Mazda taken to the max

Perhaps Mazda loyalist have been feeling short-changed during the year I have been writing about modified cars. This is in fact, the first time that we are featuring a pimped Mazda, and it's not our fault.

News on devil-tweaked Mazda vehicles for the road is as rare as a python's armpits and now that I think of it, there should be more.

This Japanese company has a proud history of racing cars at the highest level and although most of its road cars are aimed at performance teacher and hospital nurse types, there are superb Mazdas that are firm favourites for a spot of pimping.

The RX8 is among Mazda cars that have seen a lot of workshop time, as has the Mazda 3 hatchback - understandably, rather more so than the police captain spec Mazda 6.

Justifiably, local tuners are likely to have invested much less time in developing modification packages for the Mazda 3 due to its lower sales, choosing rather to focus their engineering prowess on rampant powerhouses such as the Golf GTI, Ford Focus ST and Opel Astra OPC.

British tuners BBR is responsible for the car you see here. They are offering power upgrades on the Mazda 3 MPS and the Mazda 6 MPS models fitted with the 2.3-litre DISI engine, which is fitted to older generation cars here.

BBR's phase one upgrade takes output up from the standard 188kW to 213kW.

This is a great jump considering that it involves ancillary equipment-tweaking, such as the exhaust and maybe even just a light adjustment on the ECU.

Since Mazda performance fans are hooligans in camouflage, BBR also does a phase two upgrade. It not only raises torque from the 447Nm dialled up by the phase one tweak, but increases the overall numbers to 234kW and 501Nm.

This phase will make a deeper intrusion into the DISI engine's internals where replacement of standard metal parts with hardened versions is the way to go.

Power freaks can ask for a phase three conversion in which BBR replaces the standard turbocharger with either its in-house engineered impeller or the mainstream Garret hybrid GT28 turbo unit.

At this point, the Mazda 3 MPS will be hurling out 257kW from its humble four-cylinder engine. Connoisseurs of fast hatchbacks will by now have raised an eyebrow or two.

The Mazda 3 MPS in standard form is a cheeky thing and, although it's equipped with an AWD system from birth, its overall handling leaves something to be desired. BBR is also aware of some of the car's flaws and to that end, they offer performance springs and the suspension is fitted with adjustable dampers to help keep the car firm on its feet.