The Catfish is a completely custom track car where you can do most of the building yourself. However, over half of our customers opt to have us perform some of the pre-assembly before the car is delivered. It could be as simple as powder coating the frame, all the way to building a complete car.
A popular option is pre-assembling the interior. After choosing the design and materials, the interior is installed, seam sealed, and the bodywork is also pre-installed so the car shows up looking very much like the final product. Customers can literally take off the bodywork, install the Catfish frame onto the donor Miata roller skate, and start assembling the car. It’s very likely that you can have a rolling, steering car with suspension on the first day of the build!
One thing we don’t ever recommend is rushing through assembly. Take your time. Make the car your own, and always double check everything for safety. And double check with us to see how we can help. Below is Greg B’s Cat which is getting ready for delivery. He opted for a classic mix of Tan Alcantara, exposed aluminum, with all of it soon to be covered in a race car red body.
That’s some fine looking work. I love the finish that resulted from working the metal. The tan, aluminum and eventual red will be a great classic combo. I can’t wait to see the end result. Kudos!
It’s headed your way tomorrow. 🙂
Beautiful work Cord! Getting more ideas!
Since I track and post anything related to front engined envelope bodied race cars, and sports cars that look like them, I have hotlinked your site to my page, LOOKING BACK RACING. I am still trying to find the spec sheet, but I gather you have come up with a way to recycle bent or rusty Miatas into your new runabout and plan on promoting a spec race class for them. At least that is what I wrote in my blurb, which I hope you will clarify or amend if needed. My audience is about 50 percent in Europe but I know they have Miata donor cars there. One further thought — Having had two S2000 Hondas with double the rated power in a platform only slightly longer in wheelbase, is there any expectation of sizing up your special as a recipient of parts from one of those?
First of all, thanks for the link. 🙂 As a past S2000 owner, I can only hope that someone will drop the F20/22 engine and transmission into the Catfish. That mill is so much fun, especially when the VTEC kicks in. Basically any engine that’s already been put into a Miata will fit into the Catfish–with lots of room left over. That includes the F20/22, SR20DET, K series Honda, LS3 V8, Ford 302, 13B rotary, Toyota BEAMS motor package, etceteras. Two 13B builds are scheduled for this Spring, as well as a GSX13RR. That’s right, a Hayabusa motor! The simplest way to get extra power from the Miata is to simply turbocharge it or add a Jackson Racing supercharger. That said, this car has proven itself on the track with a 23 year old stock 100hp 1.6 liter engine. Horsepower is nice, but you don’t need much when your car weighs 1,550lbs.