RE: Mazda Design Boss Keen To Bring Back RX-7
Wednesday 10th March 2010
There's been speculation for a while now that Mazda will bring back the RX-7 - in spirit if not in name - as the successor to the Mazda RX-8
Mazda Design Boss Keen To Bring Back RX-7
Ikuo Maeda cites sportiness as a top priority
Now Mazda's design boss - Ikuo Maeda - is helping to fan the flames.
"I do have a strong yearning to revive the RX-7 during my tenure," Maeda told US website Automotive News in a recent interview.
Maeda wasn't unequivocal, however - making it clear that Mazda is not about to launch a high-end sports car in the middle of a global economic crisis. "In order for that to happen" said Maeda, "we need the US economy to come back, first and foremost".
If anyone can revive the RX-7, however, it's Maeda - his father was also a Mazda stylist, and he created the original RX-7 back in the 1970s.
Discussion
Gazado said:
Well if it ever happens, which I'm pretty skeptical of, then it better look as nice as the RX7 and not as hideous and plasticy as the RX8 (ooooh controversial!!!).
....the RX8 isn't as pretty as the RX7 but its hardly hideous.RX8 is a good coupe , it could just do with a small turbo to give it a bit of mid range punch...although revving the nuts of one to 90000rpm is quite good fun..
a sleeker, turbo'd, lighter RX would be great tho....
davidcharles said:
Gazado said:
Well if it ever happens, which I'm pretty skeptical of, then it better look as nice as the RX7 and not as hideous and plasticy as the RX8 (ooooh controversial!!!).
....the RX8 isn't as pretty as the RX7 but its hardly hideous.RX8 is a good coupe , it could just do with a small turbo to give it a bit of mid range punch...although revving the nuts of one to 90000rpm is quite good fun..
a sleeker, turbo'd, lighter RX would be great tho....
If they could do a lower, sleeker and less practical version of the RX8 without the silly wheel arches and screw a medium sized turbo onto it to give about 300bhp then they would be onto a winner. Plus if they kept it 2 seats and limited the size (which they could do as a rotary is tiny) the weight would be kept down and emissions wouldnt be as bad.
PLEASE DO IT !!!
Have any of you actually driven an RX-8?
It's superb. Probably the only fun-to-drive car left in its segment by a loooong way. Not like all the boring, saloon-derived alternatives.
There are plenty of aftermarket turbo or supercharge kits for it too. 300BHP is achievable.
Having said that, a close-coupled RX-7 variant would also be much appreciated! Why not both?
It's superb. Probably the only fun-to-drive car left in its segment by a loooong way. Not like all the boring, saloon-derived alternatives.
There are plenty of aftermarket turbo or supercharge kits for it too. 300BHP is achievable.
Having said that, a close-coupled RX-7 variant would also be much appreciated! Why not both?
Black S2K said:
Have any of you actually driven an RX-8?
It's superb. Probably the only fun-to-drive car left in its segment by a loooong way. Not like all the boring, saloon-derived alternatives.
There are plenty of aftermarket turbo or supercharge kits for it too. 300BHP is achievable.
Having said that, a close-coupled RX-7 variant would also be much appreciated! Why not both?
..yes, i have one and it is a good coupe. Its just the chassis can handle a lot more power and its a shame it wasn't turbo'd...would have made the aftemarket scene much better as well.It's superb. Probably the only fun-to-drive car left in its segment by a loooong way. Not like all the boring, saloon-derived alternatives.
There are plenty of aftermarket turbo or supercharge kits for it too. 300BHP is achievable.
Having said that, a close-coupled RX-7 variant would also be much appreciated! Why not both?
I can't see what the difference between an RX-7 coming back and just doing a new RX-8? Or have I missed the point.
Both were 2+2 (the RX-8 is really a proper 4 seater), both had twin rotor engines giving 1.3 capacity, both were quite pretty (yup I like em both).
The RX-8 addressed some of the mpg concerns of the 7 but lets face it until it can do diesel like economy it'll always be stuck with the stigma. In the current climate (no pun intended) that will be a big decider. I know people don't buy that kind of car, but if it pushes it into a higher company car tax bracket then it'll not be doing itself any favours.
Any engine bods know if turbo-ing it will help its mpg case, I was lead to believe its inherent in the rotary design?
Both were 2+2 (the RX-8 is really a proper 4 seater), both had twin rotor engines giving 1.3 capacity, both were quite pretty (yup I like em both).
The RX-8 addressed some of the mpg concerns of the 7 but lets face it until it can do diesel like economy it'll always be stuck with the stigma. In the current climate (no pun intended) that will be a big decider. I know people don't buy that kind of car, but if it pushes it into a higher company car tax bracket then it'll not be doing itself any favours.
Any engine bods know if turbo-ing it will help its mpg case, I was lead to believe its inherent in the rotary design?
davidcharles said:
Black S2K said:
Have any of you actually driven an RX-8?
It's superb. Probably the only fun-to-drive car left in its segment by a loooong way. Not like all the boring, saloon-derived alternatives.
There are plenty of aftermarket turbo or supercharge kits for it too. 300BHP is achievable.
Having said that, a close-coupled RX-7 variant would also be much appreciated! Why not both?
..yes, i have one and it is a good coupe. Its just the chassis can handle a lot more power and its a shame it wasn't turbo'd...would have made the aftemarket scene much better as well.It's superb. Probably the only fun-to-drive car left in its segment by a loooong way. Not like all the boring, saloon-derived alternatives.
There are plenty of aftermarket turbo or supercharge kits for it too. 300BHP is achievable.
Having said that, a close-coupled RX-7 variant would also be much appreciated! Why not both?
Colvette said:
Huh? Bring back the RX-7, but call it something else (RX-9?) Surely that's just what the RX-8 is? It's a 2+2 coupe with a rotary engine? I seem to have missed the point...?
i rather though the same..!______
if they want it to sell then they'll have to finally give up on the wankel.
my dad would have bought one (as would many others) if it had a 'normal' engine. my mate will not have another because it had a wankel. he thought it was amazing (whilst it lasted). i now couldn;t risk it. okay so they last better than the rx7 motors but still. it's great for 'real rotory enthusiasts' but for normal people crap fuel and oil economy and dodgy reliability aren;t worth the risk.
alas.
briSk said:
Colvette said:
Huh? Bring back the RX-7, but call it something else (RX-9?) Surely that's just what the RX-8 is? It's a 2+2 coupe with a rotary engine? I seem to have missed the point...?
i rather though the same..!______
if they want it to sell then they'll have to finally give up on the wankel.
my dad would have bought one (as would many others) if it had a 'normal' engine. my mate will not have another because it had a wankel. he thought it was amazing (whilst it lasted). i now couldn;t risk it. okay so they last better than the rx7 motors but still. it's great for 'real rotory enthusiasts' but for normal people crap fuel and oil economy and dodgy reliability aren;t worth the risk.
alas.
The heart and soul of the RX7 is a the Rotary, drop that and you loose a lot of the appeal imo.
briSk said:
Colvette said:
Huh? Bring back the RX-7, but call it something else (RX-9?) Surely that's just what the RX-8 is? It's a 2+2 coupe with a rotary engine? I seem to have missed the point...?
i rather though the same..!______
if they want it to sell then they'll have to finally give up on the wankel.
my dad would have bought one (as would many others) if it had a 'normal' engine. my mate will not have another because it had a wankel. he thought it was amazing (whilst it lasted). i now couldn;t risk it. okay so they last better than the rx7 motors but still. it's great for 'real rotory enthusiasts' but for normal people crap fuel and oil economy and dodgy reliability aren;t worth the risk.
alas.
Fuel economy is a bit s
t, but hey ho, it's worth it.My father had an rx-8 for 2 years. Although it was good looking and fun to rev the nuts off, i thought it lacked the quality and low/mid range punch of the audi tt he had previously.
I did manage a full 360 spin in the rx-8 mind with the tried and tested 'over enthusiastic entry speed/wet roundabout combo'. And although we cheated near certain death, my girlfriend failed to see the funny side.
I did manage a full 360 spin in the rx-8 mind with the tried and tested 'over enthusiastic entry speed/wet roundabout combo'. And although we cheated near certain death, my girlfriend failed to see the funny side.
vz-r_dave said:
What are you basing the dodgy reliability on? I had one, my brother has had two and has had no problems bar them being old.
my mate and a colleague of his and my wife's colleague.
wife's colleague:
kept running hot and stalling in traffic. didn't wait to find out what was up with it and went back to a 'dull' bmw
mate's colleague:
something up with the rear diff (don;t know what) and really used a lot of oil even more than my mates (which i think was the par for the course' level). to be fair he seemed an arse so maybe he caught the rear wheel on a kerb or something and it was his own fault - i don't know.
and my mate's:
owned from c10k miles. garaged. really looked after. main stealerr serviced from an alleged mps specialist dealer. always warmed through etc. got to 50k miles wouldn't ever start turned out to be a complete lack of compression. quite possibly a rebuild (2k on an rx7 right) but advised new motor... decided to cut and run...
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