R&R Motorworks

Miata racers with a Central Coast garage

R&R Motorworks is run by father and son Ralph and Ryan Gold, and Miatas are Ryan's specialty. He races them, builds them for Spec Miata and other wheel-to-wheel classes, and the shop is on Spec Miata's list of preferred race shops for full builds, maintenance and restoration. It's also an authorized Flyin' Miata dealer. On the last Sunday of every month, the shop hosts a car meet in Goleta, and yes, Miatas show up.

Engines, starters and two seconds at Willow

Engine work comes up a lot. When Sebastian needed a new engine, Ryan walked through whether a used engine or a new one from Mazda made more sense. "Probably one of the best places to get your Miata engine rebuilt. Ryan is a great guy to deal with too. I would trust him over my other Miata mechanic," wrote Jay Brendan A.

Miata owners also describe a 1993 with a mystery no-start that Ryan traced to an unusually misbehaving starter, an ND owner who calls R&R the car's second home, and a track setup that paid off on the stopwatch. That car got new tires, longer lower ball joints, tie rod ends, a corner balance (setting the weight evenly at each wheel) and a performance alignment, and its owner found two seconds at Streets of Willow.

Good to know

You don't need a race car to feel at home here. "R&R has been the best car mechanic I've found not only in Santa Barbara, but also the best I've had across all my cars from a built Evo to a mostly stock Miata," wrote Kevn R. The shop also sells Miata parts online, so you can talk through the part and the install in one conversation. And if your other car is a vintage Corvette, they'll happily take that too.

Last updated on October 21, 2026.