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Petrolicious lets a 1971 Mazda RX-2 howl

Rotary engines scream to the heavens in the best way possible. To hear a wonderful example of the Wankel's battle cry, turn up your speakers and watch Petrolicious highlight an immaculately clean 1971 Mazda RX-2 in Australia. Owner Jason Humble took three years to build his RX-2 from a bare shell, and he started competing with it in vintage racing in 2005. The little coupe's class pits it on track against Mustangs and Camaros, but Humble claims that he's regularly near the top of the pack thanks to the Mazda's communicative chassis. We don't get to see the RX-2 mixing things up on track in the Petrolicious video, but Humble does treat us to a drive through the Australian countryside. He's happy to let the coupe's rotary rev, and the little engine is capable of making a wonderful noise. It's great to see Petrolicious continue to give the spotlight to these sometimes overlooked classic Japanese sports cars.

Flyin' Miata is building a V8-powered MX-5 ND

It's cold in many parts of the country, but this V8-swapped 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata that Flyin' Miata is developing has us dreaming about throwing on a parka and taking a very brisk drive. This beast is the product of the talented folks at Flyin' Miata, but we can't get too excited just yet. According to the company's brief Facebook post, this is just a dummy V8, placed under the Miata's hood to confirm fit. Judging by the photo, the engine fits like a glove. "There's still a long way to go before this is a real thing," Flyin' Miata writes, but the company admits everything looks "very promising" so far. The post doesn't mention any details about the estimated specs, but Autoblog reached out to Flyin' Miata for more information about this intriguing build. Keith Tanner, one of the mad scientists who shoehorns V8s into Miatas at the Colorado outfit, told us that Flyin' Miata is looking at both the LS3, which will provide between 430 and 525 hp, and the LT1 which is 460 hp out of the box. A supercharged LT4 is also being considered, but as Tanner put it, "that might be a little nuts" in a car as light as the ND. In any of these engine configurations, Tanner estimates the V8-swapped ND should comfortably be a sub-4 second to 60 mph car. The transmission will be a Tremec T56 Magnum six-speed manual. The suspension, brakes, fuel system, cooling system, and the chassis itself will all be beefed up to handle the power, as per normal FM practice. The one question mark is the rear end, as the ND's existing one simply won't be up to the task of putting that much horsepower to the ground. The 2016 Miata was one of the best cars we drove in 2015, but Flyin' Miata knows how to turn a standard MX-5 into an absolute hotrod with the company's LS3 V8 conversions for earlier models. Imagining the more modern chassis from the latest generation with a massive dollop of more power is an exciting thought. We can't wait to see how this project turns out. Related Video:

Chicago Auto Show page claims 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata to produce 155 hp [UPDATE]

UPDATE: Mazda wasn't willing to confirm or deny the figures cited by the Chicago Auto Show, although we're betting the 155-horsepower figure is a bit on the low side. As for the CAS page, a Mazda spokesman told Autoblog that they "aren't sure where they got that number." The horsepower estimate has since been pulled down. Well, someone may have made a boo-boo. The Chicago Auto Show is currently hosting a page that claims the Mazda MX-5 will produce 155 horsepower, courtesy of a 2.0-liter, Skyactiv four-cylinder. If this is correct, it'd be the first time the MX-5's US power output had been revealed. The 155 hp figure would account for a 12-hp drop from that of the outgoing MX-5, though, a corresponding weight loss should still improve the power-to-weight ratio for the 2016 model. Now, the CAS page could simply be following previous reports, including one from Autoblog. As recently as October, it was being reported that the MX-5 would be powered by a 2.0-liter, Skyactiv four-cylinder, a version of which is producing 155 horsepower and 150 pound-feet of torque in the Mazda3. Naturally, we've reached out to Mazda for comment – or perhaps even confirmation – on the info from CAS, although we aren't expecting a reply until at least later this morning (darn time zones). Of course, as soon as we hear anything, we'll update this story. Related Video: