Watch A 900bhp MX-5 Being Wrestled Down A Drag Strip

This may look relatively stock. It isn't...

This driving in a straight line business is clearly harder than you might think, as we proved with this footage last week. Now we return with more drag-strip spills thanks to a Mazda MX-5 (or Miata if you’re ‘Murican).

Surely past the point of no return? Nope!

An MX-5? Surely this is as safe as they come with just enough power to overcome its skinny little tyres? Its sharp handling and low-speed fun is the stuff of legend, but removing the standard four-pot and replacing it with the motor from an R32 GT-R, then boosting it all the way to 900bhp, sticks two fingers up at that 'safe speed' image. The outcome can be seen below when the Mazda loses traction shortly after launch and hurls itself into five rather large sideways moments.

GTR badge hints at what lies beneath

Full marks must be awarded to the driver for preventing a potentially massive shunt, as incredibly he holds his nerve with just the right inputs to recover from some frankly outrageous angles. Remember, this is 900bhp in a car with a standard kerb-weight of just 940kg, and that is why this MX5 can run the quarter-mile in 9 seconds at 140mph. Hence the super-fat, super-sticky slicks on the rear and the parachute strapped to the back of this little monster.

As the driver himself says: "That's what happens when coolant spills on your slicks!" Prepare to be impressed.

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