonderful cars.

Not a replica of any of them, the Italia captures the essence of their timeless styling with a body kit which compliments the MX5's excellent quality and design.

NOTE: First read about it here;
http://carnuts.us/viewtopic.php?t=778

[kach22i]

Certain angles, it looks hot, other angles it's pretty bad.

Performance?

Drop a V-8 302, a turbo or a supercharger in there and you will be just fine.

http://www.retroforza.com/?page=gallery

[masraum]

THere are a couple of kits that don't make the miata look like another car, they just make it look different than stock. That I sort of understand, but the kits that make it look like a different car, I don't understand. I'd love to have a classic ferrari from the 50s/60s, but I can't see tooling around in that thing since it would look vaguely like a ferrari..... with the driving experience of a miata which, while very good, I think is probably light years from a classic 60's ferrari.

Here's a decent article about just this thing by Top Gear's James May. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=P8&xml=/motoring/2006/07/01/mrmay01.xml

[scottmandue]

The coupe doesn't look bad... many moons ago there were companies that made GT250 bodies that went on Datsun Z cars, it was my dream to build one of those.

[tabs]

Having one of these things is like having a Big Schwanz and not being able to get it up.

[Dottore]

Actually I think it is more like having a very tiny schwanz that you can get up.

[svandamme]

i suspect it's more like a tiny schanz , that looks like it got stuck inbetween a big zipper, got infected, goes limp all the time, and smells like a sewer.... in other words , one that only a total slag will be willing to ride...

[pwd72s]

Driving one of those would be a bit like getting a blow job from queer. It might feel good, but you sure as hell wouldn't want your friends to see you doing it. (Many apologies to the biker bar grafitti I stole, then altered this from. The original began: Riding a Japanese bike...")

[Noah930]

Odd. First thing I thought of when I looked at the pictures was: It kinda looks like a Miata. Then I went back and actually read the blurb you copied-n-pasted and realized that, yes, it's based on the Miata.

PC response: Not my cup of tea.
un-PC response: What a way to spend thousands of dollars to make a $3000 used Miata worth even less.

[svandamme]

Originally posted by pwd72s
Driving one of those would be a bit like getting a blow job from queer. It might feel good, but you sure as hell wouldn't want your friends to see you doing it. (Many apologies to the biker bar grafitti I stole, then altered this from. The original began: Riding a Japanese bike...")

you mean the Hells Angels saying : "i'de rather see my sister in a whorehouse, then a brother on a jap bike" ?

[cegerer]

Those look horrid!

[kach22i]

Originally posted by svandamme
i suspect it's more like a tiny schanz , that looks like it got stuck inbetween a big zipper, got infected, goes limp all the time, and smells like a sewer.... in other words , one that only a total slag will be willing to ride...

If there was an award for most humorous response I'd have give it to svandamme.

[dafischer]

Just like all the other Miata conversions, the proportions are just wrong. They look more like parodies than replicas.

[M.D. Holloway]

The tail is just a tad over the edge but put a chrome roll bar on it, paint it a Brit green and slap some wire rims and I think it would look pretty decent.

Ask yourself (and be truthful) if Mazda refitted the Miata to look like that instead of it being a kit would you be so harsh on it? A few might but I bet there are those who wouldn't.

[Shuie]

Thats terrible.

[kach22i]

If someone were to take a production car, and backdate it to the original concept car, that would be cool. Love to see that done to a Boxster.

Most of this is bad(but not all):
http://www.clubmiatamonteregie.ca/les_prototypes.htm