Originally, this Miata was purchased, built, and presented at the SEMA Show in a time span of 30 days. Prior to this mad dash to the event date, I was a part of a planned two-person collaboration where we would build a Miata for the SEMA Show and I would in large part, be responsible for the content creation and documenting of the build. Long story short, I ended up being responsible for the entire build and embarked on the journey myself. Without a collaborator, I had sponsors who were already on board. The build had to go on. I purchased a bone stock Miata for $3,200 from an 82-year-old gentleman residing in Laguna Beach, California. From there…the adventure began.

In the 90s, when I was a kid, one of the first RC cars that I had was a Teal Miata. I’d say before the build, I didn’t necessarily love Miatas, but perhaps I can call it a long-lost love – and fast forward to today, I really love this car!

I started getting interested in cars when I was in the 5th grade. Growing up in Georgia at the time, I recall my dad buying a bunch of random used cars like the 240SX or Honda Civics. My dad didn’t modify the cars, but I was always interested in doing so. I remember influences like Gran Turismo and then the Fast ‘n Furious came out which really pushed my passion for cars.

The current goal is to get it on the road. I’ve worked on this car the past two years and in total, I’ve put only 50 miles on it. I’ve done everything on this car from making my own parts to replacing everything to brand new. This includes subframe, interior panels, clips, bolts, brackets, you name it. The only part of the Miata that is not new is the chassis. My goal is a great restomod that is powered with a V8 LS3 Twin Turbocharged engine.

Try it! At first you might naturally feel scared – but research, Google, watch YouTube and you’ll learn and discover so much information. If you never try, you never learn. Even on my Miata – I did mess up before, but now I can advise what not to do which is equally valuable. Don’t be afraid to get hands on. At first, try bolt-ons – simpler tasks. Then, you might move into custom fabrication next.

My career is in videography, photography, and overall – a content creator. Often though, I was the guy behind the scenes feeding content to the magazines and other publication platforms. Since getting the Miata and Porsche Cayman (my other build), I decided to start my own channel to show how I conduct my builds. My channel really concentrates on teaching with a purpose of showing how to modify specific aspects of the Miata. I find that my followers and subscribers are quite technical.

I love Race Ramps! My buddy had a set that I used before and without Race Ramps, I wouldn’t be able to work on my car. It’s really one of the best products I have ever had. Yes, you need space to store the ramps, but it’s better than a lift and I don’t have space for a lift. With the ramp products that I had seen from others in the market, I felt uneasy. Race Ramps is rated with a high weight capacity and they won’t collapse. They will not break like plastic. It’s an awesome product and I recommend it to everyone who works on their car. Lightweight and they are beasts!

I still love to get out for adventures in the outdoors when I’m not in the garage. I also love eating Shabu!