RE: Mazda RX-7: PH Heroes

RE: Mazda RX-7: PH Heroes

Author
Discussion

Neil1300r

5,487 posts

177 months

Friday 25th July 2014
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anything fast said:
have I read this article or does it say there were only 124 sold in the UK???

That has got to be a load of tosh surely?? yikes
No, it's true. I had one of them, I was the second owner and probably my favourite car of all I have owned. Was so different to anything else at the time.
I was the second owner, bought it with less than 20k miles from the original selling garage, who knew how well the original owner cared for it. Serviced mine dead on the dot every single time at a Mazda dealer who had a technician trained on them. Engine still failed after 70k. frown

When I win the lottery I will be hunting down the car and buying it again. A1 RXT sadly missed but not forgotten

Guvernator

13,105 posts

164 months

Friday 25th July 2014
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FD3Si said:
Indeed. And how much is an AJP engine rebuild? An RB26 build? etc etc.

If you want to retain the beauty, and have a bombproof powerplant (and incur the wrath of rotary purists) then buy one with a blown motor for circa 2k, take the car to Dyno Torque, and come out with a car with an engine that looks factory and is completely bombproof, for a bargain price.

Edited by FD3Si on Friday 25th July 12:57
Much as the rotary in the RX-7 may have it's fault, I don't agree at all with replacing it with a stonking great american V8 but then I feel the same way about TVR engine transplants. I'd rather spend the money on getting the original engine to run right. Change the engine and you change the whole character of the car IMO.

A quick question, how usable are the rear seats on the 2+2 Rex? I'm not thinking of carrying 2 adults in the back but are they capable of taking small kids and\or a child seat in any way? Just thinking outside the box about a track\weekend toy idea which may very occasionally be used to carry wife and baby. Man maths is telling me that £2.5k for an engine rebuild every 50k isn't THAT bad smile

JTN358AT

136 posts

137 months

Friday 25th July 2014
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124 sold in the UK does not surprise me. Top Gear in the early nineties did a piece on great cars that did not sell. They were the Subaru SVX, Alpine A610 and the RX7. Why did the RX7 not sell. Well, you could buy a 968CS for 6k less than the RX7.

I will go against the grain here and say that the RX7 was not a great car and that the RX8 prodrive version was a far better all round car with a suspension setup more in tune with UK roads. That is the rotary car to go for.

Also, watch out for the sequential twin turbo arrangement. They are complex and as recalcitrant as the rotary engine itself. There is a reason the single turbo conversion is popular.

rotarymazda

538 posts

164 months

Friday 25th July 2014
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124 sold through UK dealers officially.

Some were sold through TW Whites Mazda dealer for years afterwards.

Most are grey imports.

TinyCappo

2,106 posts

152 months

Friday 25th July 2014
quotequote all
Guvernator said:
FD3Si said:
Indeed. And how much is an AJP engine rebuild? An RB26 build? etc etc.

If you want to retain the beauty, and have a bombproof powerplant (and incur the wrath of rotary purists) then buy one with a blown motor for circa 2k, take the car to Dyno Torque, and come out with a car with an engine that looks factory and is completely bombproof, for a bargain price.

Edited by FD3Si on Friday 25th July 12:57
Much as the rotary in the RX-7 may have it's fault, I don't agree at all with replacing it with a stonking great american V8 but then I feel the same way about TVR engine transplants. I'd rather spend the money on getting the original engine to run right. Change the engine and you change the whole character of the car IMO.

A quick question, how usable are the rear seats on the 2+2 Rex? I'm not thinking of carrying 2 adults in the back but are they capable of taking small kids and\or a child seat in any way? Just thinking outside the box about a track\weekend toy idea which may very occasionally be used to carry wife and baby. Man maths is telling me that £2.5k for an engine rebuild every 50k isn't THAT bad smile
I ran a Rx8 with baby and all the associated paraphernalia till she got to about a year. Big enough boot for pushchair and travel cot and bags for a 4 day break.

Great car that is much maligned.

Rotechniks? didnt they have that RX8 with the RX7 engine in it that ran...ish at last years rotorstock and failed rather spectacularly?

rotarymazda

538 posts

164 months

Friday 25th July 2014
quotequote all
Guvernator said:
A quick question, how usable are the rear seats on the 2+2 Rex? I'm not thinking of carrying 2 adults in the back but are they capable of taking small kids and\or a child seat in any way? Just thinking outside the box about a track\weekend toy idea which may very occasionally be used to carry wife and baby. Man maths is telling me that £2.5k for an engine rebuild every 50k isn't THAT bad smile
My 11 year old is now too big for the rear seats but my 7 year old is fine.

Some owners have found child seats to fit in the rear.

Ved

3,825 posts

174 months

Friday 25th July 2014
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Truly beautiful looking things.

slarnge

364 posts

190 months

Friday 25th July 2014
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Stunning !! that sums up the whole package smile


renaultgeek

473 posts

147 months

Friday 25th July 2014
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dublet said:
Article said:
Each cylinder displaced 654cc
You mean each rotor. wink
rotor housing.


could you use 2 stroke oil in these for prolonging rotor tips?

Guvernator

13,105 posts

164 months

Friday 25th July 2014
quotequote all
JTN358AT said:
Also, watch out for the sequential twin turbo arrangement. They are complex and as recalcitrant as the rotary engine itself. There is a reason the single turbo conversion is popular.
Again not something I agree with, the sequential turbo is what gives the RX-7 that smooth delivery all the way through the rev range, switching to a single turbo means you loose that and the power delivery changes dramatically.

Surely their must be a way of fixing the twin turbo setup to be more reliable rather than getting rid of it totally?

j_s14a

863 posts

177 months

Friday 25th July 2014
quotequote all
Guvernator said:
Again not something I agree with, the sequential turbo is what gives the RX-7 that smooth delivery all the way through the rev range, switching to a single turbo means you loose that and the power delivery changes dramatically.

Surely their must be a way of fixing the twin turbo setup to be more reliable rather than getting rid of it totally?
Turbo technology has come on exponentially, it's possible to fit a single turbo that has the has better spool and better top end. I would guess something along the lines of a Garrett GTX35R. The 13B can spool large turbos with ease though, and even T51R equipped cars seem pretty drivable.

Mave

8,208 posts

214 months

Friday 25th July 2014
quotequote all
renaultgeek said:
dublet said:
Article said:
Each cylinder displaced 654cc
You mean each rotor. wink
rotor housing.


could you use 2 stroke oil in these for prolonging rotor tips?
Its not unknown for people to add 2-stroke oil to the fuel

coldel

7,733 posts

145 months

Friday 25th July 2014
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If it didn't have that rotary engine...I would be all over these.

Appreciate thats what its all about but you can never really know what previous owners have done, maybe not oiled it for a couple of months and thats that - yes you can get it rebuilt, but rebuilding engines at 70k miles, thats just mental.

mids

1,505 posts

257 months

Friday 25th July 2014
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I imported a mint, low mileage 2002 Type RS from Japan back in 2004. Only kept it for 6 months before I stupidly sold it frown


Atmospheric

5,305 posts

207 months

Friday 25th July 2014
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These cars look fantastic.

In those days, Japan were making RWD focused coupe's. Even now some of them are in a class of their own. Actually, what happened to the genuine affordable RWD coupe with a bomb of an engine?

They are all saloon derived econoboxes now, save the GTR...

tgr

1,129 posts

170 months

Friday 25th July 2014
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I think it was the financial crisis that happened

cptsideways

13,535 posts

251 months

Friday 25th July 2014
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I'm on the lookout for an engine'less FD to screw a 1JZ into that I have lying about. Fancy one as a road car, early de winged version preferably.

Daston

6,074 posts

202 months

Friday 25th July 2014
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Very happy with our 97 Type R. Just had an engine rebuild so having to take it easy (cant go above 4k RPM) getting around 25-30mpg out of it....this will go down once the 1k mile bed in is done, I cant wait!!!!

nickrex

258 posts

172 months

Friday 25th July 2014
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I'm in the process of selling my mint, standard, rebuilt, resprayed, rust free low mileage Uk spec Rx. Makes me regret my decision even more. Sigh. weeping


BIRMA

3,803 posts

193 months

Friday 25th July 2014
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Loved mine