Hello Speedhunters! I’m Adam Wolf of dusty, deserted New Mexico. The car you’re looking at is Sharka, a 97 NA Miata in the above photo. Yes, I’m a huge dork and name my cars. But when you get to be as close to something or someone as I am to Sharka, it just makes sense have a name.
See, I’ve been building Sharka for 10 years.
10 years is a long time to spend with one car. In that time, I’ve built Sharka for Solo2 in four different classes (B-stock, C-stock, CSP, and Street Mod 2), gone through three motors and about 23 sets of tires (that’s off by maybe one set), a crappy supercharger, and I've only nearly died once.
Sharka did die once.
On a cold morning in November, 2008, I was driving Sharka to work. I took the freeway that morning. Traffic suddenly stopped and I found myself as the last in line. I threw on my hazard lights and looked in the rearview. I waited for the next wave of traffic to come.
After about 30 seconds of sitting, I saw the next wave. A big Toyota truck was leading. And it was moving fast. You probably can tell where this is going, what with the picture above.
The truck hit at full speed. 70 MPH. Sharka’s trunk went away and my small car got smaller. The damage stopped right where the rear legs of my rollbar connects to the frame. And my head stopped when it hit that rollbar at full force. The SFI padding I had taped to it saved my life, as the rollbar would have gone through my skull without it. I walked away with a concussion.
Sharka was a 97 NA for the first 8 years. In November of 2008, Sharka stopped being a 97. Insurance totaled the car and gave me a check. I bought the wrecked 97 back for parts.
I scoured the country and found a pristine 95 NA in Ohio through craigslist. I bought a one way plane ticket and drove cross-country through the snowbelt in January. Yeah... I've done smarter things in my life. But me and Sharka made it back in one piece.
I spent 2009 recreating the same car. The build got more and more surreal the closer I got to pre-wreck Sharka. I questioned my sanity a few times. But I guess I just wasn't done with this car yet.
This is Sharka, my 95 NA Miata. This is not the same car in the first picture with the red clouds and tire marks.
The headlights lived through the wreck. Some minor massaging to the mounting brackets and I was able to install them in the 95.
The tired 15” Rota wheels went away in favor of some 14x7 +19 RP-F1s. It's hard to argue with the fitment, the retro looks, and the 8.6 lb wheel weight.
My TEIN HA suspension also lived through the wreck. I sent it back to the factory for a refresh. I also installed some trick DP6061 tophats for a much lower stance and more suspension travel.
The 95 came with the most comfortable stock NA seats I've ever sat in. That didn't stop me from swapping them out with some Elise Probax seats on stock Miata sliders. The seats put me lower and give me a real headrest.
The new rollbar is padded with the same SFI padding that saved my life once. Even though I've got real headrests with the Elise seats, I'm not taking any chances.
The steering wheel? Hand polished. Door panels? Made them myself. Gauge faces? They're also my own creation. Starter button? If you own a Miata, you've probably read my wiring guide.
Nothing gives me more satisfaction than making my own parts.
I'm a whore for the vintage Mazda badge. I've got the silly thing everywhere.
All the photos in this post were snapped by me. When I'm not in the garage wrenching, I'm usually behind my camera clicking.
I also keep a blog of my build progress. If you'd like to see more of Sharka, hit revlimiter.net/blog.
Till next time, Speedhunters! Keep those tops down and those bumpers unsmashed.
-Adam Wolf