RE: Mazda RX-7 Spirit R: Spotted
Discussion
Have to agree, if an NSX is worth £30k for a ropey example all the way up to six figures for a Type R, this seems like an absolute bargain. In terms of driving ability\dynamics, I'd say it's on par with the NSX but IMO is a better looking car. The NSX looks awkward from some angles but I don't think this car has bad line on it, in fact I'd say it's one of best resolved designs to come out of Japan. I can only think it's the engine scare stories that are keeping the prices of these down.
Have to say I'm seriously tempted to have a look at this.
Have to say I'm seriously tempted to have a look at this.
Worth pointing out that you can buy a normal 99-spec (Series 8) FD for £10k, so don't focus too much on the price of the featured example.
The Spirit R's command unreasonably higher prices because they're rare, and they're the ultimate version of the ultimate rotary sports car, so rotary addicts compete to get hold of them. However there's nothing that fundamental that sets them apart from other Series 8 cars, so if you just want to enjoy driving one of the best front-engined, rear-wheel-drive sports cars, a regular model will fit the bill just fine.
My FD has been pricey to run, but worth it for the drive.
The Spirit R's command unreasonably higher prices because they're rare, and they're the ultimate version of the ultimate rotary sports car, so rotary addicts compete to get hold of them. However there's nothing that fundamental that sets them apart from other Series 8 cars, so if you just want to enjoy driving one of the best front-engined, rear-wheel-drive sports cars, a regular model will fit the bill just fine.
My FD has been pricey to run, but worth it for the drive.
The RX-7 is the ONLY Jap metal I have ever remotely considered buying. It is such a lovely looking thing and hats off to them for persevering with the wankel.
I ended up with a less troublesome TVR
as all pure RX-7's of this gen seemed to have been drifter-boy'd. All special editions will have desirability but debateable value. As always its worth what someone's prepared to pay for it.
I ended up with a less troublesome TVR
as all pure RX-7's of this gen seemed to have been drifter-boy'd. All special editions will have desirability but debateable value. As always its worth what someone's prepared to pay for it.Wonderful!
Used to enjoy watching the BMI vids of these going against NSX-Rs and European sports/supercars. This and the NSX-R used to really show up modern Ferraris etc!
I was under the impression there were more modified than what is listed; did they do a more extreme version? The laptimes were much better than standard RX7 and comparable with the (NA1) NSX-R.
Used to enjoy watching the BMI vids of these going against NSX-Rs and European sports/supercars. This and the NSX-R used to really show up modern Ferraris etc!
I was under the impression there were more modified than what is listed; did they do a more extreme version? The laptimes were much better than standard RX7 and comparable with the (NA1) NSX-R.
How much?! Ok it's a special edition and Mega low miles but wow... You could by three absolutely mint standard ones for that. UKDM ones as well. And as for that UK car at £15k, that's been for sale for a while now, was up at over 15 a few weeks ago. I know of one with admittedly higher mileage but just as good condition and same spec for sale for less than half that 
Edited by Williams99 on Tuesday 26th May 23:38
These are sweet .
I bought one back in 2005 , fantastic machine , you'll never find a factory car outside say an RS Porsche with race car adjustability in the chassis .
This one in Montego Blue & being a 'typeA' with the recaro's is a rare find with that mileage . Appears to have an AutoExe front carbon splitter . If its got the factory Bilsteins still in it , then someone buy this!! Watch values rise in the future . Already a modern classic in my eyes .
I bought one back in 2005 , fantastic machine , you'll never find a factory car outside say an RS Porsche with race car adjustability in the chassis .
This one in Montego Blue & being a 'typeA' with the recaro's is a rare find with that mileage . Appears to have an AutoExe front carbon splitter . If its got the factory Bilsteins still in it , then someone buy this!! Watch values rise in the future . Already a modern classic in my eyes .
AB5150 said:
These are sweet .
This one in Montego Blue & being a 'typeA' with the recaro's is a rare find with that mileage .
Innocent Blue Mica rather than Montego Blue (which was on the early 92-94 cars). My Blue Mica 2000 RS is basically the same as the Spirit R. The uprated turbo help on the later cars, mine is still standard but dyno'd at 310bhp.This one in Montego Blue & being a 'typeA' with the recaro's is a rare find with that mileage .
Video of it on Wheeler Dealers (0:50 to 1:36).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhHiorY8bhs
Apart from 20mpg, it has been really cheap to run.
Edited by rotarymazda on Wednesday 27th May 15:35
samoht said:
Worth pointing out that you can buy a normal 99-spec (Series 8) FD for £10k, so don't focus too much on the price of the featured example.
.... However there's nothing that fundamental that sets them apart from other Series 8 cars...
The one you link to is an RB model with the standard turbo. The R/RS/Spirit have the upgraded one and the better brakes..... However there's nothing that fundamental that sets them apart from other Series 8 cars...
Original article says "Not as extensive as the Type R modifications but significant enough"
The Spirit R has all the R mods and more.
Edited by rotarymazda on Wednesday 27th May 15:34
I'm really hoping that some of this JDM love filters down to the Celica RC/CS, genuine homologation model. First Japanese WRC champion, and yet tip top condition cars fetching no more than 6K, surely they are due a bump?
I'm a bit biased here as I'm pissed at paying almost the value every two years to keep mine on the road.
I'm a bit biased here as I'm pissed at paying almost the value every two years to keep mine on the road.
I have a 1999 Series 8 Mazda RX-7 Type RS and whilst it doesn't have as little as 13,000 miles like the Spirit R being advertised (mine has closer to 82,000 miles), the car appeared to live a nice life in Southern Japan before being imported in early 2014. It is rust free and the engine has great compression (8.0 bar on the front and rear rotors at 250 RPM). My car is also currently nearly all original minus intake filters, a cat-back exhaust, coilovers and a Momo steering wheel. Nearly original Series 8s with no crash history, decent paint and a decent interior go for between £10-13k, but for an RS you should expect to pay on the top end of that range as there are a few key differences between the models.
The Series 8 cars (1999-2002) in general are a good improvement on the older versions of the FD3S as they came with a revised front bumper, better ducting and better cooling to improve temperatures (as this is an issue on all standard RX-7s), 10% less backpressure from the exhaust system, revised damper, camber and toe settings, a 16-bit ECU compared to the previous 8-bit, larger 17" wheels and a few other cosmetic changes including an adjustable rear spoiler. These changes increased base horsepower from 255 bhp to 265 bhp from the previous cars (excluding the lower bhp from the UK and US spec cars of I think around 237 bhp).
The Type RS model was the top of the range (excluding the limited edition RZ and Spirit R) which included the following upgrades (the RZ and Spirit R are virtually the same as the changes compared to the RS were 90% cosmetic):
Increased power to 280 bhp (although dyno's show closer to 300 bhp) through: (i) Upgraded turbochargers which were c.10% more efficient than the standard turbos providing quicker spool without sacrificing top end; and (ii) an increase in boost from 0.62 bar to 0.74 bar.
Dual oil coolers.
Larger 314mm brakes compared to the standard 294mm discs.
4.3 differential compared to the standard 4.1 differential.
Bilstein shocks (which were hard as hell).
My car in particular also came with the optional forged 17" BBS wheels and Mazdaspeed bodykit.
I would have loved to purchase a Spirit R for the carbon fiber-backed Recaro bucket seats alone but I want to track my car and the RS is 90-95% of the same car for a lot less money and I won't be so concerned about crashing it and destroying value (as the Spirit R is a true collectible), even though I would expect values of all RX-7s to continue to rise as they become more rare.
I'm not planning on several modifications to the engine as I still want to run the twins which limits me to about 300-330 bhp but when the car only weighs 1280 kg it is still quicker than most everything else on the street and the track (good enough for a low 12 second 1/4 mile for acceleration comparisons to other cars). My focus will primarily be focused on the suspension setup, tires, brakes and the cooling system to make it more reliable under extended high RPM use.
My Car:
The Series 8 cars (1999-2002) in general are a good improvement on the older versions of the FD3S as they came with a revised front bumper, better ducting and better cooling to improve temperatures (as this is an issue on all standard RX-7s), 10% less backpressure from the exhaust system, revised damper, camber and toe settings, a 16-bit ECU compared to the previous 8-bit, larger 17" wheels and a few other cosmetic changes including an adjustable rear spoiler. These changes increased base horsepower from 255 bhp to 265 bhp from the previous cars (excluding the lower bhp from the UK and US spec cars of I think around 237 bhp).
The Type RS model was the top of the range (excluding the limited edition RZ and Spirit R) which included the following upgrades (the RZ and Spirit R are virtually the same as the changes compared to the RS were 90% cosmetic):
Increased power to 280 bhp (although dyno's show closer to 300 bhp) through: (i) Upgraded turbochargers which were c.10% more efficient than the standard turbos providing quicker spool without sacrificing top end; and (ii) an increase in boost from 0.62 bar to 0.74 bar.
Dual oil coolers.
Larger 314mm brakes compared to the standard 294mm discs.
4.3 differential compared to the standard 4.1 differential.
Bilstein shocks (which were hard as hell).
My car in particular also came with the optional forged 17" BBS wheels and Mazdaspeed bodykit.
I would have loved to purchase a Spirit R for the carbon fiber-backed Recaro bucket seats alone but I want to track my car and the RS is 90-95% of the same car for a lot less money and I won't be so concerned about crashing it and destroying value (as the Spirit R is a true collectible), even though I would expect values of all RX-7s to continue to rise as they become more rare.
I'm not planning on several modifications to the engine as I still want to run the twins which limits me to about 300-330 bhp but when the car only weighs 1280 kg it is still quicker than most everything else on the street and the track (good enough for a low 12 second 1/4 mile for acceleration comparisons to other cars). My focus will primarily be focused on the suspension setup, tires, brakes and the cooling system to make it more reliable under extended high RPM use.
My Car:
cib24 said:
I have a 1999 Series 8 Mazda RX-7 Type RS and whilst it doesn't have as little as 13,000 miles like the Spirit R being advertised (mine has closer to 82,000 miles), the car appeared to live a nice life in Southern Japan before being imported in early 2014. It is rust free and the engine has great compression (8.0 bar on the front and rear rotors at 250 RPM). My car is also currently nearly all original minus intake filters, a cat-back exhaust, coilovers and a Momo steering wheel. Nearly original Series 8s with no crash history, decent paint and a decent interior go for between £10-13k, but for an RS you should expect to pay on the top end of that range as there are a few key differences between the models.
The Series 8 cars (1999-2002) in general are a good improvement on the older versions of the FD3S as they came with a revised front bumper, better ducting and better cooling to improve temperatures (as this is an issue on all standard RX-7s), 10% less backpressure from the exhaust system, revised damper, camber and toe settings, a 16-bit ECU compared to the previous 8-bit, larger 17" wheels and a few other cosmetic changes including an adjustable rear spoiler. These changes increased base horsepower from 255 bhp to 265 bhp from the previous cars (excluding the lower bhp from the UK and US spec cars of I think around 237 bhp).
The Type RS model was the top of the range (excluding the limited edition RZ and Spirit R) which included the following upgrades (the RZ and Spirit R are virtually the same as the changes compared to the RS were 90% cosmetic):
Increased power to 280 bhp (although dyno's show closer to 300 bhp) through: (i) Upgraded turbochargers which were c.10% more efficient than the standard turbos providing quicker spool without sacrificing top end; and (ii) an increase in boost from 0.62 bar to 0.74 bar.
Dual oil coolers.
Larger 314mm brakes compared to the standard 294mm discs.
4.3 differential compared to the standard 4.1 differential.
Bilstein shocks (which were hard as hell).
My car in particular also came with the optional forged 17" BBS wheels and Mazdaspeed bodykit.
I would have loved to purchase a Spirit R for the carbon fiber-backed Recaro bucket seats alone but I want to track my car and the RS is 90-95% of the same car for a lot less money and I won't be so concerned about crashing it and destroying value (as the Spirit R is a true collectible), even though I would expect values of all RX-7s to continue to rise as they become more rare.
I'm not planning on several modifications to the engine as I still want to run the twins which limits me to about 300-330 bhp but when the car only weighs 1280 kg it is still quicker than most everything else on the street and the track (good enough for a low 12 second 1/4 mile for acceleration comparisons to other cars). My focus will primarily be focused on the suspension setup, tires, brakes and the cooling system to make it more reliable under extended high RPM use.
My Car:
That looks lovely its not too big quite compact , did they make them 2 plus 2 as well.The Series 8 cars (1999-2002) in general are a good improvement on the older versions of the FD3S as they came with a revised front bumper, better ducting and better cooling to improve temperatures (as this is an issue on all standard RX-7s), 10% less backpressure from the exhaust system, revised damper, camber and toe settings, a 16-bit ECU compared to the previous 8-bit, larger 17" wheels and a few other cosmetic changes including an adjustable rear spoiler. These changes increased base horsepower from 255 bhp to 265 bhp from the previous cars (excluding the lower bhp from the UK and US spec cars of I think around 237 bhp).
The Type RS model was the top of the range (excluding the limited edition RZ and Spirit R) which included the following upgrades (the RZ and Spirit R are virtually the same as the changes compared to the RS were 90% cosmetic):
Increased power to 280 bhp (although dyno's show closer to 300 bhp) through: (i) Upgraded turbochargers which were c.10% more efficient than the standard turbos providing quicker spool without sacrificing top end; and (ii) an increase in boost from 0.62 bar to 0.74 bar.
Dual oil coolers.
Larger 314mm brakes compared to the standard 294mm discs.
4.3 differential compared to the standard 4.1 differential.
Bilstein shocks (which were hard as hell).
My car in particular also came with the optional forged 17" BBS wheels and Mazdaspeed bodykit.
I would have loved to purchase a Spirit R for the carbon fiber-backed Recaro bucket seats alone but I want to track my car and the RS is 90-95% of the same car for a lot less money and I won't be so concerned about crashing it and destroying value (as the Spirit R is a true collectible), even though I would expect values of all RX-7s to continue to rise as they become more rare.
I'm not planning on several modifications to the engine as I still want to run the twins which limits me to about 300-330 bhp but when the car only weighs 1280 kg it is still quicker than most everything else on the street and the track (good enough for a low 12 second 1/4 mile for acceleration comparisons to other cars). My focus will primarily be focused on the suspension setup, tires, brakes and the cooling system to make it more reliable under extended high RPM use.
My Car:
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