"We were also unable to source exactly where in El Cerrito, Ca the dealership."

Admittedly, the taillights are cool, but man what an uninspired design!

Definitely. Here's mine with new suspension all around, 8V 2-door GL.

I've wanted one of these for a while! Must be a blast.

You're correct, it was in August 2011.

Well done.

Surely you're talking about the 16V motor - my 8V is no "magic" motor!

My dad says the same of his.

The PowerBlock has some cool project-based shows that are fun to watch.

LOL!

I feel as though your timing belt/chain (especially a chain) should never jump teeth, regardless of direction. Surely explosions in the cylinders would cause more force than the car simply rolling and forcing the engine to turn over. Is it really that directionally sensitive?

I know it's a lower ratio, which is why I thought people would do it. Interesting thought - I have no idea either!

Wikipedia check:

I've always parked in 1st (and was always told to) and I use my parking brake. I've never parked in reverse because I'm afraid it'll soften the reverse lockout spring and cause more accidental-reverse situations (even though I just replaced it).

1st gear: engine rotates a lot of times, wheels don't turn much. (High RPM, low speed)

Miata chassis.

Elan chassis.

The Miata was influenced most directly by the Lotus Elan.

That would be rad!

Thanks - this image makes it pretty clear too.