ok, here's the most recent update:
Tri-Point is waiting for the turbo to come in so they can start taking a look at how it might fit in the engine. He said it's a variable vein turbo (i believe) so it should be able to get the car to higher speeds quicker even though there might be less hp. I think the turbo was from a company by the name of Aerodyne (sp?).
Anyhow, the guy said that the turbo might be a little bit tricky since there's not much room under the hood with all the required tubes and the placement of the catalytic. He also mentioned that he saw a turbo version that Mazda was working on and he said it was a very tight fit (yes, Mazda is working on a turbo version for later release - i have had this confirmed by another source as well - just not sure if it'll be called MP3). The price we're looking at is somewhere between 3.5k-4.5k depending on how complicated the fuel management system is. As for target performance, he said we're initially looking at 180hp, give or take some when they actually start tinkering. I mentioned that most of us are looking for 200+ hp and he said that it's possible, however, it could lead to an unstable engine.
The turbo is going to be coming in next week, but the guy is going on vacation so I was told the next time we'll talk is 1st week of January. By then he can should (hopefully!) be able to give me an update on the status of the turbo and whether the engine might be able to safely handle more than 180hp.
Questions, comments? let me know so I can get back to him the 1st week of January. like i said before, i'm not the greatest with cars, so i'm not disputing anything he told me. i'm just trying my best to pass along what i remember.
tony