Mazda RX-7 The Japanese Sports Car

The Mazda RX-7 was a sports car that Mazda produced between the years of’78 and 2002. One unique feature of this particular car is that it featured the Wankel engine. The RX-7 replaced the RX-3 and eventually replaced all of Mazda’s rotary engine vehicles except the Cosmo.

The first RX-7 only had a 1150 cc engine. The rotary engine featured twin rotors and the vehicle was a rear wheel drive car. The rotary engine had been developed in Germany many years earlier, but Mazda is one of the few auto manufacturers to successfully use the technology in a widely produced vehicle. One drawback of the engine is that it uses more fuel than the piston engine. This cause several problems for Mazda in the 70s oil crisis.

One advantage the rotary engine offers is its lightweight construction. Rotary engines can be built to be weighing much less that the normal piston engine. Owners of the Mazdas often bragged about how smooth these engines could run.

While the rotary engine is easier to modify to meet fuel emissions standards, Mazda had problems with these modifications causing the engine to require even more fuel. Fortunately, by’84, the fuel economy was up to an estimated 29 mpg on the highway and’ mpg for the city. In the RX-8, fuel economy is comparable to other vehicles of its size and weight.

Mazda sold the RX-7 as a sports coupe. The RX-7 had a mid mounted engine and offered great stability. In America for a while there was an option of dealer installed rear seats, however in Japan there was the option of purchasing the vehicle with rear seats already installed.

The second generation RX-7 introduced in the mid to late 80s was styled to look much like a Porsche. Additionally, the RX-7 convertible was introduced in’88. Production of the convertible continued until’92. The convertible was rated as one of the best convertibles ever produced.

In’92 the third generation RX-7 was introduced and the sales of the RX-7 stopped during’95 when only a limited number of the Mazda RX-7s were shipped to the United States dealers for sale. Sales of the vehicle continued in other parts of the world until 2002.

The Mazda RX-8 eventually replaced the RX-7 world wide. It was first introduced into the United States in 2001 at an auto show, but sales did not begin until 2004. The RX-8 continues Mazda’s tradition of the rotary engine, however it offers seating in the vehicle for four as standard.

Andy Zain is the admin of RX-7 Forum , a place where fans and owners can get the right information for tuning, customization and general discussions on anything about Mazda RX-7. Get the information you need when you visit Mazda Forum