This ‘lightweight’ 370bhp V6 MX-5 gets the same power-to-weight as a Ferrari F40

Not a cheery greeting to our present Prime Minister, but rather the Japanese translation for lightweight: this is Rocketeer’s punchy new MX-5 ‘Keiryo’, and it promises to be a lively little so-and-so.

Chiefly because Rocketeer – a Hampshire based restomodder that’s been churning out V6 MX-5s for years now – has said the Keiryo is targeting 370bhp and a weight of just 850kg.

Which, says Rocketeer, gives it the same power-to-weight ratio as a Ferrari F40. You may have heard of that one. Also the same as a V10 Huracán and McLaren 620R. May have heard of those, too.

And you’ll definitely hear this one, chiefly because underneath every Rocketeer MX-5 lies a souped up version of Jaguar’s old 3.0-litre ‘AJ30’ V6. Side note: the AJ30 was spun off the Ford Duratec V6, which in turn was originally designed by Porsche and bestowed with Cosworth heads. Basically all the cool names in one aluminium block.

Rocketeer goes to town on each engine shoved under the noses of its MX-5 restos – stripped, rebuilt, given superpowers, etc etc – but hasn’t mentioned what it’s stripped out of the MX-5 itself to make that weight. ‘Twas hardly a heavyweight to begin with, mind.

We know only that the first of just 10 Keiryo MX-5s is currently being built, ready for delivery early next year. A slightly less extreme ‘Touring’ spec has already been confirmed for one particular client, which dials back “the full-blooded Keiryo specification”.

No word on price – on application, naturally – nor anything else really. We’ll have to wait until next year, yo.