Seriously underrated car in the public eye. While it didn't have the pop culture exposure the FC and FD did, it had more than enough racing pedigree to make up for it. The first gen RX-7's were, by far, the most successful of all the RX cars in motorsports. They competed in the Le Mans 24 every year they were in production, won the 1981 Spa 24 hours whilst punching far above it's weight class (taking on and beating cars like 6.0L Camaros and 3.0L BMW's), as well as making several successful Group B appearances in 1983 and 1984, in addition to being the most successful car to ever race in the IMSA GTU and GTO series', winning in one form or another for more than 7 consecutive years, well after the first gen RX-7's had stopped being manufactured! It's a shame that these are so under-appreciated and even hated on in some circles. I've seen other, later, RX-7 owners claim that the first gen RX-7 wasn't a "real" RX-7.
I love FCs and FDs, but even the FB still is a cool legend in my heart. Those who say that it sucks are lame purist weirdos or fanboys who don’t know jack shit about the RX-7.
My grandmother owned one of these back in her day lol.....she said she was flying down a highway and wrapped it around a electrity pole. She claims she didn't spill a drop of her beer and walked home.
My first car! Manual choke, cassette player, flippy-lights! The things I remembered most about it. I also remember smelling like unburnt gas the whole day and the crazy ritual to start the car when it's cold. Even with a lack of power (about 100hp) these engines are insanely fun to wind out. It only had 80k original miles for a 30+ year old car. I'm very happy with my current car (Abarth 500) but I still miss my first car.
(MrSniper)+ From Mars! My fault. Maybe in 30 years people will have a different opinion about it. Meaning it being slower won't mean as much, kind of how this car was/is.
I've owned 5 FB's, wasted half my life on Rx-7 Forums and working on these things, built them from the ground up. it takes a serious passion to love these cars and its rare to see them around anymore, but when I do see one, its amazing! Great to see a review of such a seriously classic car. Thumbs up!
oooooo, it's got a rotary engine, IT'S GOT A ROTARY ENGINE, DID I TELL YOU HOW SMALL IT IS DID I TELL YOU HOW MUCH POWER IT MAKES?? DID I TELL YOU DLKSFJKSJF Also, HEADLIGHTS GO UP, HEADLIGHTS GO DOWN UP DOWN UP DOWN UP DOWN UPPPPPP
If you get the chance to drive to drive a 88-91 model its quite different than a FB. I had 88 RX7 non turbo and I miss it everyday but having kids 12 years ago required me to get rid of it and buy something family friendly. I wanted an RX8 but it never got into a affordable used car range. Most I found had 75k+ miles and still asking $7-9K, low mileage cars still command $15-20K+! My 88 had a cold air intake, custom 2.5" exhaust with dual 4.5" tip HKS dragger style mufflers. Like the FB you drove it would backfire and shoot FLAMES! It was loud, obnoxious, and I LOVED IT! A friendly competition against anything sub 250hp was fun light to light. If you get to drive a FC RX non turbo above 70F in good shape and the owner is ok with it, come to a stop rev between 4500-5000rpm and drop the clutch. You will be surprised how well it hooks up. As for maintenance they do require more work than a normal car. I changed the oil every 2500 miles with ONLY standard oil no synthetics, check it weekly. Mine would go through about a quart or so between changes. I changed the plugs every 6-8 months. I replaced the radiator fluid every 2 years since the high heat breaks down coolant faster than a regular car. You must let the car warm up at least a solid 10-15 min before driving in the winter, don't do short stop and go with the engine cold. Do not rev the engine above 6k till the car is to full operating temp. Just some of the things I learned from my research/ownership. Parts can be difficult to find and expensive to ship if you live on the east coast. I had to pay $20 for 3 day shipping from CA on a $3 pilot bearing for the clutch because no auto parts shop could get one and the clutch kit didn't provide one. I do wish I could have got one of the last years of the RX8's with the R3 package and recaro seats. I will say they can be a very enjoyable car to drive but you can not buy one as a budget car. Do not expect to just go get a engine from a junk yard, as most will not sell it to you. Both because of the unusual nature of the engines and the fact that they command top dollar from re-builders of rotary engines they won't sell to just anyone. Do your homework before buying one. Mine had about 150K original miles when I sold it without seal issues.
That no power steering life, you get used to it pretty quick. I trained my arms attempting to do tight turns while parking in crowded parking lots. These cars are so much fun!
My mum used to have one back in the mid 80's. It was a 1979 SA series 1 in red, manual. She had it as her first car. It was imported from Malaysia, Singapore to Australia. It was clean and had the original duck wing and bodykit. It had black vinyl interior and a gold pinstripe on the sides. It was all stock and was a head turner. It also used to wake up the whole neighbourhood with its constant backfiring. Just before she sold in the late 90's she had the original rotary engine reconditioned. She sold it for $7800. She regrets it everyday.
They ole school rides are so cool... BTW, love the opening sequence... Love the red interior.... car so quirky. Love Rob's reviews too... so much to learn from these ride since they are so different all around. thanks for another cool video.
Had one of these for my 2nd car at 17. I Drove the absolute crap out of it. I went through 2 transmissions and a rear end. The car had 300k on it by the time I got it. I worked all summer for my dad and he had the motor rebuilt and ported. It sounded like a weedwhacker. Im 40 now. One of these days i'll get another and have it worked over. Maybe I'll be a little nicer to it this time around......nah.
My 85 Rx-7 GS, bought new, never had engine issues. Always changed the oil and gas filter (which is a pain to get to under the car) at 3k intervals. The issues I've had was the oil pressure gauge not functioning correctly, the steering seems a bit vague with that flat spot mentioned, and most recently problems passing CA smog test. The entire exhaust system has been replaced and passed emissions and the engine runs very well, though I wish I could boost the power a bit without endangering passing the smog test. Very durable car overall and serviced me well, rotaries don't deserve the negative reputation some give them. Usually it comes from die hard piston engine fans or those that never experienced a rotary. As far as the apex seal on the rotors are concerned, the very early rotary engines had issues with them but they were sorted out by the time the RX-7 was launched. Unfortunately this misconception still lingers and is propagated by the unenlightened.
Believe it or not, my first car was a '74 Mazda Rotary Pickup. I thought it had decent build quality in those days, but the engine was not durable and it consumed a lot of gas and oil. Plus it backfired a lot. [My family has owned 4 Mazdas. The Rotary is the only one we can complain about]
Great video David! I'd love to see you review more old cars like this one! These are so cool! My girlfriend's dad used to own an RX-7 of this generation and he loved it. I've never driven one, but if it reminds you of the BRZ then I'm sure I'd like it!
I had a 79 RX7 and it was one of the best handling cars ever. If it broke loose no problem on power or not. Yep not a lot of power. Still the rear suspension had a little lacking.
Dude, thanks for the memories! I owned 2-79s, a 84 and a 85 with the 13B w/FI. Definitely fun quick, not fast little cars. Oh and don't be so scared to just let the tail hang out. These cars were drifting way before drifting was cool!
My grandpa owned one of these that he was the only owner ever. It was so fun. It wasn't just a car, it was an amazing place to be, a place to make memories, and it was so beautiful. A few years ago everything started breaking and he couldn't afford it anymore. I miss it so fucking much.
Hunt for it again! ..or buy a project one, there's plenty of rollers around and a few import shops that do engine imports as well. If you have the budget, of course, for example this one shop online did Stage 1, 2, and 3 engine builds. Stage 1 with streetport and a few durability options here and there was about $3k, just as much as I got my FB for.. :///
You know most reviews I watch about 1 and a half minutes, see the vibe the car gives you, then move to the next video. This video was so interesting and well made that I watched the whole time. Keep up the good work!
First car with the Carburetor on the Channel. ? Are you sure? wasn't the big-ass Cady from "The GRIM REAPER Delivery Boy!-1979 Cadillac Hearse " with a carburetor as well?
I had an ‘82 GS in college and it was a blast. I made a trip from Sweet Briar College to William and Mary in 90 minutes averaging 117 MPH (It’s advertised top speed was 120, I saw 125 indicated). I think my car was extra strong. The only thing that wasn’t stock was the exhaust. I made that drive on all season tires in 1990. I didn’t get a ticket till I got back home in Lexington doing 35 in a 25. I was so lucky. About a year later I drove 110 from Lexington VA to Staunton and finally got pulled over, doing 75 in 55. The judge reduced my ticked to speedometer reading error and 10mph over the speed limit, saving me from a reckless driving charge. I was so lucky, if they only knew what I was doing prior to being pulled over. It was not a “fast” car but the RX-7 begs you to drive it fast and it rewards drivers who rev the engine, maintain momentum and don’t let off in turns (or you spin, ass and front trading places, similar to early 911’s). I miss that car and am looking for a good one today. I probably would mod it to make 140-150hp while keeping it N/A and otherwise stock (ok, maybe new bushings, coil overs, a LSD, upgraded brakes, new rims and summer tires, lol!)
I just picked up my 83' FB last friday for $700 (nowhere near the condition of this one), but it has over 257,600 miles on the original 12A and still running very strong, however, everything other than the engine has been failing, but parts are cheap as it's an 83', so that's nice at least, otherwise it's a great car and i'm happy to have it as my daily until I finish building my RX8:)
About the same here...just picked up an 85 with 185K on it for 1700.00 runs well but needs paint + some TLC to make it nice again...had 2 79's+1 80 back in the day when I was much younger...now Im trying to re-kindle the flame! FUN cars!! /mike.
I owned an 84 rx-7 about ten years ago. It had a 13b cosmo motor and a hi flowed hitachi turbo set up you find in the FC. Turbo spools at 4500, and really not much pick up until then. Power band looked more like an on/off switch since you go from no power at all, to 'holy shit wheelspin'. Welded diff meant full lock at all times. Understeers on corner entry, but powering out was what you looked forward to. Anyways, it's awesome to see cars like these pop up in the channel, it really brings back memories of the old charesmaric cars of the pre 90's
I had one of these college --- I got so many speeding tickets is wasn't even funny.... these were the best sport cars out there -- that rotory engine was awesome -- I wish they still made this model -- exactly as it -- the choke and 5-speed manual -- loved it !!!
Back in 86-87 my brother had that same car in the same color scheme. They were actually quite popular but over the decades too many people crashed them or left to sit in the back yard and rust away. Speaking of early rotary...lookup Jay Leno's Mazda Cosmo. First rotary from Mazda from the 60s. Love your videos. You get it. Not too serious and you always act like you are having fun. Great presentation.
The rx7's started out in 78' really as a pre 79' version. The 78' model was sold in august and came without a/c, no a passenger side mirror and a different kind interior than the 79'. Also what separated the 78-80 models from the 81-85 models were the rear end, where the 81-85 had tail lights that went strait across as one piece so the licence plate sat lower down than a 78-80 rear end where the tail lights where seperate with the licence plate in the center. All engines where the same 12a aluminum 1.1Ltr. Nikki 4 barrel carb engines, aside from the special limited edition 79' rx7 that came black with special rims which was also the first rx7 to hold a 13b engine which was carbed too, the interior was also different, there was only 5000 of them in production. I own a 78' and a 80' that i use for parts. i really enjoyed your video man, sweet car! And all rx7's from 78'-85 were recognized as the SA22C because that was the start of all the vin numbers for the cars.
That thing revs for days.... I have a few videos of my old '85 RX-7 GSL-SE project on my channel. I miss that car all the time, it was super fun. But not nearly as nice condition as this one. Plus mine had a pretty tired engine. Damn.. I want one again now.. I love the shape.
The first 2 I just found on my SF Bay local Craigslist both have salvaged titles... sigh. Here is a clean one for $2500, if they allow me to post URL's here, dunno.. sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/cto/4785777421.html
I owned 3 of these and they were NOT slow! They were nimble, fast and go-kart agile! They were very fast in their day-remember they were small and light!
You can floor it around a corner, they handle like a dream! My buddy had one when we were 16. The first time I drove it, I downshifted, took a right hand turn and floored it mid turn, and the tire broke loose but the car did not get out of control. His was the fuel injected version of this body style.
I have one of the cleanest 20b swapped rx7s in the world. Your more than welcome to do a review anytime or atleast before I wind up selling it and picking up a stang.
I owned an 85 GSL-SE (13B) that was very fun to drive. I'd consistently be a car length ahead of my friends 5.0 Mustangs until grabbing 3rd. Awesome car!
Nice 7 I have the 94 FD twin turbo in VA as well. Took 7 years to find one. It's currently automatic but working on the 5 speed swap. I have A complete engine and tranny along with rear as well for the swap just still searching for the 5 speed wire harness. Which is hard to find and getting rare. Enjoy all your road trips and reviews. I just found your channel and I'm still watching all the videos.
I miss my '81 every single day... SOOO much fun to drive... also, contrary to his review, the '79-85 all look the same, with only slight cosmetic changes... the overall body style didn't change in those years... mechanically they changed drastically, I would LOVE an '85 turbo with the disc brake rear end and a five speed!!!
I test drove one of these recently after going through rotary withdraw from selling my RX-8. Definitely a cool car. I recommend the GSL-SE model over the standard version.
Daily drove my 85 for a year including through the winter... bought it in Denver for $1500 after not having ran regularly for a few years. drove it back 500 miles to Omaha. Never had any problems with it. I’d have one again if I got the chance.
Thank you for this video ! I have an RX7 FA, and it's great to see old cars in youtube :) Many people don't care about an old RX7 but they don't know how much it's fun to drive one !
My second car was an 88 FC GXL.. I remember riding with the guy I bought it from.. and him saying "Red line it.. once you hear the buzzer.. shift!" I had it for 4 years, put over 100k miles on it driving it like that. Car was at 260k miles when someone pulled out in front of me. Only issue I ever had with the car was the windshield wipers not working and the back bumper was black and melted from the exhaust.. :) Other than that, it handled like a dream and will always be one of my favorite cars. I wish I could find another in that shape.
Hey ThatDudeinBlue , if you want to get some really good rotary footage and possibly some more rotaries to review, there's gonna be the East Coast Rotary Classic alongside Springfest this year. A rotary shop called Angel Motorsports is gonna be heading it, and they have some really nice cars, especially their FDs.
I own a 1980 SA rx7 12a impact turbo, a mazda 808 sedan with a bridgeport 13b and an 808 wagon with a streetport 12a. Very fun cars, they're all highly modified the rx7 is by far the best driver, they're all so different though. If you can experience a turbo rotary or even a big port NA, do it.
The clutch engaging at the top of its travel indicates a worn down clutch. Easy to remember if you can imaging how the pressure plate squeezes the clutch disk as you release the pedal and the pressure plate "fingers/levers" start pivoting bringing the pressure plate closer to the clutch disk thus sandwiching the clutch disk against the flywheel.
I have one of these and I've just been learning to drive stick on it! It's absolutely a joy to drive! I looooove reving it out and for that reason i absolutely love the rotary in general. And hondas i guess lol
My love for Mazdas started since I m was in first grade from the typical my dad had one (actually a 2WD B2500D)....but the last 2-3 years that love became an addiction...now I m 17 and hopefully one day I will have an FB (as a project car)or an FC or an 3 MPS.... (They ve hot dat sound and the looks) :P
These are such awesome little cars. I have an 85 GS, mostly stock. Only performance mod is previous owner has put in a GSL rear end, so it has discs and limited slip. Such a nice little car to drive.
My friends sister has a FB Rx-7 original everything. They had it in there garage for years, and I didnt even know it was an RX-7 until I got more into cars xD
I live in a relatively rural area in Pennsylvania and there were two rx7 fbs for sale in less than a half mile away from each other, one was a pretty striped out 1984 gsl se by a private seller and a restored gs for sale by a garage. I definitely think Pennsylvania and the Northeast part of the us is where these cars preside.
Hey guy. I actually on a 1979 SA rx-7. It's all original with only 75k. Actually still has the thermal reactor exhaust. And yes it has the buzzer. I also have a 2004 rx8. Gotta love the rotary
I was so close to buying one of these, but the maintenance was more than I was willing to put in and the only ones that were around me were rusted and well overdue for an engine rebuild.
I got an '83 Rx7 gsl in 1988. I lived in a smaller area at the time (60,000 ppl in the entire county) and am pretty sure I had the only one. No one new what it was or what the hell a rotary engine was. Completely under rated car for sure. Light to light racing was perfect for this car. Super light (2100 lbs), red line I think was close to 7000 rpm! and would chirp the tires going into 3rd if you were revving it out. Which I always was! 1st gen MR2s, Nissan Pulsars, Honda CRXs and the like just had nothing for that Rx7. Easy win, every time. The only relative car that I had trouble with was the Chevy Cavalier Z34 V6 manual transmission. We were always side by side it seemed. I hated that car lols. It also would light to light beat a few 'muscle cars' It wasn't until the '87 version of the IROC Z that I couldn't at least take them for a block or two before they were catching up. Fun fact. I won more money betting people on how many cylinders it had than racing maybe. When I told them they were wrong, I would ask them if they wanted to go double or nothing and I would open the hood and they could look at the engine and guess again. NOBODY ever got it right.
+Nick White 51mm IDA,fullcut bridgeport,all the usual mods,cold air intake,good headers,high flow twin 2.5" exhaust into 3" at the diff.Why so suprised?
Great video, my first nice car was an 85 rx7 with the same 12a motor. My car was completely stock and never backfired. I think that has to do with the low back pressure on the exhaust. So much fun to drive.
That buzzer tho! The RX-8 also has a shift buzzer near its 9000RPM redline and of course it has a big tachometer in your face saying "Hey you're going OVER 9000!!!!!"
AWESOME!!!!! i was going to message you and suggest it myself!! I have a 84' rx7 12a.. not fast AT ALL but it is a classic and fun as hell to drive!!! Great video, great review!
My dads dragbike has a engine from one of those cars! 2 chamber rotary! With nitrous. it makes around 650hp! It has a centrifugal clutch. So you can just give full throttle and it just goes!
I am just watching the part where you referring to the BRZ.... My opinion is that the BRZ is a very good base to start building up... On the RX7 now... Its very rare to spot stock ones and in good shape.... To the owner: keep high revin'!!!
My first car was an 84 RX7 (back in 2011) but I had the GSL-SE. That version had a higher HP engine and was fuel injected rather than carborated. That car was so fun and I miss it everyday, but my god it was unreliable. Also mine was one of the very few that came with power steering so I was lucky lol
yeah i stole my sister car all the time back in the 80's when i was 17 years old and boy that car was a lot fun. i still drive my manual car on high RPM because of the RX-7, of course I have to be more careful now because im dealing with pistons.
that PR flag(love it),I think every puertorican either had a rotary car or wants to have one. I love hondas and of course love my honda but I would change it for an rx7 ,a rotary samurai or mazda glc(323)in q heart beat
I've owned 3 "RX" Mazda's; a RX-4 with a 13B and two first gen RX-7's with 12A's. Each had over 150K miles, and I never had a problem with any of them. My dad also had a 1979 first gen and at about 150K he had a o-ring seal go bad between the housings and it would seep coolant into the chamber overnight, making for a foggy cold start in the am. He commuted quite a bit in it and I did mostly redline style city driving....so maybe there is some truth to the "rev it till she beeps and keep revving until the buzzer goes off....then shift" driving style required. Worked for me. The Miata deserved a rotary and I was disappointed when it didn't get one. The following RX-7's got to be to big, and technical and not as well suited to the rotary. A 13B Miata would have been exceptional ! Thanks for the trip back in time........ BTW, "moaning cow"??
It'b be awesome now that you've driven a slow FB, to have you drive an FC or FD with a built 20B swap in it. That's an entire different category of insane.
You should come to mass my friend tom has a fb 1979 he first owner the car has everything original everything is in excellent condition come down to Massachusetts
Seriously underrated car in the public eye.
While it didn't have the pop culture exposure the FC and FD did, it had more than enough racing pedigree to make up for it.
The first gen RX-7's were, by far, the most successful of all the RX cars in motorsports.
They competed in the Le Mans 24 every year they were in production, won the 1981 Spa 24 hours whilst punching far above it's weight class (taking on and beating cars like 6.0L Camaros and 3.0L BMW's), as well as making several successful Group B appearances in 1983 and 1984, in addition to being the most successful car to ever race in the IMSA GTU and GTO series', winning in one form or another for more than 7 consecutive years, well after the first gen RX-7's had stopped being manufactured!
It's a shame that these are so under-appreciated and even hated on in some circles. I've seen other, later, RX-7 owners claim that the first gen RX-7 wasn't a "real" RX-7.
5.7l camaro*
I have a 79 in restoring currently.
Wasn't it 1991 that Mazda won Le Mans?
I love FCs and FDs, but even the FB still is a cool legend in my heart. Those who say that it sucks are lame purist weirdos or fanboys who don’t know jack shit about the RX-7.
Good it needs to stay thay will until i can get one
My grandmother owned one of these back in her day lol.....she said she was flying down a highway and wrapped it around a electrity pole. She claims she didn't spill a drop of her beer and walked home.
Murica
Is called The porsche of the poor" fast like a porsche trust me
Yo gm a true gangster
My great great grandma owned one and one day she was getting groceries and flew it off a mountain and tumbled 20x. She walked away, doobie in hand
My first car! Manual choke, cassette player, flippy-lights! The things I remembered most about it. I also remember smelling like unburnt gas the whole day and the crazy ritual to start the car when it's cold. Even with a lack of power (about 100hp) these engines are insanely fun to wind out. It only had 80k original miles for a 30+ year old car.
I'm very happy with my current car (Abarth 500) but I still miss my first car.
My first car too bro, such a fun car to drive
Who cares if the thing is slow, it looks fucking fantastic.
***** thank you all
Funny how people don't say that about the FRS... in fact it is the opposite. "oh the FRS looks beautiful but it's just to slow"
(MrSniper)+ From Mars!
Maybe in 30 years....
Matthew Purdum What? Maybe they'll say that in 30 years? People already say that a lot today..
(MrSniper)+ From Mars! My fault. Maybe in 30 years people will have a different opinion about it. Meaning it being slower won't mean as much, kind of how this car was/is.
I've owned 5 FB's, wasted half my life on Rx-7 Forums and working on these things, built them from the ground up. it takes a serious passion to love these cars and its rare to see them around anymore, but when I do see one, its amazing! Great to see a review of such a seriously classic car. Thumbs up!
oooooo, it's got a rotary engine, IT'S GOT A ROTARY ENGINE, DID I TELL YOU HOW SMALL IT IS DID I TELL YOU HOW MUCH POWER IT MAKES?? DID I TELL YOU DLKSFJKSJF
Also, HEADLIGHTS GO UP, HEADLIGHTS GO DOWN UP DOWN UP DOWN UP DOWN UPPPPPP
Regular cars
XD carguy reviews
regular car reviews
Derp*
Special car reviews
The cow moan though.
Thanks for watching!
Great vid man !!
That cow moan line was hilarious
sil80!
If you get the chance to drive to drive a 88-91 model its quite different than a FB. I had 88 RX7 non turbo and I miss it everyday but having kids 12 years ago required me to get rid of it and buy something family friendly. I wanted an RX8 but it never got into a affordable used car range. Most I found had 75k+ miles and still asking $7-9K, low mileage cars still command $15-20K+! My 88 had a cold air intake, custom 2.5" exhaust with dual 4.5" tip HKS dragger style mufflers. Like the FB you drove it would backfire and shoot FLAMES! It was loud, obnoxious, and I LOVED IT! A friendly competition against anything sub 250hp was fun light to light. If you get to drive a FC RX non turbo above 70F in good shape and the owner is ok with it, come to a stop rev between 4500-5000rpm and drop the clutch. You will be surprised how well it hooks up. As for maintenance they do require more work than a normal car. I changed the oil every 2500 miles with ONLY standard oil no synthetics, check it weekly. Mine would go through about a quart or so between changes. I changed the plugs every 6-8 months. I replaced the radiator fluid every 2 years since the high heat breaks down coolant faster than a regular car. You must let the car warm up at least a solid 10-15 min before driving in the winter, don't do short stop and go with the engine cold. Do not rev the engine above 6k till the car is to full operating temp. Just some of the things I learned from my research/ownership. Parts can be difficult to find and expensive to ship if you live on the east coast. I had to pay $20 for 3 day shipping from CA on a $3 pilot bearing for the clutch because no auto parts shop could get one and the clutch kit didn't provide one. I do wish I could have got one of the last years of the RX8's with the R3 package and recaro seats. I will say they can be a very enjoyable car to drive but you can not buy one as a budget car. Do not expect to just go get a engine from a junk yard, as most will not sell it to you. Both because of the unusual nature of the engines and the fact that they command top dollar from re-builders of rotary engines they won't sell to just anyone. Do your homework before buying one. Mine had about 150K original miles when I sold it without seal issues.
the first one was an SA, not FA, it's the same car but the VIN changeover caused it to switch to FB
That no power steering life, you get used to it pretty quick. I trained my arms attempting to do tight turns while parking in crowded parking lots. These cars are so much fun!
My mum used to have one back in the mid 80's. It was a 1979 SA series 1 in red, manual. She had it as her first car. It was imported from Malaysia, Singapore to Australia. It was clean and had the original duck wing and bodykit. It had black vinyl interior and a gold pinstripe on the sides. It was all stock and was a head turner. It also used to wake up the whole neighbourhood with its constant backfiring. Just before she sold in the late 90's she had the original rotary engine reconditioned. She sold it for $7800. She regrets it everyday.
They ole school rides are so cool... BTW, love the opening sequence... Love the red interior.... car so quirky. Love Rob's reviews too... so much to learn from these ride since they are so different all around. thanks for another cool video.
Had one of these for my 2nd car at 17. I Drove the absolute crap out of it. I went through 2 transmissions and a rear end. The car had 300k on it by the time I got it. I worked all summer for my dad and he had the motor rebuilt and ported. It sounded like a weedwhacker. Im 40 now. One of these days i'll get another and have it worked over. Maybe I'll be a little nicer to it this time around......nah.
How did you go through 2 transmissions XD
+Kyle Counter I drove the shit out of it.
+Deezildennis you seem like a shit driver then
Probably still better than you. Stick to video games sweetheart.
Deezildennis well i have not broken 2 fucking transmission
Do you know what the clutch is?
My 85 Rx-7 GS, bought new, never had engine issues. Always changed the oil and gas filter (which is a pain to get to under the car) at 3k intervals. The issues I've had was the oil pressure gauge not functioning correctly, the steering seems a bit vague with that flat spot mentioned, and most recently problems passing CA smog test. The entire exhaust system has been replaced and passed emissions and the engine runs very well, though I wish I could boost the power a bit without endangering passing the smog test. Very durable car overall and serviced me well, rotaries don't deserve the negative reputation some give them. Usually it comes from die hard piston engine fans or those that never experienced a rotary. As far as the apex seal on the rotors are concerned, the very early rotary engines had issues with them but they were sorted out by the time the RX-7 was launched. Unfortunately this misconception still lingers and is propagated by the unenlightened.
This is my favorite gen of the RX7
***** It's cool, but no way it touches the fd
Jared Moore It has quite some character, which is what i like. Not that the FC or FD aren't badass either, i just like the FB more for some reason.
***** Yeah, anything with a rotary is automatically cool imo
Beautiful car!
Believe it or not, my first car was a '74 Mazda Rotary Pickup. I thought it had decent build quality in those days, but the engine was not durable and it consumed a lot of gas and oil. Plus it backfired a lot. [My family has owned 4 Mazdas. The Rotary is the only one we can complain about]
Great video David! I'd love to see you review more old cars like this one! These are so cool! My girlfriend's dad used to own an RX-7 of this generation and he loved it. I've never driven one, but if it reminds you of the BRZ then I'm sure I'd like it!
I'm a V8 swap guy now, but the sound of that rotary really brings back some happy memories
First time I heard a rotary idle, I said, "Wow! That car has a huge cam!"
I had a 79 RX7 and it was one of the best handling cars ever. If it broke loose no problem on power or not. Yep not a lot of power. Still the rear suspension had a little lacking.
Nothing the aftermarket can't fix!!!
Dude, thanks for the memories! I owned 2-79s, a 84 and a 85 with the 13B w/FI. Definitely fun quick, not fast little cars. Oh and don't be so scared to just let the tail hang out. These cars were drifting way before drifting was cool!
this is my favorite of all the rx7s, fd doesnt have shit on this classic
Well you are delusional
UPDATE- I also know it's SA but slang term around here was FA and FB. Thanks guys!
The FB owner's a Puerto Rican! We are everywhere!! :D
Hey David would you recommend a 2008 wrx hatch as a first car?
I'm Chris If you're one of those subaru fan boys, then yes....
I'm Chris
If you like blown head gaskets, yes
You don't blow shit if you drive it properly.
My grandpa owned one of these that he was the only owner ever. It was so fun. It wasn't just a car, it was an amazing place to be, a place to make memories, and it was so beautiful. A few years ago everything started breaking and he couldn't afford it anymore. I miss it so fucking much.
Hunt for it again! ..or buy a project one, there's plenty of rollers around and a few import shops that do engine imports as well. If you have the budget, of course, for example this one shop online did Stage 1, 2, and 3 engine builds. Stage 1 with streetport and a few durability options here and there was about $3k, just as much as I got my FB for.. :///
SO glad you finally reviewed a rotary. It's true, once you get one, you're stuck for life. I went from an fb to an RX8 and love it.
You know most reviews I watch about 1 and a half minutes, see the vibe the car gives you, then move to the next video.
This video was so interesting and well made that I watched the whole time. Keep up the good work!
I had mine 13 years and still goes hard and strong.....
My mom's sister had one of these back in the 80's. I remember riding around on the back "shelf" behind the seats. Car was damn cool.
First car with the Carburetor on the Channel. ? Are you sure? wasn't the big-ass Cady from "The GRIM REAPER Delivery Boy!-1979 Cadillac Hearse " with a carburetor as well?
You are probably right! Just overlooked.
ThatDudeinBlue
There was also the Corolla SR5.
ThatDudeinBlue When you find a AE86 Review it :D
I had an ‘82 GS in college and it was a blast. I made a trip from Sweet Briar College to William and Mary in 90 minutes averaging 117 MPH (It’s advertised top speed was 120, I saw 125 indicated). I think my car was extra strong. The only thing that wasn’t stock was the exhaust. I made that drive on all season tires in 1990. I didn’t get a ticket till I got back home in Lexington doing 35 in a 25. I was so lucky. About a year later I drove 110 from Lexington VA to Staunton and finally got pulled over, doing 75 in 55. The judge reduced my ticked to speedometer reading error and 10mph over the speed limit, saving me from a reckless driving charge. I was so lucky, if they only knew what I was doing prior to being pulled over. It was not a “fast” car but the RX-7 begs you to drive it fast and it rewards drivers who rev the engine, maintain momentum and don’t let off in turns (or you spin, ass and front trading places, similar to early 911’s). I miss that car and am looking for a good one today. I probably would mod it to make 140-150hp while keeping it N/A and otherwise stock (ok, maybe new bushings, coil overs, a LSD, upgraded brakes, new rims and summer tires, lol!)
I just picked up my 83' FB last friday for $700 (nowhere near the condition of this one), but it has over 257,600 miles on the original 12A and still running very strong, however, everything other than the engine has been failing, but parts are cheap as it's an 83', so that's nice at least, otherwise it's a great car and i'm happy to have it as my daily until I finish building my RX8:)
Good luck with your build man
About the same here...just picked up an 85 with 185K on it for 1700.00 runs well but needs paint + some TLC to make it nice again...had 2 79's+1 80 back in the day when I was much younger...now Im trying to re-kindle the flame! FUN cars!! /mike.
I owned an 84 rx-7 about ten years ago. It had a 13b cosmo motor and a hi flowed hitachi turbo set up you find in the FC. Turbo spools at 4500, and really not much pick up until then. Power band looked more like an on/off switch since you go from no power at all, to 'holy shit wheelspin'.
Welded diff meant full lock at all times. Understeers on corner entry, but powering out was what you looked forward to.
Anyways, it's awesome to see cars like these pop up in the channel, it really brings back memories of the old charesmaric cars of the pre 90's
I had one of these college --- I got so many speeding tickets is wasn't even funny.... these were the best sport cars out there -- that rotory engine was awesome -- I wish they still made this model -- exactly as it -- the choke and 5-speed manual -- loved it !!!
Back in 86-87 my brother had that same car in the same color scheme. They were actually quite popular but over the decades too many people crashed them or left to sit in the back yard and rust away.
Speaking of early rotary...lookup Jay Leno's Mazda Cosmo. First rotary from Mazda from the 60s.
Love your videos. You get it. Not too serious and you always act like you are having fun. Great presentation.
The rx7's started out in 78' really as a pre 79' version. The 78' model was sold in august and came without a/c, no a passenger side mirror and a different kind interior than the 79'. Also what separated the 78-80 models from the 81-85 models were the rear end, where the 81-85 had tail lights that went strait across as one piece so the licence plate sat lower down than a 78-80 rear end where the tail lights where seperate with the licence plate in the center. All engines where the same 12a aluminum 1.1Ltr. Nikki 4 barrel carb engines, aside from the special limited edition 79' rx7 that came black with special rims which was also the first rx7 to hold a 13b engine which was carbed too, the interior was also different, there was only 5000 of them in production. I own a 78' and a 80' that i use for parts. i really enjoyed your video man, sweet car! And all rx7's from 78'-85 were recognized as the SA22C because that was the start of all the vin numbers for the cars.
That thing revs for days.... I have a few videos of my old '85 RX-7 GSL-SE project on my channel. I miss that car all the time, it was super fun. But not nearly as nice condition as this one. Plus mine had a pretty tired engine. Damn.. I want one again now.. I love the shape.
The first 2 I just found on my SF Bay local Craigslist both have salvaged titles... sigh. Here is a clean one for $2500, if they allow me to post URL's here, dunno.. sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/cto/4785777421.html
I owned 3 of these and they were NOT slow! They were nimble, fast and go-kart agile! They were very fast in their day-remember they were small and light!
You can floor it around a corner, they handle like a dream! My buddy had one when we were 16. The first time I drove it, I downshifted, took a right hand turn and floored it mid turn, and the tire broke loose but the car did not get out of control. His was the fuel injected version of this body style.
The sound of this engine with the backfire, reminds me of my lil brothers 125cc pit bike with a straight exhaust.
I have one of the cleanest 20b swapped rx7s in the world. Your more than welcome to do a review anytime or atleast before I wind up selling it and picking up a stang.
Its right around 600whp on 10psi
I also have a 2008 jeep srt8 you can review and a 2004 rx8 as well.
+Rotary Nate I recommend you directly message him or email him.
Why would anyone trade a rx7 for ANY mustang
+Andrew Andrade because I build cars
I owned an 85 GSL-SE (13B) that was very fun to drive. I'd consistently be a car length ahead of my friends 5.0 Mustangs until grabbing 3rd. Awesome car!
Nice 7 I have the 94 FD twin turbo in VA as well. Took 7 years to find one. It's currently automatic but working on the 5 speed swap. I have A complete engine and tranny along with rear as well for the swap just still searching for the 5 speed wire harness. Which is hard to find and getting rare. Enjoy all your road trips and reviews. I just found your channel and I'm still watching all the videos.
I loved my 84 rx7.... leather seats, power windows, amazing stereo.. 2 seater... fun little car.
I miss my '81 every single day... SOOO much fun to drive... also, contrary to his review, the '79-85 all look the same, with only slight cosmetic changes... the overall body style didn't change in those years... mechanically they changed drastically, I would LOVE an '85 turbo with the disc brake rear end and a five speed!!!
Ive been in love with this car since my neighbor brought her home in 93. And after all these years, I still want her.
My boss had a '81 white with the red interior. Put almost 200,000 miles on it and it ran like a top. Fast and loved to rev.
its sooo nice to hear the stock shift warning sound... i got a 85 GSL and its the best thing i own
I test drove one of these recently after going through rotary withdraw from selling my RX-8. Definitely a cool car. I recommend the GSL-SE model over the standard version.
Daily drove my 85 for a year including through the winter... bought it in Denver for $1500 after not having ran regularly for a few years. drove it back 500 miles to Omaha. Never had any problems with it. I’d have one again if I got the chance.
Thank you for this video ! I have an RX7 FA, and it's great to see old cars in youtube :) Many people don't care about an old RX7 but they don't know how much it's fun to drive one !
When you pop the hood, "There's so much room for activities!"
I have had my 85 RX-7 12-A for twenty five years and it's still a head turner.
My second car was an 88 FC GXL.. I remember riding with the guy I bought it from.. and him saying "Red line it.. once you hear the buzzer.. shift!" I had it for 4 years, put over 100k miles on it driving it like that. Car was at 260k miles when someone pulled out in front of me. Only issue I ever had with the car was the windshield wipers not working and the back bumper was black and melted from the exhaust.. :) Other than that, it handled like a dream and will always be one of my favorite cars. I wish I could find another in that shape.
Hey ThatDudeinBlue , if you want to get some really good rotary footage and possibly some more rotaries to review, there's gonna be the East Coast Rotary Classic alongside Springfest this year. A rotary shop called Angel Motorsports is gonna be heading it, and they have some really nice cars, especially their FDs.
Great review as usual. Also it was cool finally playing Horizon 2 with you yesterday, I was 'Can I get a map', lol. Love your videos man.
I own a 1980 SA rx7 12a impact turbo, a mazda 808 sedan with a bridgeport 13b and an 808 wagon with a streetport 12a.
Very fun cars, they're all highly modified the rx7 is by far the best driver, they're all so different though.
If you can experience a turbo rotary or even a big port NA, do it.
where can i get a turbo for my 85 12A engine? i had an ARKAY turbo in my 79 years ago but there impossible to find anymore it seems... Mike.
The clutch engaging at the top of its travel indicates a worn down clutch. Easy to remember if you can imaging how the pressure plate squeezes the clutch disk as you release the pedal and the pressure plate "fingers/levers" start pivoting bringing the pressure plate closer to the clutch disk thus sandwiching the clutch disk against the flywheel.
dude the intro music you play is always so epic.
I have one of these and I've just been learning to drive stick on it! It's absolutely a joy to drive! I looooove reving it out and for that reason i absolutely love the rotary in general. And hondas i guess lol
My love for Mazdas started since I m was in first grade from the typical my dad had one (actually a 2WD B2500D)....but the last 2-3 years that love became an addiction...now I m 17 and hopefully one day I will have an FB (as a project car)or an FC or an 3 MPS.... (They ve hot dat sound and the looks) :P
ahh i cant wait to get my Rx7 back on the road. Need to hear that wonderful brap once again.
PR flag ! all my uncles had that generation rx7. very popular over here in the bronx at that time.
First rotary in my family believe it or not. The pr flag never leaves the window. I take the tickets.
Honestly i think PR has the biggest rotary scene
It actually does.
We have the fastest rotary cars in PR 20b under 6.19 and a 13b 6.50 kinda there or lower.. :)
AlphaWhisky 410 Closely followed by Japan, New Zealand and Australia.
Yeah
These are such awesome little cars. I have an 85 GS, mostly stock. Only performance mod is previous owner has put in a GSL rear end, so it has discs and limited slip. Such a nice little car to drive.
My friends sister has a FB Rx-7 original everything. They had it in there garage for years, and I didnt even know it was an RX-7 until I got more into cars xD
I love this car. Huge potential to fix up. The shifting is like butter. The revs are insane and super fun 🙂
this video was so car-comunity-wholesome, Thanks David!
BRAP BRAP BRAP. I love rotaries and all of the high revving goodness that comes from it.
Great review David. I think this saying applies to this car aswell."Who shall be last, shall be sideways and smilling."
I want one. I’ve always wanted a rotary, but this body style I’m liking
I live in a relatively rural area in Pennsylvania and there were two rx7 fbs for sale in less than a half mile away from each other, one was a pretty striped out 1984 gsl se by a private seller and a restored gs for sale by a garage. I definitely think Pennsylvania and the Northeast part of the us is where these cars preside.
Almost bought one of these that had been sitting in a backyard for a few months for $800. Just needed a tune up and some paint and weatherstripping.
Glad to see someone saying good things about the greatest car ever made for once!
such a amazing car, FB are definitely in the top 3 for favorite cars
Hey guy. I actually on a 1979 SA rx-7. It's all original with only 75k. Actually still has the thermal reactor exhaust. And yes it has the buzzer. I also have a 2004 rx8. Gotta love the rotary
My dad has an RX7 that he stripped out and took to Sebring. It was an incredible track car. He still has it.
also that rev "beep" was amazing when racing
I was so close to buying one of these, but the maintenance was more than I was willing to put in and the only ones that were around me were rusted and well overdue for an engine rebuild.
I got an '83 Rx7 gsl in 1988. I lived in a smaller area at the time (60,000 ppl in the entire county) and am pretty sure I had the only one. No one new what it was or what the hell a rotary engine was. Completely under rated car for sure. Light to light racing was perfect for this car. Super light (2100 lbs), red line I think was close to 7000 rpm! and would chirp the tires going into 3rd if you were revving it out. Which I always was! 1st gen MR2s, Nissan Pulsars, Honda CRXs and the like just had nothing for that Rx7. Easy win, every time. The only relative car that I had trouble with was the Chevy Cavalier Z34 V6 manual transmission. We were always side by side it seemed. I hated that car lols. It also would light to light beat a few 'muscle cars' It wasn't until the '87 version of the IROC Z that I couldn't at least take them for a block or two before they were catching up. Fun fact. I won more money betting people on how many cylinders it had than racing maybe. When I told them they were wrong, I would ask them if they wanted to go double or nothing and I would open the hood and they could look at the engine and guess again. NOBODY ever got it right.
These were one of the hottest cars in the 80's! I owned several. I loved them all!!!!
I love my 79 Rx7,12a N/A Carburetored,230hp
P port?
+Nick White Bridgeport
+SideKickNz how?
+Nick White 51mm IDA,fullcut bridgeport,all the usual mods,cold air intake,good headers,high flow twin 2.5" exhaust into 3" at the diff.Why so suprised?
@@SideKickNz had 1 with an ARKAY turbo...FUN FUN FUN car!!Got a 85 now+ lookin for a turbo for it! Mike.
Great video, my first nice car was an 85 rx7 with the same 12a motor. My car was completely stock and never backfired. I think that has to do with the low back pressure on the exhaust. So much fun to drive.
+mike brunke It's a combination of not running a catalytic converter, and the typically rich nature of rotaries.
That buzzer tho! The RX-8 also has a shift buzzer near its 9000RPM redline and of course it has a big tachometer in your face saying "Hey you're going OVER 9000!!!!!"
AWESOME!!!!! i was going to message you and suggest it myself!! I have a 84' rx7 12a.. not fast AT ALL but it is a classic and fun as hell to drive!!! Great video, great review!
Damn both 300ZX and RX7 in such a short time? Dream came true my man ahah.. Have a great Christmas!
Had a 85 GSL same color .Loved that car
My dads dragbike has a engine from one of those cars! 2 chamber rotary! With nitrous. it makes around 650hp! It has a centrifugal clutch. So you can just give full throttle and it just goes!
I has an 81 that was near showroom when I was a teenager. Wish I would have kept it. It had the 12A motor.
I have a 85 FB RX7. I was waiting for you to review one, thanks David.
Lol u watch him too
DUUUUDE NO WAY IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS LIKE FOR EVER
I am just watching the part where you referring to the BRZ.... My opinion is that the BRZ is a very good base to start building up...
On the RX7 now... Its very rare to spot stock ones and in good shape.... To the owner: keep high revin'!!!
My first car was an 84 RX7 (back in 2011) but I had the GSL-SE. That version had a higher HP engine and was fuel injected rather than carborated. That car was so fun and I miss it everyday, but my god it was unreliable. Also mine was one of the very few that came with power steering so I was lucky lol
These things are horrible in the cold! Mine barely started yesterday and today right before work, I was so mad!
yeah i stole my sister car all the time back in the 80's when i was 17 years old and boy that car was a lot fun. i still drive my manual car on high RPM because of the RX-7, of course I have to be more careful now because im dealing with pistons.
that PR flag(love it),I think every puertorican either had a rotary car or wants to have one. I love hondas and of course love my honda but I would change it for an rx7 ,a rotary samurai or mazda glc(323)in q heart beat
I've owned 3 "RX" Mazda's; a RX-4 with a 13B and two first gen RX-7's with 12A's. Each had over 150K miles, and I never had a problem with any of them. My dad also had a 1979 first gen and at about 150K he had a o-ring seal go bad between the housings and it would seep coolant into the chamber overnight, making for a foggy cold start in the am. He commuted quite a bit in it and I did mostly redline style city driving....so maybe there is some truth to the "rev it till she beeps and keep revving until the buzzer goes off....then shift" driving style required. Worked for me. The Miata deserved a rotary and I was disappointed when it didn't get one. The following RX-7's got to be to big, and technical and not as well suited to the rotary. A 13B Miata would have been exceptional ! Thanks for the trip back in time........ BTW, "moaning cow"??
It'b be awesome now that you've driven a slow FB, to have you drive an FC or FD with a built 20B swap in it. That's an entire different category of insane.
You should come to mass my friend tom has a fb 1979 he first owner the car has everything original everything is in excellent condition come down to Massachusetts
In the early 90's a buddy of mine had a '83 with a 13b swap and had the same color scheme. It looked exactly like that minus that stupid wing.
101hp for '83 was good. The 5.0 GT Mustangs had 175hp. Dark times for sure...
My favourite car out there, Great vid dude, never disappoint
I appreciate it. Some like it some don't. Well a lot don't lol
a buddy of mine in high school dropped a 350ci in a 1986 rx-7.....thing was crazy fast
+daleon96 If that car was fun with the 101hp just think about a V8 swap 200-300hp and 300lbs of torque! Now we see why they were so popular for swaps.
Petrol360 stfu
Finally, he did an rx!! Woo!
You know, if you're ever randomly in the Wisconsin/Illinois area in the summer I'll let you drive my FC! :)
ThatDudeinBlue The first video i saw on this channel was the tanked 240 SX i love that car!