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So my friend was telling me about picking up a MazdaSpeed Miata and finding out that it had a five speed in it. He was super-confused because the car was a one-owner, so it was highly unlikely that it was swapped. A call to Mazda with the VIN number confirmed--he's got a 5 speed MSM unicorn.
As crazy as that sounds, I pulled the engine and trans today from an MSM I recently bought, and.....same thing!!! What the Hell is a 5 speed doing in an MSM?
Are these truly unicorns? Anyone else out there have a 5 speed MSM?
edit: just saw who this was. Never mind, you’re probably not an idiot.
Ha! Hey, I'd never heard of this until yesterday, when Gabe from Engineering Concepts told me about his unicorn, and how he spoke the a guy from MazdaSpeed about it. Now it's possible....likely even...that he's feeding me a line of BS just to mess with me, which is why I had to post. I haven't checked the VIN on my car, and my first assumption is always someone swapping a transmission rather than the car coming from the factory with a 5 speed.
Unless Gabe comes clean, I may need to do some VIN checking Monday.
Highly likely with this car, although I can't tell the difference between and NA and NB 5 speed. My buddy said he checked his MSM VIN, which confirmed it was 5 speed. When two potentially popped up in two days, I had to post.
Highly likely with this car, although I can't tell the difference between and NA and NB 5 speed. My buddy said he checked his MSM VIN, which confirmed it was 5 speed. When two potentially popped up in two days, I had to post.
The largest external difference is the shifter. NA's have a somewhat exposed shift actuator rod;
While NB transmissions have it more encased;
The NB 5sp boxes have a lockout that prevents going from 5th directly into reverse; apparently on earlier cars drivers were ruining the reverse gear hubs by nicking the synchro teeth on aggressive 5-4 shifts, so they added a lockout on the NBs. That square access panel in front of the shifter on the NB box is to access the lockout mechanism (and contrary to some info out there it is not an optional location for the shifter)
Last edited by themonkeyman; Mar 9, 2020 at 03:14 PM.
The largest external difference is the shifter. NA's have a somewhat exposed shift actuator rod;
While NB transmissions have it more encased;
The NB 5sp boxes have a lockout that prevents going from 5th directly into reverse; apparently on earlier cars drivers were ruining the reverse gear hubs by nicking the synchro teeth on aggressive 5-4 shifts, so they added a lockout on the NBs. That square access panel in front of the shifter on the NB box is to access the lockout mechanism (and contrary to some info out there it is not an optional location for the shifter)
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Thanks! It's worth asking dumb questions when you get smart answers.
Your buddy is either pulling your leg or doesn't know how to check a vin.
Saw Gabe today, and he said (to my face) that he's not BS'ing me. He checked the VIN info with Mazda, so either it's so elaborate now that it's ridiculous (Mazda guy offered him $5k for his unicorn, sight unseen), or it's a damn rare car. It looks like mine is just a swap....
There's a VIN tag on the transmission, seems like it should be simple to compare that to the one on the car?
--Ian
99% sure my car is not a unicorn. Gabe's is in a secret remote location, so no chance to check the trans tag. However, he said he DID check the VIN with a Mazda MazdaSpeed guy, and it's supposed to be legit. I'll let you know when I get proof...
5 Speed MSM Unicorn? Who knew?
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