Miata Parts

An ongoing set of components for one car. Every part here was designed and manufactured by me. The brief I set myself was to modernise where the original design language allowed it and leave it alone where it did not, so each part had to sit next to thirty-five year old bodywork without feeling out of place.

The rear end of the vehicle was 3D scanned and reverse engineered to design fully custom three-bulb taillights and a ducktail spoiler, both printed, smoothed and painted to a fitted finish. The door handles were surface modelled around a linear-actuator popping system, so a button press replaces the original pull while keeping close to the original shape language.

Inside, a 2.1 audio system with printed eyeball vent tweeter pods, a period-correct digital audio visualiser and cubby system, Alcantara door cards with door pullers, and window winders. A MagSafe wireless charger takes the space of the ashtray, offering 20 W charging powered straight from 12 V. HVAC panel, knobs and sliders, and a removable cup holder system.

Printed brackets and surface modelled surrounds fit rectangular 4x6 headlights behind the pop-up mechanism. The pop-ups are run by a four-layer PCB I designed around an STM32C0 with automotive high-side switches, replacing a thirty-five year old fixed relay and prototyped on a breadboard Arduino and relay setup. It drives from the factory switch: one click toggles, two winks, a long hold forces both down.

Eli Crawford contributed to the ideation of the ducktail spoiler and did much of the modelling on the taillights.