This Tastefully Modified Mazda RX-7 is Petrolhead Perfection (JDM Legends Tour Pt. 2)
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- Опубликовано: 26 сен 2024
- Being a part of the Gran Turismo generation means I've always held JDM cars in high regard, but I've not driven many of these iconic cars. Thanks to viewer Roy, I now have the chance to sample one of the most interesting of all the JDM icons - the rotary engined Mazda RX-7
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The RX7 body hasn't aged a day.
tru dud
Still one of the sleekest and most desirable body shells that I've ever seen.
Jeremy it’s damn near perfect imo
Almost no straight line and it's not overly curved like an old Porsche or beetle. It'll always look great doesn't matter if the current trend is boxy or curvy.
I've always been a huge Nissan fan, I've had 4 skylines over the years, but damn the FD design was beautiful.
Love the supra and the other rx7's rivals, however the rx7 handles great so much that it gives the nsx a run for its money and I believe its the most beautiful Japanese car of all time
It just looks so much better than it's contempories.
At 14.7 water injection isn't needed even with the stock IC. They are actually very reliable they just don't last long in boosted form. There are single setups today that have less lag than the twins and will support 400whp, more than the twins can reliably do, though most people opt for a bigger turbo. I was concerned with big turbo lag but it's actually not hard to live with really. In civilized driving it's laggy for sure, but once past 4500 it's NA responsive. There is never a time when you can't down shift to 4500, it's just past 20mph in 1st and below that it doesn't matter. No red line shift will put below 5000. There is adequate power from 2500 to keep you moving with traffic.
OK the hood is aluminum, as are the pedals and the major suspension parts. All the steel body panels are also very thin. The rake of the front windscreen is more upright because it saved weight and the body was form fitted around the chassis like a race car. So while it doesn't use exotic materials by today's standards it's was very advanced for the early 90's.
I'm running 450whp and past 85k still with solid compression, so it's well in the average for stock twins with over twice hp. The spooky rear suspension is Mazda thing. I haven't been able to tune it out with a fully aftermarket suspension. I have never bottomed out the suspension from cornering, with either stock suspension on a touring model or the my lowered after market suspension. The moving around under braking is worn out bushings it shouldn't do that.
The biggest down side when compared with a modern car is it's not forgiving at all. The limits are high and it gives no warning when you pass them. Provided you don't panic lift it's very easy to control in a slide. If you panic you will loop it. My setup will pull over 1g and can make right hand turns at an intersection with US lanes at 45mph without leaving the right hand lane fun for scaring the shit out of cup holders, aka passengers.
~Single owner 94' car
lol you know what my mx6 has the same rear suspension sway presumably because of the 4ws but it feels quite unsettling if you're not used to it haha
In my opinion this is the nicest car ever to come out of Japan and one of the nicest cars ever made! I absolutely love them!
The best looking of all the RX models. I remember when it came out reading that the head designer took his whole team to a kart track to instill in them what light weight can create in terms of performance and handling. The result was a far smaller, lighter and capable vehicle than the previous generation car.
I've had mine for 20 years and have 170,000 miles on it. I love driving it and I will never get rid of it. I get comments almost every time I drive it.
If Mazda had gotten their team together and quarantined me for 6 months in an attempt to make the perfect car for me, they couldn't have done better.
Part of the reason the car has aged so well is the rarity. The other reason is that it is simply a beautiful, clean design.
Nice review...
rexseven93 -- how many engines have you gone thru?
I am on my second. Total mileage is 173K. First was just under 100k. Rotor tip seal run amok.
Do you rebuild or just buy a new motor?
I got a reman put in last time. It's cost effective when you have damage. If you are going to do it all yourself and you are just trying to get compression back, it's probably better to get the parts you need and overhaul it yourself.
It's still gorgeous after all these years
I used the daily drive an rx7 and dont remember fuel economy being an issue. Never had an issue with oil between services either. In stock form, they are a reliable car.
Did you use premix? How many miles did it get up to?
You're spot on in regards to why the Rx7 gets a bad rep when it comes to unreliability due to people not maintaining them properly and improperly modifying then, but having said that, as a fd owner, I have to admit, part of the rep is warranted due to how unforgiving the engine is to improper turning or just random run time glitches that came up. Piston engines will deal with some amount of knock or detonation and not have a catastrophic failure. With a rotary, you're pretty much in for a rebuild the second the engine detonates. On my car the fuel pressure dropped for a split second and it meant rebuild time. Also most people tend to skimp on proper turning as it can be quite expensive and that'll eventually lead to engine failure. Also rotaries run hot and really don't like being overheated. Any rotary guy will say it's a love hate relationship, but it's an incredible car when running properly. No other rational justification needed.
Douglas Jardine extremely well said, it's been a while for me now, but I am thinking very hard about buying another 7 (or perhaps an 8 as I love non turbo rotary music the most lol).
They get a bad rap, but none of the previous owners have ever done anything wrong with/to the cars, ever. It's true, I read it on the internet lol.
I'm surprised you didn't say something about the car's attractiveness. That's what most people talk about here in the US and why the price is so high. I liked what you said about the the engine, maintenance and reliability. That was different from what I had heard and was good information.
+Joe Wilder Looks are quite subjective, it is a very pretty car though and I think has dated much better than other cars of this period
Nice piece :) I have a similar FD (not as clean though), I think you caught the essence of the RX-7 as a true sports car - it's not just about the engine, it's the whole package that is light and balanced enough to work well on road and track at the same time. And yeah, the sequential turbos give a decent imitation of a big nat-asp engine in terms of the response and reach of the powerband. It really comes alive when driven hard, obviously not something to try with a borrowed car on the public roads though (!)
rx7 was my favourite car in gran turismo 2
VERY BEAUTIFUL CAR
I bought a 1986 RX7 in 1989. I loved it(actually fell in love with it) from the moment the seller(a young dude who had bought it from his Father) pushed it out of their garage..the battery had been dis-connected.
I had gone to Weston-Super-Mare to view what turned out to be a rusted-out XR2. Disappointed, i looked through a TRADE-IT journal and spotted this beast of a car up for sale at £3,200.
I had £2,500 in cold hard cash...with what appeared like zero chance of coming away with a car which had already been dropped from £4,000 at the time.
After a lot of haggling, ney, begging(and the seller wanting the money for a deposit on a Flat so he could move out of home with his chick) and because no offers were made on it...he reluctantly said YES. Like him, he knew this beautiful car was going to be loved and cherished.
It felt like a space-ship. Unbelievably, the shape of things was to come. Within one hour of buying it, a bloke made me an offer on it after i had pulled into a fuel garage...i declined...the offer was £3,500.
I was in love though and for three years, i never once wanted to let this gem go. Just staring at it's beauty, daily, was enough to still attract me.
Sadly, due to running a small business, i needed a cash injection and C28WHN had to go up for sale.
Bought by my landlord for £3,500, i let the most beautiful car go...amazingly i couldn't be there when that epic motor was taken away. Later on i heard that my landlord had sold it two years later to his niece in Bristol.
10 years later an unbelievable moment happened...i spotted C28WHN at the side of the road. What i saw in front of me was that beautiful beast with what appeared to be evidence of a blown engine...ABSOLUTELY HEART-BREAKING...how could anybody treat a classic beauty like that. I visited the owner and even made a BUY-BACK offer, but the fools who had raced it on a track refused...and confused at why a stranger had pulled over and made an offer on a car without a FOR SALE sign on it. My answer was simple.
REAL LOVE...IS ALWAYS REAL LOVE.
R.I.P. "C28WHN".......my photographs of you may be a distant memory but you were and still are total evidence that a man can FALL IN LOVE with a car.
Excellent example of an FD you have here, Roy
Just purchased a series 7 rs in Japan. Can’t wait for it to arrive
STILL one of the prettiest cars to come out of Japan. Another excellent professional review!
My dawgs FB chillin with 350k miles on the og engine when people say RX7s are unreliable: :0
This is such a beautiful car!
FD Rx7 are so good looking imo. The rotary engine is special, the sounds too. Love this car to death.
I have owned two Rx7 and my current car is the same as the one reviewed. This video is easily the best review and i agree with everything said. Well done. More Rx7 content please.
Great intro, spot on about the ECU. I was lucky enough to own a 93 base model back in 97 in Canada, I was abit too young to own on back in 93. The reliability issue wasn't there IF you know how to mod the car and maintain it. The ECU and the air/fuel ratio guage was my first mod and I always have a bottle of engine oil with me in the car. Boy it was loads of fun on solo 1 and solo 2 events and track days. Watching this video made me want to get one again.
Series 8 TypersRS '99 spec RX7...just the best car ever to come from Japan; looks,poise,power,precision.
very nice, I loved my FD3S which I owned almost 20 years but there are so many great new cars I don't regret moving on.
Every time you go out you're supposed to redline them a bit to get oil to the apex seals. Once properly warmed up of course. Also I've seen a fair few people recommend you premix some decent 2 stroke oil in when filling them up
The car is just absolutely beautiful do you think that it was manufactured 25 years ago it’s on freaking believable great job Mazda that’s why I am a Mazda fan boy what is the attention to detail for small company is unprecedented and the driving experience means a lot to them and us
Great looks, great sound, just the right mods without trying to turn it into some JDM monster. Beautiful car, respect to the owner for keeping it in such nice trim.
Regarding reliability and modifications, it always seemed to me that rotaries were no worse than a modified GTR or GTS-T. Show me a heavily modified and hard-driven example of those that isn't blowing smoke. JayEmm is bang on the money, the biggest enemy of reliability is the owner with more dollars than sense.
My next car. So beautiful.
The inside reminds me of the GT four my step dad had in the mid 90s. Lots of black plether, all dials turned into the driver. Defo a car of its time.
Would really like one of these. This one looks mint indeed.
I love the RX-7. Great review as per usual, and I would definitely buy one with my own money if I find myself in a position to do exactly that.
Nice video Jimmy!! Like others I sensed you liked but not loved this.. always wanted to try one too
+Number27 I really liked the car, I don't think I had the time to love it but sense I would. It definitely impressed me more than I thought it would.
Those late model RX7's were the best of the bunch. Beautiful to look at and with quite a bit more power, compared to the first incarnation.
The problem was not specifically the engine but more likely the way they were driven. I heard an unofficial rumour along the lines of..... for best use, take it to the redline, then keep it going for another 2k revs...... then think about changing up.
RIP RX7. Nice upload Jay 👍.
It’s beautiful
And it makes all the right sounds
And thats what I called a tastefull modifiaction. Not that Fast and Furious colorfull childish bullshit.
Beautiful!!!!
What a truly stunning car!!!!
My dream car!
I owned & loved a ‘79 RX7 1.1L, 4 barrel carbureted, in the early-mid ‘80’s. The key to it’s performance was the absence of 50% of the typical engine weight of a piston driven engine. Rotary engines were originally developed by Wankel in the 1930’s to power Nazi bombers....the less engine weight an aircraft carries the more bombs it can carry.
This has always been one of my favorite JDM cars, however rotory engines are notoriously high maintenance and pretty unreliable. That last part has always been a deal breaker for me. Otherwise I adore this car.
Would love to have a go driving one of these.
Best Japanese car ever made.
I ❤️ turbo lag... but somehow, I can find a way to love this car too 😅
Jay
You are Mr Lotus, I am surprised you only make
brief comparison to your Evora......? Would enjoy hearing more Lotus comparisons concerning handling. ....
You really do an excellent job of clarifying those differences between the Lotus models and other cars like the Caterham. For those of us who are interested but lack your opportunities it is great to both hear consider your well reasoned opinion. I am always interested the comparison of the "pure driving and handling pleaseure on curving back roads" between different models. For drivers like my self who will never be on a track and are not concerned about lap times it is the experience that we enjoy. ...! Also you might consider giving both the pounds and dollars for all your fans in the US.
thanks
just jim
Hi Jim
I didn't want to talk too much about the Evora, because it isn't a fair comparison at all, and I talk a lot about the Evora in other videos. Talking in dollars is something I may do, but the problem is the exchange rate changes so much within a couple of months my numbers will be completely wrong... also the price in US/UK is different not just because of the different currency
Sorry Jay, can you do the intro over... I couldn't hear anything you were saying as I was mesmerised by this thing's sensuous looks. This may very well be the most beautiful Japanese car of all time. It makes the Z32 300ZX look fat, the NSX look gaunt, and everything else look pretty ridiculous.
Yeah, when they first came out i couldnt stop staring at them. Possibly the outright best looking car of its time. Im a bit of a rotary guy so kinda used to the looks now but its hasnt dated.
agreed. save for nsx this is sublime in the looks dept. best in show.
Very solid review
Thankyou
What where some of those mods? they blended with the car so we’ll they almost looked stock I saw the rear canards I think that’s how u spell it and the side skirts
These cars would be so much better with something like a Honda 4 cylinder.
The RX-7 is still beautiful. No back seat is why i bought a Supra.
At 5:49 automatic subs says “Music”
Indeed YT, indeed.
There's a reason ryosuke and keisuke drove rx7s!!
Yeah, I like the smell in here. It smells like ｃａｒ.
its almost like BBS are the only wheels that fit on it
Laguna Seca on your jacket?
solid review jay. though makes me wonder if the jdm craze outside of the supra and nsx is overblown. you seemed pleasantly surprised but not very passionate about the rx7. whats holding you back?
+G Garrison I think it's just the RX-7 is never a car I lusted after, but this definitely impressed me and I would happily own one
8:20 can someone describe what does a car supposed to smell like?
I am currently battling between getting a 96 FD and 07 Lotus Exige S240. Please help me out.
+Anson TAM what do you need from a car?
JayEmm on Cars getting a FD back is really a sentimental thing more than anything. This will be a second car for me to drive around having fun on my own without the kids and occational track days. So both the FD and Exige does the job.
+Anson TAM FD better road car, Exige better track car. I would personally get an FD
This model's predecessor was an out and out Porsche 944 clone. I still prefer the RX-8
Is that a spirit R??
Timeless Car, truly.
Really too bad Mazda didnt continue it this way (granted, (I like the RX8 as well, but its just more of a sporty Coupe than a Sports Car).
Lets hope the often cited Project RX DOES manage to be completed some time. Given the time Mazda had to design Body and Suspension, given its three (?) Abortions so far let one expect amazing things IF it truly gets built.
Sadly probably for the price of a Porsche ^^
Rims/Wheels could have been better
9:30
Very beautiful car, just a shame about the engine.
Not a 1.3l , it's a 2.6 but still amazing cars
13b is a 1.3 liter
GTA4haterHQ
1.3L per rotor x2 rotors =2.6
Each rotor is 1308cc
Well it is and it isn't, the swept volume is 1.3l, but because each rotor has a power stoke every rotation of the crank unlike a piston engine where only half of the pistons fire every crank rotation the equivalent power generating volume/crank rotation is the same as a piston engine of twice the size.
Nice to look at, but to own? No thanks.
They look fantastic and excellent design you have to wonder who designed the rx8, Stevie wonder, it looks like a piece of crap. A guy down the road had a black 7 and he made it look fantastic, it was only the psssssew every time he changed gear that made him look a prat, shame, it looked like the bat mobil.
NO NO NO, do not put any synthetic in lol
upgrade all stock oil hoses/lines to new better hoses = engine life and WIN
Yes FD's were originaly designed in late 80's early 90's like u said but Mazda did however rework them for 96-98 modles and again for 99--02 models. a lot changed since initial release soooo this car ur driving being a 99 wasnt rly a product of the 80's.
I owned a RX7 its great until it breaks then god help you it will bankrupt you easily so buyer please be aware does about 18 mpg,spark plugs are very expensive also.
When I heard the word rotary engine I also think of one additional thing. Sounds like a honda that bolted everything on possible at pep-boys. Man they sound horrible. God damn shame too. The Rx-7 is a beautiful car and feels great to drive
This one didn't sound like that, actually was quite subdued
It is a great car bolted to a very problematic engine.
The Dyno chart of this car below.
imgur.com/a/t3i2K5c
Tastefully? Seriously? I doubt that.
Ohlins coilovers. That's it. That's not tasteful?
Rx-7s are way too over-rated.
u mum gay
You NEED to drive a NSX too! Preferably Type-R!
I know! Unfortunately I don't get to choose what I am able to review, but I'd love to do an NSX if anyone offered
Someone speak up and get this man a NSX, new AND old, to review, please!
what a specimen! OMG! this is perfect! Öhlins suspension, the wheels, only slight engine mods and leaving the catalytic converter in, exactly as i would do it, given the budget.
There's a reason ryosuke and keisuke drove rx7s!!
Lovely example. They really are a pretty car. Sounds like it's great to drive too.
Here's the proof on how good the Mazda Rx7 is:
www.carsguide.com.au/oversteer/the-aussie-rotary-rocketship-that-humiliated-porsche-62213
RUclips algorithm did well 👍
One of the most beautiful front sections, of any car I have ever seen.
I get 10-11L/100kms with a light mod S14a sr20det
Rotarys definitely drink!
Needs more hooning
+Robert S We weren't going slow, but I have to be careful as I know the police watch the videos
James you should definitely try find a clean MR2 to review, I think your mid-engine perspective with the Evora would make some interesting discussion as apposed to other youtube reviewers that have never driven a mid-engine car before.
Turbo preferably
Some MR2 content will be coming soon, the moment Lawrie's is back on the road