How to go classic racing for £20k in a rebodied MX-5

Ah, the legend that was the Alfa Romeo 158. One of the most successful grand prix cars of all time winning 47 of the 54 races it competed in, raced by such luminaries as Juan-Manuel Fangio, equipped with a 1.5-litre supercharged straight eight that developed 350bhp. And worth millions on the rare occasions they come up for sale.

Or £16,700 plus VAT (£20,040) for the car you see here. Naturally all is not exactly as it seems. This is the Tipo 184 and underneath the gorgeous bodywork it’s actually a… Mazda MX-5. A Gen II to be precise, the roadster that was built from 1998-2005.

But for the presumed cost of a single seat retrim for the original, you get yourself a ‘period’ racer with its own race series. That’s right, next year there will be an official BRSCC Tipo 184 championship in the UK (and another in the US).

Just don’t expect the soundtrack to be as wild as it was 70 years ago. The MX-5's naturally aspirated 2.0-litre is considerably less exotic than the original’s straight eight.

Different packs are available, but £20,040 buys you everything you need apart from the donor MX-5. You’ll easily pick one of those up for a couple of grand.

Carryover parts include the engine, manual gearbox, front and rear suspension with subframes, instruments, wiring loom, ECU, propshaft, induction system, rear diff, brakes, pedals, handbrake and steering column. The last one with the power steering removed. Because that’ll make it feel more authentic.

Measuring 4.4 metres long by 1.8 wide, the Tipo 184 weighs in at about 700kg, the weight split 55:45 front and rear. And with 140bhp you should have a power to weight ratio of 200bhp/tonne. Let’s guess at a 6.0secs 0-60mph sprint.

The team behind Tipo 184 (led by Ant Anstead) reckon you’ll need 100-150 hours to convert your MX-5 into a glorious slice of racing history. Order your kit now and delivery will be this autumn. Alternatively, they’ll build yours for you.

Better still, put it through an IVA test and it could be made road legal. Off you pop and teach that hot hatch whipper-snapper a lesson it won’t forget.