I came across this late 1st generation Mazda RX-7 a couple of weeks ago and was struck by just how right this car has always looked to me; in high school a good friend had the twin to this one and it was the first rotary-powered car I ever drove.
This one is a GSL model in the very pretty Ocean Blue Metallic (really more of a green-blue teal, the camera seems a little off), which was the model just under the top of the line GSL-SE. The SE was a bit of a different animal as it featured the new 13B rotary which would become the base engine for the 1986 restyle. The GS and GSL (like this one) still featured the older 2-rotor 12A rotary as the car had been introduced for 1979 with.
Power figures for this one amounted to 100hp and 105lb-ft of torque; from an engine that displaces 1.1 liters it’s quite impressive and since the car weighed under 2500lbs was enough to feel decently lively for the day with excellent handling and steering as the small engine is mounted behind the front axle. It’s certainly better than the 80hp my own 1979 Mazda 626 that I had at the time managed out of its 2.0l I-4.
What’s hard to convey until someone has driven one is just how smooth a good rotary engine is, it just feels turbine-like with a very different soundtrack to a “normal” engine. But so smooth, it makes a small Honda engine for example feel agricultural in comparison.
I was a bit shocked to see that the odometer had turned to an even 100,000 miles just half a mile before it was carted off to this junkyard in Wyoming. Imagine the feeling of celebrating the excitement of your car turning the big 100 and then less than half a mile later a hugely crushing sense of doom as something big fails…
In the 80’s it was quite uncommon to see a 7000rpm redline in any car, with the rotary it wasn’t any big deal, just a smooth surge of power all the way up to that mark.
The GSL model also featured a limited slip rear differential, rear disc brakes, power windows and door locks along with optional leather seats as compared to the GS model. It also had a large sunroof. The RX-7 was never offered as a 2+2 in this generation in North America but occasionally was offered as a 2+2 in other markets. I can’t even imagine how tight those seats must have been as while the front is roomy enough there is simply no spare space in the back.
Those seats by the way, although not leather, have held up remarkably well, the fabric is a very soft but apparently durable velour that still felt good to the touch some 34 years after first rolling out of the factory. Someone here scored the steering wheel as well as the stereo from the console but otherwise this looks remarkably untouched and in great condition.
This one is an automatic (3 speed) which must sap a lot of the fun, my buddy’s was a stick shift and a joy to drive on Mulholland Boulevard and even along Wells Drive in the West Valley as a couple of dorky high-schoolers with no particular place to go or girlfriends to meet on weekend evenings…
Mazda has long been involved in racing with first generation RX-7’s in IMSA-GTO/GTU (as above), Group B rally, 24hrs of Daytona, Bonneville, and plenty of other series. Of course Mazda also won the 24hrs of LeMans in 1991 with their 787B, the first Japanese entry to win as well as the only non-piston engined car to ever win.
Yes those are 13″ wheels, sporting 185/70R13 tires. The same wheels with the same size tires were also used on the Mazda 626 of its first generation post-refresh. The only RX7 of this generation to wear large wheels was the GSL-SE in 1984-85 with 14″ wheels which at the time seemed huge in comparison.
I came close to buying an RX-7 of my own in the mid-90’s to the point of having one inspected for purchase, alas the engine was not in great condition and I was advised against that particular one. Then, as usual, my interest went someplace else and that was that. Now though I’d like one of these again, so pretty.
I’ve always preferred the late first-gen models to the originals, mainly due to the rear end, I really like the (missing on this one) smoked rear light panel that went all the way across the back, other than the rear not that much else is significantly different throughout the 1979-1985 series, at least on the outside. This is one of the very few cars that I prefer post-refresh to the original form, usually I find the changes to be “wrong”, but not on this one. I figured this one would be here for a while, but then last week was shocked as I happened back to the same yard and realized this row of cars was gone for good, carted off to the crusher. I suppose there is little demand for old RX-7 parts in this area of Wyoming and its time to be picked over ran out. A real bummer as it was one of the prettier sights on that day. At least it’ll live on here.
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I agree with Jim all the way, there are great little cars, and the refresh cleaned up several busy details built to the initial styling. We bought my wife a used ’83 5 speed base model in the late eighties, and it provided very reliable service. In fact, we’ve owned a number of Mazdas since- She went on to buy a ’90 Miata and a 2017 MX-5 RF, and I drove a Ford Probe (626 platform) for several years.
I did put in a lot of RX-7 seat time, and will say it makes a poor city car. Early rotaries are know for their low torque output, which made stop and go driving a bit of a chore, and the cabin was even tighter then our 1st gen Miata, especially around my shoulders.
However, once I was buckled in and pointed down the open road, cracking open the throttle delivered everything I was looking for.
Ah, swoon! I miss my 1985 GSL
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coal-1985-mazda-rx-7-reality-steps-in/
This example is substantially less rusty in 2019 than mine was in 1994!!!
Wow, I had totally missed that COAL of yours somehow when it ran, thanks for the reminder! I’ve added both yours and Dave Saunders’ below.
The second one I owned is near a twin to the one you found.
A note on the second row seats is in North America they were replaced by some storage bins with doors. So if those were removed there would more space than it would appear at first glance. Make no mistake they would still be very small.
I never felt these lacked all that much low down torque in 12A flavour. The later 13B cars were more powerful and peaky.
I would agree with you on the styling. The 81+ variant is “just right”. The whole car is a rack and pinion steering conversion and an additional 40hp from being almost perfect.
My ’79 626 had the same wheels that were on the early RX-7 (sort of look like Italian Cromodoro’s from a Dino, very fetching) and also had the recirculating ball steering as well as the same steering wheel. Come to think of it, the bumpers had a similar look as well. I never really looked into it but wonder if there is much/any commonality between the early 626 and RX-7.
The GSL-SE gets you most of the additional wished for power with the 13B engine so that’s a start. Apparently the post ’81 cars are even lighter than the originals due to the emissions system changing from thermal reactor to catalytic converters.
There’s no doubt in my mind that the RX-7 used as much from the RWD 626 as possible. Transmission, suspension, rear axle, steering, brakes, everything theta would possibly would possibly carry over, as Mazda wasn’t in any position to build a totally unique sports car at the time.
Lots of cross over parts. The 626 and Rx-7 both heavily borrowed from the 808/Rx-3 with axles, gearboxes internals, etc. The B-series truck even used similar transmission.
Oh god, I put in a couple of hours seat time in the back of one of these as a gangly 16 yo newly arrived at my 6’1″. It wasn’t fun then, but if I was able somehow to be folded up enough to be inserted again now, you’d later have to trade in the thing with me permanently installed, as I’d never fit back out.
So, yes, the seating arrangement is…intimate. Though remarkably enough, I’ve been in worse, a lift in the back “seat” of a FWD Alfa GTV coupe springing painfully to mind.
This car was a huge hit for Mazda, and deservedly so. Great styling, great package, great handling, and best of all, great price, not much more than a reasonably equipped sedan in its day. This car appeared in 1978 when everything else was wheezy tape and decal specials with miserable build quality like the last British sports cars and the Monza and its relatives or the Mustang II, or expensive and wheezy boulevard cruisers like the Vette and the 280z. It’s hard not to have made this the default choice during those years, you’d really have to work to justify buying something else.
Then with the second gen Mazda lost its way and the car got expensive and porkier. This may be one of the few big successes Mazda has had in the U.S. market, along with the Miata and the MPV which for a short while was the minivan to beat. You really wonder why Mazda has not been more successful.
I also REALLY wonder why Mazda never came out with a rotary Miata, that seems like that would be a perfect combination.
It’s been done 🙂
https://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=245792
Yah, I knew that it had been done, but I wonder why Mazda didn’t decide to do that from the factory.
My question is the opposite – why didn’t this car come with a piston engine too? I get the rotary’s appeal in its era but there were surely a lot of folks who loved the looks but were leery of the unique engine. With a soft top version and a good 4 cylinder engine this could have been the Miata before there was a Miata.
Mazda had no suitable piston engine at the time. Their main piston four was an older unit that dated back to the 60s, and was tall, meaning it would never have fit properly. And it wasn’t really sporty at all either. And it was fairly heavy.
The RX7 was designed to have the rotary, hence the very low and sloping hood. Their piston engine would have required some horrible hood bulge or scoop. At the time, Mazda was very committed to rotaries. A piston engine version would have diminished the lure and image of the RX-7.
The little DOHC four that was used in the Miata was still some years off in the future.
The RX-7 sold quite briskly, and I doubt Mazda needed a larger volume.
Rotaries are incredible engines and they do spin insanely fast. Here’s a small one that hits 29,000 rpm
I could see this as an application for a high performance model airplane.
Some of the so called “1/4 scale” models would benefit from this. They already have multi-cylinder radials and turbine engines in that hobby.
Every year I probably see about a half-dozen 1st generation RX-7s being driven around… it’s always a pleasure to see one. However, I hardly ever see 2nd generation RX-7s anymore.
I don’t know if it’s a reliability/complexity issue, whether they’re considered less collectible and therefore less likely to be preserved, or a problem with one of the car’s major systems, but it’s almost like those 2nd generation cars have completely vanished.
As for the 1st generation cars, I’m with you in that I prefer the later models. Oh, and the 100,000 odometer reading on this one is downright spooky.
It is the opposite for me – I can recall seeing maybe 1 in the last 3 or 4 years. I had always understood that the engines eventually require work but that the expense is prohibitive for all but the most dedicated fans. I would love to hear from people with real-world experience.
There are two issues with these. One is that if the owner takes care of it (oil topped up and frequently changed, not over revved or overheated), the basic engine can easily last 150k miles or more. But if he doesn’t, all bets are off. Second, these days, is that they are very fussy when things aren’t quite right, and with advanced age, there are a lot of little rubber and plastic tubes and fittings in the engine room that can go wrong. Finding and repairing them can be a needle in a haystack. Now that the service departments of Mazda dealers don’t really know their way around these any more, and factory parts are completely unobtainable, it can be rough going to keep these on the road.
It IS impossible to describe the smoothness. Perhaps the best way to convey it to say that if you’re giving it a bit of go on a windy road, where your senses are more concentrated outside, you change gears by the redline beeper. Otherwise, there is no sensation of strain, or of something spinning at 7,000+ rpms.
I’ve also driven an automatic practically identical to just this model years ago. On the open road, it was not bad, if thirsty. But in town, it was useless. Off the line, it just fell into a pile of mush and made you barely faster than a traffic island until 4,000 or more revs found their way out.
The RA in my dorm drove one of these around 1978-80, so it must have been pretty new at the time. It was a beautiful copper color and even though I was not into zippy little sports cars at the time, I considered it one of the most gorgeous things I had ever seen.
As pretty as I think they are (and as much as I love my Miata) I would never get one just because I am not willing to shoulder the time and likely expense of the rotary engine’s learning curve.
This brings back memories…. and makes me feel old! These RX-7s were one of my lust objects as a teen after I moved on from the “Smokey And The Bandit” Trans Ams that I’d wanted in middle school.
A high school buddy of mine had an ’83 GSL in Silver Metallic. Thankfully his was a stick and it was a blast to be in, whether as a driver or a passenger. He let me drive it, and for the time it sure seemed fast and smooth, and the car felt so nimble and light.
I also agree that the later iterations of the first generation were the best looking, with the better integrated bumpers and sleeker taillights. The tweaks simply improved the unique good looks of the original package. I much prefer this generation to its successor, which looked so derivative of a Porsche 924.
What a great find Jim. There’s no way this car belongs here, given its condition. And that its an early 80s icon. Do those seats say 1985 or what?
It just needs some hits from ’85 in the cassette deck…
That’s a great song but I distinctly remember wearing out the Beastie Boy’s first album in Robbie’s RX-7’s tape deck during high school! “You gotta fight….for your right….to paaaaarrrrr-ty!”
This car seems to have been well kept before it made its way to the junkyard. One from the same era has recently resurfaced at a truck repair company near my office but it took a blow to the left rear fender that looks pretty serious. Standing next to it is a newly painted bodyshell from a race prepped version with a big rear spoiler and roll cage.