The Mazda Miata has always been the patron saint of performance for regular folks, a grinning little roadster built on the idea that joy doesn’t need to be expensive or complicated. But every once in a while, somebody comes along and blasts that formula to hell in the best possible way. This time, it’s Rocketeer — the UK-based restomod outfit known for shoving big beef into small, featherweight cars — and its newest creation comes with a stat sheet that feels like it was painstakingly crafted in a spotless shop in Maranello.
Meet the Rocketeer MX-5 Keiryo, a tiny, furious bundle of spritely aluminum whose name literally translates to “lightweight.” That’s fitting, because the company says the Keiryo will pack 370 horsepower and weigh just 850 kilograms (1,873 pounds). If your eyebrows just climbed up your forehead – same. That power-to-weight ratio isn’t merely impressive; it puts this Miata in the same conversation as the Ferrari F40, the Huracán V10, and McLaren’s 620R!
A Miata With Ferrari-Level Power-to-Weight? Absolutely.
Under the long nose sits a very un-Mazda heart: a highly reworked version of Jaguar’s 3.0-liter AJ30 V-6. It’s a fascinating engine with a family tree that reads like the closing credits of a gearhead blockbuster. Originally a Ford Duratec design, touched by Porsche, then gifted with Cosworth heads — it’s a greatest-hits playlist of automotive engineering.
Rocketeer doesn’t simply drop the engine in and call it a day. Every unit is torn down, rebuilt, fortified, and encouraged to behave as badly as possible (in all the right ways). What the company hasn’t yet shared is how it managed to subtract enough weight from an already light car to hit that 850-kilogram target. The original NA Miata was never a heavyweight, so whatever’s been carved out must be substantial.
Only 10 units of the Keiryo will exist, with the first customer car currently in the works and deliveries planned for next year. If the full Keiryo specification sounds a little too spicy, Rocketeer confirms that a milder “Touring” spec is already spoken for by one particular owner. Pricing is predictably “on application,” which is British for “if you have to ask, it’s probably not for you.”
Why The Miata Still Holds The Hearts Of Car Enthusiasts
Even with wild creations like the Keiryo making headlines, the Miata’s magic has never been about horsepower. It’s been about the pure, distilled sensation of driving — the kind of joy that doesn’t fade the moment the specs are outdated. Enthusiasts cling to the Miata because it represents something nearly extinct: a car designed for fun before bragging rights, agility before acceleration, and connection before complexity.
The community around the MX-5 only strengthens that appeal. It’s one of the rare sports cars that makes newcomers feel welcome instead of underdressed. It’s teachable, tunable, endlessly modifiable, and somehow still charming in bone-stock form. When someone says “Miata is always the answer,” they’re only half-joking.
A Tiny Titan With Supercar Numbers
Rocketeer’s Keiryo doesn’t replace that identity — But instead it’s refracted through a different prism. It’s still an MX-5, still playful and light on its rubber toes, just with a power figure that makes supercar owners shift nervously. It’s proof that the Miata philosophy remains fertile ground for innovation, even three decades after the original arrived.
Next year, when the first Keiryo hits the road, don’t be surprised if it outruns its own myth. After all, a Miata with Ferrari F40 power-to-weight isn’t just a cool headline. It’s the kind of story destined to become legendary.
Source: Rocketeer Cars
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