For years I've posted on here, that a mazda BP 1.8 would be a good swap candidate
Stock would be a decent performance boost. Boosted they rip, mild-to-wild
Lotsa supercharger flavours.... or turbo mental, if you like. 8sec 5spd street car is nutz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jzlS7_q3os

AE86 is becoming a more modern version of the Ford pop



Cheers... jondee86

Is becoming? ....more like, rwd E-chasis rollas have been there done it

only a very small select crew, can take an all glass/steel "street" car, to 8sec 1/4s with a 5 speed & puny 1.8
That's insane acceleration. Can you think of a better platform ?

but that's on the "wild" side. A BP 1.8 has delivered anything in between. Having owned a few ford escort GTs....
in stock form outguns a GTS. Hella reliable. Motors use to be ~$300 @ junkyards (vs 7A mix n match crap)
Mazda didn't put the distibutor next to the exhaust manifold, plus an oil filter & starter, under it like stupid toyota

I recall one junkyard build: fabbed a M90 buick V6 superharger, with fmic on bone stock 1.8 + a good tune
Street miata did 12.7 at the strip, thru a junkyard GM suv stock muffler! ...that he said was unbelievably quiet. Too quiet almost
Worlds apart from your typical AE86 noisebox. Who wouldn't enjoy such an instant-torquey(small powerplant) daily driver ?