Why The Car Nobody Wanted Is Now Crazy Expensive! Mazda RX7 FD

[@48920jeff]

Had two of these but 1994 model years. One was a stocker with an automatic. One day one of the turbos leaked oil, caught fire and burned to the ground. Not knowing when to quit I bought a highly modified 94 with a large single turbo kit, stand alone engine management, performance exhaust, upgraded intercooler and performance clutch. Dyno’d at 435 RWHP. 1 week into owning it, the apex seals exploded, took out the Turbo. Rebuilt the engine with 3mm apex seals and purchased a replacement turbo. Owned it 3 years and rebuilt it twice more. Overheating was a constant issue to chase despite conservative tuning. Loved the looks, feel and performance of the car but it was just too damn demanding. My wife called it a high maintenance mistress, I agreed and dumped it. Jack, honestly my RX7 took even more work than the Ferrari Influenza !!!!!

[@WardSpose]

Sorry Jeff

[@Fioravanti308]

435 rwhp? Conservative tune?

[@48920jeff]

@ even at high boost, running 93 octane, AFRs never over 14 throughout the range. Considering 15.3 is generally considered to be an acceptable max, 14 qualifies as conservative.

[@pedro_peyote]

what is a Ferrari influenza?

[@heiner71]

@@pedro_peyote , Jack's old project 308.

[@dalesideroadclassiccarwork9038]

I worked for mazda as a senior tech in the late 90s. The FD Chassis rex was the by far best rex. Engine problems occurred when owners used them as shopping trolleys. The engine needs to get stinking hot before being revved up to around 9 thousand revs to centrifuge the tips out. Then, you would usually get a 4-foot blue flame blow out the exhaust on the over run. Momentarily, the rotary engine needs to be revved until you get a bleep from the dash on roadtest for the engines to last longer.

[@s0m3cunt91]

When you hit that beep it means you're guzzling fuel, probably something close to 200ml per minute.

[@redboyjan]

😂😂😂

[@StuartMcFarlane]

I bought a 93 touring when it came out. Still have it. Single owner, mostly stock. Still gets lots of attention on the road. It’s a real pleasure to drive. Love it.

[@sergioleone3583]

Good on you for keeping that lovely lady in your life all these years. As lovely as many classic Ferraris to my eye. 🍻

[@Youshouldsmokeweed]

I'll bet it does as you don't see very many. One guy at the bar I go to has a 87 amc spirit in pretty much mint condition. Ugly freaking car but it gets the stares.

[@Calislav96]

Mazda 90’s design language is gorgeous

[@27rs49]

Exactly. Far advanced in time. RX-7, Xedos 6, MX-5, 626, 323 F, even the "egg", 121. For years, Mazda is back in production of high class design. The RX-8 is absolutely unique.

[@vpanday1977]

This has very quickly become one of my most favourite motoring channels. Thank you Jack. You have an awesome style about you that makes all your videos something to look forward to. Yours and Jason Cammisa’s are the two I don’t click on immediately, only because I have to make the time to be undisturbed when I watch them.

[@cib2413]

A few small corrections. The 96 RZ didn’t come with those Mazdaspeed seats. They came with carbon backed Recaros. Also, for the twins systems both turbos were the same size. One came on and then the second would come in and join the first one to redline.

[@jamiespinks3657]

The RX7 FD won four straight 12 hour production car titles in Australia from 1992 - 1995, beating the likes of Porsche 968 & 911RSCS, Honda NSX and Nissan Skyline GTR. It is criminally underrated compared with the other 1990's Japanese sport cars.

[@bigbanana4111]

In Australia, I was lucky enough to own a 1995 Rx7 SP. Which was a homologation special built for the Eastetn Creek 12 hour endurance race. As mentioned before, it dominated the previous few years Bathurst 12 hour race in standard form, but more serious competition from Porsche and BMW in 95 meant the car needed to be made faster. Long story short, it won the race comfortably and cemented its place in Australian production car history.

[@bigfella6629]

These Mazda rotaries are a hell lot of fun. I had a RX4 back in the day and you really had to have a bit of respect for it when applying the power otherwise it would spit you off the road.

[@PatrickHostler]

I think they are absolutely stunning cars, and still look amazing today… but that Rotary engine and its inherent fragility always put me off getting one. Another fantastic review sir!!!

[@39PSIOnTheDaily]

Easily one of the most beautiful cars ever made. I’ve driven countless, and a stock Spirit R Type A is still on my bucket list. These communicate the road, grip and power as if they’re one with the driver.

[@shingosshojiopoulos6608]

Its not that nobody bought it , its that Mazda only brought 1150 cars to Europe Here in Greece it was very popular and the dream car of a lot of people

[@Flared]

Was literally about to post this. So few RX-7s came to the EU. Here in the UK I think only about 250-300 were officially brought here.

[@smhorse]

​@@Flared: quite a slow seller in the UK. About £26k when new. Nearest competitors were the NSX and the Mitsubishi 3000, neither of which sold particularly strongly either.

[@kienfung3045]

Timeless design. Love the RX-7 FD

[@lunabouch]

It was an amazing upgrade from the original RX7. Thanks Jack as always!

[@Number27]

It was a huge step forward… shame they are so much !

[@drtone]

@@Number27 So a car that is ahead of its time, and incomparably the best car ever built is too costly!. But every POS late model 911 with huge bloated size, horrific cabin noise, bogus rear engine, mostly strut compromised suspension and inexcusable Electronic Power Steering, not to mention that people judge you as a douche, is worth well north of 100k. They are a blessing to be such a good value.

[@slamcrank]

@@Number27 I agree that it was a huge step forward from the FC (second gen RX7) .. but if you can get ahold of one the final year FB (1st Gen) from 1985, they were extremely well-sorted and VERY GOOD sports cars. The FC was just pretty much "meh", unfortunately.

[@graemegaw5536]

I remember these as a young lad when they dropped in the early 90s. It was the RX7 v Supra v Mitsubishi 3000. I thought the RX7 way the best looking of the bunch my quite a way. I'd love one but just cant get my head around the value of a nice one and then try to enjoy it while waiting for it to detonate. Great video as always, looking forward to seeing the Supra test

[@RichardAube-f7w]

When I was a kid, I had a R100 coupé... Great car!! In 1979 I bought an RX7... At the time it was amazing!!!

[@kallsop2]

Price was the biggest issue in the States. The Mazda was the least expensive with the base model at ~$28k US and the twin turbo was into Corvette pricing. People were shopping the RX-7, 300ZX, 3000 GT VR and Supra against the Corvette, 944 Porsche, BMW M3 and even used 911's at the time.

[@robpetersen87]

I've gone through loads of sports cars over the years, including three of these (still have two of them) and the FD just scratches an itch for me that nothing else really has -- at least in my price range. It offers a sight/sound/driving/uniqueness experience that it usually reserved for much more rarified automobiles.

[@neoanderson7]

I’m biased since I’ve owned mine for 26yrs. I’m the 2nd owner from an end of lease. Grateful the first owner took care of it from the start. She’s an absolute blast to drive. She’s a 94 but has been upgraded with some updated factory parts from the later model years. She’s more of a Mazdaspeed version now. Just certain parts. 😎 I’ll never sell her. She’ll always be with me. 👏🏻😎

[@sergioleone3583]

I just didn't have the money back then. LOVED this car when it came out, but couldn't afford it then. Maybe could have a few years ago but it wouldn't have been the best daily driver for me at the time. Now, probably couldn't afford a proper example. Such a lovely car. I DO have a first gen Miata, so in the family, but a third gen RX-7 is as lovely as many classic Ferraris to my eye.

[@Jamesgarethmorgan]

I had a red 1993 red twin turbo RX7. Fucking brilliant car. Loved it. The first turbo cut in around 3k then the second around 5k. What an experience. Terrible mpg though - quite often sub 10 if you're having fun. And when it went wrong you were talking BIG bills. Loved the momo steering wheel - used to remove it at night and take it into my flat to stop the car being pinched.

[@Shadow_Wraith]

For me nothing will ever be better than my 95 Toyota Celica GT-FOUR UK spec with a straight through HKS 4" stainless steel exhaust. It was such an awesome car and so reliable. I bought it it in 2012 and kept it for 2 years, I wish I never sold it, they're worth silly money now too.

[@canucklehead0]

I can recall returning home from an event in Calgary through the mountain passes of Banff and Jasper National Parks in my much loved Toyota Supra Gen2 following a new little Mazda RX7 FD and there was absolutely No Way on dry roads I could keep up with that little car. I caught up to him in Jasper at a gas station to ask how he liked it, and he responded with "he Loved it!", "But, having to add 2 stroke oil to the gas to lube the apex seals was a pain, as was keeping it's backside planted in wet weather, much like you found out. I thought they were gorgeous, but not as gorgeous as the 1st gen cars from 1978 to 1983-ish, those were just what a sports car should be, little, long bonnet, quick and the best handling this side of an exotic. Great review as always Jack, Happy Christmas, and all the best to you and yours!!! - Dave

[@johnsheppard7935]

Hi Jack - great video! I've always admired this RX7 especially from the days I spent living in Tokyo in the 90's. The bosozoku would race these up and down the wan gan motorway at night, often spitting flame from the exhausts as they accelerated away from the toll gates. The Japanese police would just let then get on with it. I guess the reputation for expensive rotary engine rebuilds is one reason why Masuda didn't sell more in the UK - still looks like a potential money pit to me!

[@hughstultz7849]

This was one of the best ever designs to come out of Japan ( admittedly via California design studios ) ever. People often quote unreliability, this had incredible, at the time unprecedented racing success in the US, IMSA and SCCA series one previously dominated by Datsun’s 510 series, also seldomly raced here. Apart from the NSX also one of the best handling cars in its class and that includes Porsche 924/944 that it went up against. As another reader mentioned , like two stroke motorcycles, may have ultimately made little real world sense, and you had to maintain and understand them differently to conventional four stroke engines. But they were great in many ways. Alas, probably never another rotary in automotive history.

[@kamranhussain6140]

Had a black 96 type RZ with fiberglass bucket recaros. The best car and the most beautiful car I have ever driven. Blew Alex seals after driving it for 30000 km. The same week i blew the seals of my RX8 after driving it daily for over 120000 km. Changed the engines...but went back to pistons...a lancer evolution 7 GTa. That gave me more trouble than the rotaries. Love the FD.❤

[@KapiteinKrentebol]

Possibly the sexiest car ever to come out of Japan.

[@fredbloggs8072]

It really is a lovely looking car. I'm not surprised it's been used so often in movies and computer games.

[@gazzafloss]

Lovely styling, so much nicer looking than the previous model, Mazda styling of the MX5, RX8, and this RX7 show outstanding lines. Good one Jack!

[@simonhjc]

Youve nailed it re why they are suddenly in demand. In our valuation work there is a factor called “living memory”. Basically the child grows up with the desire to eventually own a particular thing. Eg the kid on the play station eventually wants the RX7 or Evo etc. in my case i grew up with landcruisers and have a 1979 fj45 (highly sort after). My son thinks it drives awful, but loves evo9s What this does is, when that youug person gets some spare cash they go and buy. Resulting in a surge in values. As time marches on and we age the living memory fades and prices stabilise or drop. This applies to most collectables.

[@drebarthelotte5712]

My hands touched nicely to my friends rx7. Gosh i have to say the god smacks your behind down the road. Fastest car i been in. The motor is ls. T67 precision Turbo fully built motor subframe, Under tray haltech dash+ management. It's taken at the racetrack, pretty much better every available open weekend that they have. It's comfortable enough. It's around 700 plus it's not even the torques. You have to experience this car and it's excellent looking. Raven autosport halifax ns canada. Its so light and the front to rear was only 1% 5149. Subframe is 18 pounds made in Detroit. Big wilwoods tien coil-0's. 😊 nice video again Mr 27😊

[@tonyflorio3269]

Changes in currency exchange made these (and Japanese competitors) much more expensive. Add to that the fact that Mazda dropped the previous n/a version and this car moved up a bunch in the market. My family had an '85 GSL-SE and a '90 GXL, but passed on this one as there wasn't really an equivalent in this gen -- it was the more expensive turbo or nothing. I think Mazda's take was that Miata fit that role, and it did well. But splitting sales over two sports cars made this one a low volume piece.

[@jasondunn5410]

Wow!! There goes another classic that I can't afford!! Great little car though, and as usual a great review. You are doing a cracking job with your videos. Always interesting with your choices of cars to look at. Nice work..

[@realshady16]

I owned an '89 FC GTU. I loved that car. After a couple years I went looking for an 93 FD.. IMHO, the FD was the best looking "gt" car. Anyway,,I truly wanted an yellow FD. Kids and life got going and I never had the chance to get one. To this day I would own an FD RX-7.

[@nickc5259]

I owned a "unicorn" one of these for 12 years, the longest I've ever owned a car. A low mileage, standard apart from exhaust, UK spec (one of only, I believe, 123 officially sold by Mazda in the UK). The best handling car I've ever had, no understeer and very controllable oversteer on tap. The sequential turbos delivery was amazing, it always felt rapid. Engine went bang so I had it rebuilt, then had a complete strip down respray. Pistonheads wrote an article on it when I advertised it and along with selling my E39 M5, my biggest regret was selling my Rx7, obviously just before the market went mental 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️😂😤

[@keithposter5543]

Lovely things - excellent review. I do think that the twitchiness in the damp and the stark difference in the dry has a lot to do with those tyres though

[@DopravniPoradce]

I remember seeing yellow example in Průhonice near Prague in the 90's. I photographed it and had it on the wall untill I moved from my "child" room to accomodate my own children. I consider it to be one of the best looking cars ever made. Haven't driven one, of course. But I instinctively love it.

[@garymalone547]

Simply a fabulously outrageous design, and I loved the looks on the prior model, particularly with the offset hood scoop.

[@mx3fto]

Dream car right there. I want to upgrade my rx8 for one of these but man alive the prices have gone crazy!

[@stuartchristie654]

Nice video as always Jack. I would love one but owning it knowing it is going to go pop would worry me too much

[@albertperks3476]

I remember seeing it on the front cover of 'CAR' magazine - it was silver as I recall and at the time I remember being astonished by its looks. Back in the early 90s it looked almost 'supercar' like. Amazed it was not more popular.

[@robertlloyd7493]

Great work Jack 👍

[@84gssteve]

I've been a 1st gen owner for almost 30 years, having taken a stock 84 GS all the way to a widebody, turbo show winning car that I daily drove for many years and still own. Rotaries don't have to be difficult or expensive to own, but they do require an enthusiast touch and no neglect. The 3rd gen being the highest strung and complex RX-7 made it the worst to own, as far as the general public is concerned....strike one. The lack of a real base model or variance between trim levels hurt it too. They all had the twin turbo engine, and there were only minor differences between the 2 or 3 versions. The 1st and 2nd gens had many trim levels with luxury and engine options for everyone. Convertibles, lightweight performance versions and loaded luxury editions. And non-turbo rotaries, while not blazing fast were simpler and far more reliable....strike two. Lastly, the 3rd gen came out when the competition was also on its A-game. The others all offered more pedestrian versions for the average Joe to settle for because they couldn't justify the top level version.....a sale is a sale after all! The RX-7 was the greatest of them all in a narrow range, but that doesn't translate to wide appeal and large sales. You can only really sell that kind of car a LOT if it's cheap......hence the Miata.....strike three.

[@theapplepaul]

These were wonderful. Still on my dream car list. In the US prime original examples go for a lot more than the $50K you mentioned. Even the first gen were special. The RX7 and RX8 are blessed with great steering and feel and cursed with high oil consumption and lack of engine longevity. Yes, even the larger and less sharp RX8 has great handling with progressive breakaway. Almost bought one. Brains won out over heart. But if I had room for another car...

[@Bubbaburp]

11:57 - luton van really keeping up

[@alaricbragg7843]

Thanks for this video. A very popular model in car racing and modifying in New Zealand!

[@ThePhase-l2n]

The 90's best car battle was always GTR Skyline, FD RX7 and Supra in my mind so it'll be interesting to see how your review of the Supra compares.

[@ivantuma7969]

When these came out - I was in love - until I sat in one. I'm 6'4" with a long torso ... imagine my disappointment knowing I could never comfortably fit into this car without driving with my head constantly tilted. Same thing happened when I test drove a 2023 Chevy Camaro with a sunroof. Before this, I owned three Gen 1 RX-7s so I didn't completely miss out on my Rotary fix (ironically, I fit better in those than the last generation car).

[@benc8386]

I had a normally aspirated FC. Excellent condition and cost me £1400 in about 1999. Took it well past 100k miles with regular oil changes. It's the one nobody likes but I thought it was great! It had the more sophisticated rear suspension compared to the FB, could pull huge G forces on a dry road, and had perfectly linear power delivery. Certainly easier to drive on greasy roads than your FD looked :)

[@SA-zoom1]

My friend had one, a bit modified. It was quick but noisy, very stiff and cramped. He sold it and bought an e36 M3 evo, which was much faster, handled like a dream and as easy to live with as an ordinary car.

[@elgar6743]

I managed a Mazda store in the early '90s in North America...this RX-7 never lasted longer than a week on our lot. Lovely, balanced automobile...drove like an MX-5 miata but with a tonne more power and a hard top. If the owners, and the service shops, followed the correct maintenance and were not ignorant of its operational idiosyncrasies, these were rather robust and reliable vehicles...and FUN !!

[@Wisdom_Above]

Both turbos were the same size. They were attached either side of an integrated turbo manifold where the opening of the secondary turbo exhaust flow was controlled via a flap inside the exhaust manifold. They were arranged as a 'pack'. The charge control valve and associated solenoids controlled the activation of the secondary turbo, causing a momentary dip in turbo pressure before delivering 0.69 bar of boost like with the primary turbo at around 4500 rpm. It was intended to reduce the effects of contemporary turbo lag; but if anything, the twin setup did more to benefit low-to-mid-range torque for the rotary. These engines just don't produce much torque by design without the forced induction shove.

[@AlternativeElvis]

I remember reading a UK magazine that tested the RX7 against the 911 because the price point was similar, as was the performance. Obviously the 911 won the test as the more rounded car, but testers loved the handling and being able to rev to 9000rpm. Which came at the cost of fuel consumption

[@WardSpose]

Rotary go boom. I bought the 94 mr2 turbo. Still got it.

[@48920jeff]

@@WardSpose I’m glad you got something dependable and fun.

[@lasersailor6684]

My biggest automotive regret was selling my pristine cared for manual RX8. I should have tucked it in the garage and cherished it…

[@ronkluwe4875]

Bought mine new in 1993. It had the color shift blue/green paint with tan interior. The car was a rocket ship and cornered like nobody's business. Used to have fun pulling up to a Corvette at a stop light and blowing their doors off up to the next light. Had the car for 4 years and finally had to sell it when my insurance agent explained to me my insurance was going to go from $600 per year to $2,500 per year because my oldest son was going to turn 16 and have a drivers license. I asked if there was anything I could do to lower the price and my agent said there was no way. Sold the car for just slightly less than I paid for it, so it turned out to be a good investment while I had a lot of fun in it. Still regret getting rid of it though and wish I had it today.

[@Ashfielder]

Was just wandering around my village, noticed those iconic rear lights poking out from behind someone’s house… hopefully I bump into them in the pub at some point!

[@wartbiter]

I did look at them with an eye on fitting a 20B engine - but they were more expensive than Supras and Skylines during the mid 90's.

[@wombatsauce]

Fantastic car - I had a '95 for a short time. Just a spectacular car to drive - controls all at the drop of your hand where you would expect them, delightful shifter. People did not buy them because they were expensive for their time, and completely unreliable. We used to joke that it should have a "change engine soon" light on the dash. People recommended changing the oil strictly every 1500-2000 miles. Engines would barely make 40-50k miles in some cases. Wonderful to drive and great to own if you also own a Corolla and can handle having a car down for repairs.

[@dominicwood3750]

This car is small I remember meeting an ex colleague in the USA after he’d been there a few years and put on some weight. He literally had to roll out the car. Nice looking car.

[@davidcann6021]

I drove a twin turbo version in my old job down the docks, was shocked when the second turbo kicked in at 7k rpm. Very shortly after security came out with the speed camera 🤣

[@Steven-p4j]

The CFO at my work had one of these, and he only got rid of it when he married, expecting a family His was a grey colour and the accents of the body styling were featured by this tone. Beautiful beast, so much of a step up from the original, it created its own niche, in my mind. It was very popular in Australia, despite the high price. He replaced his Porsche Boxster with one of these, that was how much he appreciated it.

[@Rob_Dekker]

I remember that turbo pshht all too well. Love that sound

[@bradkropf]

I actually owned all the generations except this one. Loved the second generation turbo.

[@Jesse-qo9oj]

the FC was definitely not a disapointment. The rest of this video I agree with.

[@AndrePhillips-x1d]

People didn't realize that this was the best rotary ever made with the Cosmo , I wished that I had purchased one but at that time I was into Toyota's

[@27rs49]

One of the most gorgeous cars ever made speaking of the original version; pre- and after-facelift. Unique technique with Ferrari-design-vibes. Absolutely timeless.

[@tokmindegy8976]

Nice car, but I would opt for a gorgeous, wedge shaped Volvo 480 Turbo instead of a soup shaped 90s Japanese sports car.

[@preppen78]

I feel the FC also is a bit underrated, but it might be my nostalgia making itself known. I know the FD is the more popular car.

[@yurcivicsux2245]

The Mazdaspeed seats were a dealer option…. not standard on the RZ. The carbon/kevlar Recaro seats were standard which are very similar to the Recaro seats in the NSX type R.

[@johntaylor5968]

They’re a bucket load of trouble, that’s why you can buy them so cheap these days, drive it for 1 day = 3 days at mechanics

[@jonlyons1033]

I remember seeing one of these in the UK no badges, had me boggled. It was in Hoddesdon herts which incidentally is where I used to deliver pizzas to Linda Lusardi. She had anFC. 😊

[@andyreichert499]

I would love to have one of these in my garage, but I would need a larger garage and a few extra 0s in a few key places first.

[@simonhodgetts6530]

Mazda have to be one of the great unsung heroes of the car world - they’ve made some awesome cars over the years - the Cosmo, RX7, MX5 and the glorious RX8. Even the more ‘cooking’ cars are great, usually with superb chassis, great looks, and excellent residuals (apart from mk1 MX5s, which rust!)

[@alice_atari]

The only experience I have of these cars is Gran Turismo… and in game I found their handling squirrely and difficult. The fact you say it’s a bit scary on slick roads makes me think they did pretty well at simulating it. It’s interesting you didn’t mention the Skyline GT-R, which was also a competitor though only in a few markets. Ironically the cars I liked the most in game - the Nissan GT-R and Silvia - were either not offered overseas or only offered with a weaker engine. What you said about feeling every bump is probably what killed the car in the US. I remember seeing a lot of 300ZXs and I’ve even seen more 3000GTs. The FB and FC were not rare either. But I’ve hardly seen any of these “in the wild”.

[@jestubbs69]

Definitely one of the best 90’s cars Jack. 👊🤙

[@carlharvey7098]

Definitely want one! Just getting expensive now

[@Number27]

Yep.. that’s the problem buddy..

[@tominator23]

I think they were always expensive.

[@Aearonjer]

It was stupidly expensive in Australia, when it came out. I bought an '89 CRX instead. No regrets.

[@eliotdeag8040]

I had an Rx8, 230bhp from 2008, not an Rx7, but in 3.5 years and 35000 miles it did an average of 21.7mpg. I cannot imagine how much quicker this Rx7 is! And how much more trouble ? I only got stranded in the Rx8 once but the AA man couldn't believe I bought it with my own money (not a company car).

[@SteeeveO]

And as if by magic.......one of the online races this week on Gran Turismo is the RX7 Amemiya around Tsukuba!

[@andyc280081973]

Waiting on the Skyline R34 GTR review - unmodified will be a challenge, especially in the UK where they are super rare anyway.

[@borjejohansson6805]

Yes, yes, yessssss. And now..., ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ Mazda Eunos COSMO

[@Number27]

I’d love to do a Cosmo!!

[@johnscpmg4862]

Its one of the best driver's car in the world imo. Most exciting car I've driven even in stock form. Definitely one of the best looking car in the world as well and still looks modern. Definitely need wider and stickier tires to maximize the perdormance otherwise the rear just keeps stepping out with any throttle.

[@dominicheard161]

Need to drive an unmodded one to appreciate the control of smoother torque delivery.. it's a handling car.

[@zogzoogler]

There is a great Haggerty vid also “why we can’t have nice things”. I managed to run a first gen FB for a while and I miss rexy an umolested 3rd gen was on the wishlist but frankly they are ridiculous prices now. A carefully selected RX8 is still a great car if you are prepared.

[@Flared]

Had the opportunity to buy one stock for just over £10k about 8 years ago, but I passed on it because I was worried about not being mechanically-minded enough to maintain the rotary (and also not being able to fit in it since I am pretty tall). Kind of regret it, but also don't as it may have been a headache to own. The main reason they didn't sell was price really (plus so few came to the UK and even Europe as a whole). I believe these were over £30k back in the early 90s, which put it in a price bracket where UK buyers weren't going to choose it. Had this been around £25k or so, I think it would have sold a lot better

[@clockdva20]

I think it was the outlandish looks that a lot of people off at the time it looked totally Si-Fi Back then, I agree that it was the Playstation GT games that really launched a big interest in everything Japanese GT and Sports cars, that First and 2nd were very Japanese heavy and like many I learned about all the now legendary and now collectible cars through that game. The thing with that gen of RX7 was it not featured in the 2nd GT along with the then with all the other Tuners favourite from Toyota and Nissan. I just remembered all of a sudden importing used JDM cars became big Business, in fact I live just around the corner from a big importer in Staffordshire back then but never had the means to buy any of these now highly sought after JDM classic , back then they were selling Skylines and Lancers Evolution of ever generation along with JDM RX7's from around 3000 to 5000 pounds still a lot of money for someone earning a normal weekly wage in that part of the UK in the middle of the 90's Still I just loved seeing what had just arrived when I went past in the morning on my way to work and later when I returned. Now originals fetch silly money and are very hard to find. I think the other factor was the never fully resolved Rotory engine weakness that sunk earlier cars like the NSU in Germany and even put Mercedes off adoption of the engine when they also could not solve the limited life span and tip problem or of course the eventual killer of the car emissions. I love this version of the RX7 I still think it looks great but it is not a practical car for a daily driver It's nice if you have more than one car though never the less a great blast from the past thanks.

[@enricomercado4671]

It was priced too high for most people and its small size worked against it as most people equate the higer price to a bigger car. Even though it's shape is now more universally liked, back then, people did not warm to it right away and tended to still prefer the more "conventional" looks of its competitors.

[@moka-chan2000]

Well as some one who lives in the US the reasons the Fd didn't sell well here at least were due to price and lack body style and engine choice. The Fd costed about 40k when it dropped while a top of the line fully equipped Fc Turbo 2 costed just 20k and the since the Fd didn't have a non turbo or convertible version that hurt sales. Look at the 300ZX 3000Gt and Mk4 supra as proof all 3 of them had a non turbo version and a open top version true convertibles for the Zx and 3000 or a targa with the Mk4.

[@wertywerrtyson5529]

This has been my dream car for decades. Thanks to Gran Turismo, Fast and the Furious, Initial D. But I’ve never had the opportunity to buy a sports car. And these aren’t getting any cheaper. Never even driven a car IRL with more than 150 hp.

[@shanehnorman]

One of my all-time hero cars. For me, it's the looks. The bodywork seems to have been sucked in to wrap the mechanicals and, especially in dark metallic green, has a reptilian quality. I love the interior, too, especially that wheel - Batmobile vibe there.

[@eric-wb7gj]

TY Jack 🙏🙏. Europe has never trusted rotary engines, especially after the NSU story.

[@sageoz9886]

I’ve owned both the first(it was stolen) and second versions(I stupidly sold it), but always wanted the third. I consider this the prettiest Japanese car ever made. ❤

[@daveshongkongchinachannel]

Great car and I can totally understand why the owner would want to modify the engine in this way. But it would also be really interesting to compare it with a stock original example as the power difference and the way the power is delivered is just too different.

[@jgg02]

Mazda wankels - never a favorite of mine, but your reviews are. So keep them coming, love every episode!

[@65hi863dhyu]

The number "255" wasn't a big enough # for North America...

[@chrisflee1]

I loved my beautiful RX, red, '93. The curves on the doors, the pop ups, that gearchange.....and the worst MPG of any of the 45 cars I have owned...ouch!

[@stevenfernando1842]

Yes yes yes. It’s the best! It looks still looks sexy and drives so well. Perfect sports car. I am an Alfa guy but I still miss my ex RB Bathurst Limited edition. A car that made me feel like a hero.

[@Aleiza_49]

The FD, for all it's flaws, deserves its place amongst the legendary halo cars of the 1990s, imo. It was unique, beautiful, nimble, and quite fast for the period. It's a lot more like a Ferrari in a sense, anyone who bought one wasn't doing so under the assumption it was going to be reliable or comfortable. 😅 One of the cars I'm grateful to have been alive during it's lifespan.

[@lepod]

Thanks Jack. It looks similar to riding a big two stroke bike, which is logical. Strange that they didn't sell well back in the day.

[@Number27]

Yep… really odd.. but people don’t always buy what’s good for them!

[@TheJmebe]

I'd rather buy an NSX and have some assurance that it wasn't going to blow up. I have one of Mazda's most reliable cars bkow up - an Mx5 NC1 that has just destroyed the engine due to the infamous crank shell bearing failure. Why anyone would want any so fragile as an rx7 is beyond me. An RX7 with a Honda Civic TypeR engine would be perfect 😅

[@TheEarlofK]

I always admired Mazda for persisting with the rotary engine, I believe NSU with the Ro 80 were the only other manufacturer to persist with it; our neighbours had one, a very elegant car and it would be great to see it on the channel. However, Mazda could never solve the engine reliability issues and the appalling fuel consumption, which is never a great selling point when you're trying to sell an expensive sports coupé.

[@fudganuld]

I would of never called the original ones slow, so that one must rapid....Ha!! A friend had one back in the day,and he said that every time he'd fill the fuel tank,he'd also had to top up the engine oil.....Mad eh! Ha!

[@stuwhite2337]

It's actually quite like an mx5 to look at