Timeless beauty, lightweight efficiency, unprecedented performance and the most recognizable soundtrack in automotive history:
“The Mazda RX-7 is the pinnacle of driving spirit.”
As a child, I grew up playing Gran Turismo games and being exposed to the history of cars and motorsport, but there was one memory that will never leave me. As I progressed through Gran Turismo 4, I noticed there was always one car ahead of the pack, just outside the reach of whatever street car I modified. That car was none other than the FD3S RX-7. With its distinct twin-rotor howl and one-of-a-kind elegant styling, I knew immediately I had to own one. Many hours of racing and gaining credits later, I finally purchased one from the in-game used car dealership and began driving, kickstarting my love for what many consider the most purely exhilarating and unique sports car ever made. Over the next couple years, I slowly became more and more engrossed in Mazda’s motorsport heritage, finding that the car I’ve driven on my PS2 was in fact one of the most dominant forces in racing of all time, as well as a JDM cultural icon and the center of many others’ automotive focus.
The RX-7’s history began with the decision to make a sports car using the revolutionary rotary engine, which, in the simplest possible explanation, uses two triangles spinning within an oval rather than pistons to perform the combustion cycle. RX-7 is widely believed to stand for “Rotary eXperiment #7”, coming from its engine choice, however no one truly knows its origin. In 1978, the first RX-7 was sold, designated the “FB” chassis, later evolving to become the “FC” in 1985, introducing turbocharging to the rotary, and finally becoming the iconic “FD” in 1992. Mazda struck gold with the introduction of the FD, creating the fastest of the “Holy Trinity” of 90s JDM sports cars. The FD in its stock form hit 0-100kph in just 5.3 seconds, weighing just 2800 pounds with fuel and driver and making “276 hp” (often much more) as per the gentleman’s agreement at the time for manufacturers to limit power. Thanks to the introduction of a sequential turbo setup (one small turbo fed into a much bigger turbo), the RX-7 became known for its wild behavior and exciting acceleration as drivers got into boost. This came at a cost, as the car was extremely inefficient with fuel and required care and understanding to remain reliable, with oil being mixed into its fuel to keep the engine lubricated. Also, being as light as it was, with that much power made it a bit of a widowmaker. Depending on who you ask, that was even more of an excitement factor when driving this machine.
Nowadays, the RX-7 is discontinued, leaving a legacy behind that is impossible for any car to fulfil, with the RX-8 being a successful replacement yet never gaining the popularity of the RX-7. Stock cars are also becoming extremely scarce as enthusiasts modify their cars making absurd amounts of power, shooting massive flames out of the exhaust and showing off their own piece of automotive history.
At the end of it all, Mazda created a unique machine with a driving experience that may never again be replicated. The RX-7 is the icon of rotary powered sports cars, ticking every box a driving enthusiast could ask for. With striking, timeless design, light weight, agile steering, unique sounds and heaps of boost, the RX-7 is truly the pinnacle of driving spirit.
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