Caleb, better known as Gingium on Youtube, is always coming up with crazy, yet oddly-appropriate ideas. Check out his channel if you haven’t already. A mid-engine 1st-gen Eclipse, Toyota V8-swapped Mazda minitruck, and this wild WRX/Miata hybrid are are just a couple of the top rad rides that come to mind. But for this build, Gingium started out with the idea for a rally-esque Miata. And who does rally better than Subaru?? Well arguably Audi & Porsche & Peugeot & Mitsubishi & Citroen but that’s not the point lol. The point is: Subaru is synonymous with rally, so Gingium’s vision turned into a lifted World Rally Blue Miata with a Subaru engine & AWD drivetrain swap.
Caleb found an abandoned WRX project with a built EJ 2-liter.
The owner of the WRX was tired of the headaches, and just wanted to unload it. Gingium scooped the WRX up for just 600 bucks! The car already had pistons, rods, supporting mods, and an upgraded turbo… so it was worth the risk just from a ‘parts aspect’ alone. The previous owner thought he had cracked the block. But it turns out it was just bad sealant between the 2 parts of the cylinder block. So Caleb got lucky on that one… and it was game on!
The issue with the Subaru swap was…
The engine had to sit further forward in the bay than the original Mazda engine. And with that forward position, it sat about 3-inches too tall for the hood/fenders/chassis of the Miata. To remedy that, Gingium cut & repositioned the frame rails of the body in an upward-angled fashion… giving the Miata this low-key trophy-truck, bulged frontend appearance.
But in doing that – there was no longer any room for cooling equipment in the nose.
So the cooling system had to be relocated to the rear of the Miata. It makes the car’s presence even more badass. BUT – it also takes away what little hope you had for any storage. So the car sometimes sports a roof rack for luggage & gear on longer trips.
The suspension, subframe, brakes, and steering on the front of the Miata is all WRX-based…
With WRX lift springs. The rear of the Miata is still mostly Mazda, with custom control arms that are 2-inches longer.
The Miata runs on E85…
Which can be a pain in the ass in real life scenarios. And I don’t think the gas gauge works… because I see Gingium always doing the MPG math on his fingers, and bringing extra cans along just in case. But Gingium likes to live dangerously like that; he’s used to it.
That’s one thing about Gingium…
He doesn’t just build these things for Youtube views. This is his lifestyle. These wild builds are literally the only cars he owns.
Here’s Gingium’s Youtube backstory:
He got on YT early, when he was literally still a kid. It was a right place right time sorta thing. The name Gingium came from the fact that he was a Gingy before he shaved his head. And he happened to glance over at a game of Cranium on the shelf when he was trying to think of a clever Youtube name. Put ‘em together… boom… Gingium. Outlandish fun for everyone. He thinks the name is corny now, but I honestly think it’s pretty cool & unique.
In those early days, Gingium didn’t even have a license yet…
So he was just making random videos on this & that around the house. Like an awkward little tweenager lol. Stuff he’d definitely be embarrassed about if we could dig it up lol. Anyway – he kind of settled into video game content as a mid-teenager. And when he turned 16 & got his license, he bought an NA Miata (not this one; a different one).
Gingium did a couple videos showing the Miata…
And his Youtube viewers were interested! They wanted to know what his plans were for it. Hmmmmmm. Content??
Gingium was into cars from video games & whatnot, but he wasn’t raised around cars…
And didn’t know a ton about mechanics. But – he does have a natural talent for mechanics. Gingium’s smart & resourceful. And he’s got the kind of brain that goes down rabbit holes, studies/researches/analyzes things… and finds solutions.
So he decided to build that 1st Miata a little bit.
But when he wanted to do something to it, instead of taking it somewhere, he did some research and bought the tool that he needed to do the job. Things escalated… the tools got bigger, and skills were acquired. Within a few years, he was buying welders & fabricating equipment, and building all sorts of wild & crazy stuff.
Text by Wooley Photos by Hunter Rollins
