Where we came from

We started in 1983 as a New Jersey-based Porsche/Audi/VW service shop owned by Bill Cardell called The Dealer Alternative.

Now we're an employee-owned co-op with a huge Colorado warehouse full of specialist parts, a fleet of development vehicles and customers all over the world. It's been quite a ride. 

The Miata part all started when one of Bill's customers tossed him the keys to a Miata in 1989. Bill immediately bought one of his own and, with 1800 miles on the odometer, installed a turbo kit. Not a great turbo kit, but he managed to make it run well enough that the manufacturer started sending people his way. Bill now found himself in the Miata modification business, and started selling a few parts of his own such as springs and sway bars. These parts were sold as "Flyin' Miata" parts, with the tagline "we make your Miata fly!"

1996, Bill and his wife Teri decided to go into Miatas full time. They sold the service shop to one of their employees, loaded up a couple of vans and moved to Palisade, Colorado. Bill hired James, then Teri joined the company. They worked out of the basement, then Bill's garage, then a storefront in Palisade before moving to 6000 square feet in nearby Grand Junction.

In 1998, Bill threw a BBQ to thank his customers for their business and started an annual tradition. That grew into our Summer Camp event that attracts hundreds of visitors to our home base for track time, seminars, great drives, fun Miata people and yes, BBQ.

In 2000, the Flyin' Miata parts had such a strong following that The Dealer Alternative started doing business under the Flyin' Miata name. The product line had expanded to cover all areas of Miata performance, including turbochargers and occasionally superchargers.

In 2002, Flyin' Miata built the Track Dog competition car that sported advanced aero, a stroker motor and a big turbo. It competed in the Open Track Challenge - think Time Attack that runs for a week at 7 different tracks.

Shortly after, the company expanded into 12,000 square feet and then eventually to the 24,250 square foot building it occupies today.

The Targa Miata came along to compete in the Targa Newfoundland in 2008 as a high compression naturally aspirated car, along with a return in 2011 as a V8 beast beside a supercharged NC called Nancy.

In 2008, FM did their first V8 conversion, kicking off a decade of big engines and massive torque. These cars got a lot of attention, especially when the ND conversion was unveiled. The engineering work devoted to these cars was unfortunately taking away from the four cylinder development, so the V8 line was shut down in 2019. Customer builds were also stopped around this time so all resources could be devoted to R&D.

Emissions and clean power have been a focus of ours for some time. We first sold California-legal turbo kits in 1999, and all of our forced induction offerings are legal in all states.

37 years is a long time to be in the business, so in 2020 Bill and Teri sold Flyin' Miata to a group of employees where it is run as a coop.

It's been a long trip to get here, but the goal hasn't changed: to help you have as much fun as possible with your Miata. This focus has built our business to where it is now, and it's healthier now than ever. As we look forward to the future, we know that's the one thing that won't change.