The Joy of Driving: Supercharged Mazda MX-5 Adventure | Henry Catchpole - The Driver’s Seat

What a breath of fresh air! In this episode, Henry Catchpole drives a supercharged Mazda MX-5 from renowned tuners BBR GTi. Proving that fast fun can still be affordable in this age of mega-expensive hypercars and restomods, Hagerty heads to some incredible roads in Wales that suit the little Mazda perfectly. Producing 250bhp and 220lb ft of torque, the Stage 2 Supercharger kit makes a palpable difference to the ND generation Mazda (2015-19 model years), dropping the 0-60mph time to 5.1 seconds. This particular car also has a suspension upgrade with Koni dampers, new OZ Ultraleggera wheels and a bigger brake kit. The end result is a fabulous enhancement of everything that makes the standard MX-5 great. It still feels nicely useable (the way it fits so neatly on these narrow roads is a case in point), the linearity of the power delivery is maintained and the gearshift remains a delight at any speed, but when you find the right situation you have performance that feels in a very different league. We also look at the reasons driving with the roof down can actually be good for you. A study (albeit with a fairly small sample size) carried out at Cranfield University in association with FIAT has put some numbers to the fluctuations in things like happiness and stress when you drive with the top down. The results seems conclusive - especially when delivered by someone wearing a Tweed waistcoat and a spotty bowtie. We hope you enjoy the episode - let us know in the comments down below if there are other rivals to the MX-5 that you would like us to try. Please do think about a Hagerty Drivers Club subscription if you’d like to support the channel. ------ https://bit.ly/Join-HDC-Henry ------ Or just leave a thumbs up or perhaps share it on the social media platform of your choice. It all helps! Subscribe to our YouTube channel! http://bit.ly/HagertyYouTube Visit our website for daily automotive news, cars stories, reviews, and opinion: https://www.hagerty.com/media Stay up to date by signing up for our email newsletters here: https://www.hagerty.com/media/newslet... Follow us on social media: Facebook |   / hagerty   Instagram |   / hagerty   Twitter |   / hagerty   If you love cars, you belong with us. Hagerty Drivers Club is the world’s largest community for automotive enthusiasts. Members enjoy valuable automotive discounts, exclusive events and experiences, roadside service created specifically for collector vehicles, and a subscription to the bimonthly Hagerty Drivers Club magazine. Join Hagerty Drivers Club here: https://www.hagerty.com/drivers-club Like what you see? Watch our other series including: Redline Rebuilds | Time-lapse engine rebuilds from start to finish http://bit.ly/RedlineRebuild Barn Find Hunter | Tom Cotter searches the country for abandoned cars http://bit.ly/BarnFIndHunter Jason Cammisa on the Icons | The definitive car review https://bit.ly/JasonCammisaICONS Revelations | Untold Stories About Automotive Legends with Jason Cammisa https://bit.ly/JasonCammisaRevelations Contact us: Suggestions and feedback - [email protected] Press inquiries - [email protected] Partnership requests - [email protected]