Tony has stated he intends the Miata to be a slalom car. Now how he gets to the slalom event is the point you bring up. Now legality is an issue. Cars like that get driven on public roads very little, so emissions output is not much. Don't get me wrong, you crack the door open and all sorts of numbnutz will push it further to do daily drivers. Then there is the crowd that wants to crush every vehicle over 10 years old as a "gross polluter". The concept they get taken out toWednesday evening show and shines or weekend cruise for the fun of driving their carefully restored old car, does not generate a huge amount of pollution due to the low number of miles driven per year. Also when "cruising" the engines get well warmed up so operate at their best. People jumping in their new car to drive 5 blocks away for dinner at McD's or a sports bar polluts pretty much as much. A cold engine does not run clean. Also enthusiasts generally spend a lot of time keeping the tuneup in top condition, in contrast to Joe Public that is happy as a pig in mud as long as it starts.