D Car — July 2004
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About this issue
246 available scans from D Car — July 2004, in right-to-left reading order. Japanese OCR and English translation drafts are available throughout. Drafts have not received exhaustive image proofreading; unreadable source remains recorded in the archival data.
Page 100 — English draft translation
Lightweight, compact and built around a front-midship layout, the RX-7 earned a strong following as one of Japan’s foremost sports cars. It remained in production for more than a decade after its debut, leaving plenty of used examples on the market, with a wide range of grades and specifications. Some can even be found for under ¥1 million. A high-performance sports car is now within reach.
The RX-7 was created as a sports car powered by a rotary engine (RE). Its lightweight, compact rotary engine gave it a distinctive appeal unlike other cars, earning it devoted support. The final-generation FD3S debuted in October 1991. Earlier cars were called the Savanna RX-7; from the FD generation, the name Anfini RX-7 was adopted as the emblem of Mazda’s Anfini dealership line. The engine was a 13B two-rotor unit with sequential twin turbochargers. Mounted low in a front-midship position, it gave the car excellent weight balance and high performance. Although 280-ps sports cars were arriving one after another at the time, the RX-7 debuted with 255 ps. Its extremely light body helped it deliver performance that could hold its own against those 280-ps rivals.
Much of its agility came from that lightweight body. In August 1993, the suspension was revised, followed by additional variations and minor updates in March 1995. Then in January 1996, engine output rose to 265 ps. In December 1998, it finally reached the long-awaited 280 ps. The Spirit R, the RX-7’s final model, ended production in August 2002. Today it is available only on the used-car market, but fans remain just as devoted.
Captions and page details
6/10/2004
MAZDA RX-7 [FD3S]
MAZDA
Round 2
Profile
First announced in 1991; produced through 2002.
Mazda’s distinctive rotary engine
A sports model known for its agility
100
Repeated improvements raised its performance: 255 ps → 265 ps → 280 ps. In 1993, revised front and rear strut tower bars and shock absorbers improved the suspension and overall capability.
Its capabilities grew through a series of changes. The 1995 Type RZ received Bilstein shocks and larger brakes. Engine development continued: in 1996, increased turbo boost raised output to 265 ps; in 1998, improved turbo efficiency and cooling, along with reduced exhaust restriction, brought the final model to 280 ps.
sports car
RX-7 HISTORY
October: The Anfini RX-7 is announced.
1991
October: Special-edition Type RZ released.
August: Model improvements;
1992
At the same time, the special limited-edition Type RZ is released.
1993
February: Special-edition Type R Bathurst released.
August: Anniversary limited edition Type RII Bathurst released.
1994
Model improvements; grade lineup revised.
1997
March: Model improvements and a revised grade lineup.
June: Special limited-edition Type R Bathurst X released.
1995
January: A minor change raises maximum output to 265 ps.
Exterior styling also revised.
December: Special limited-edition Type RB Bathurst X released.
1996
The Anfini name is also dropped from the model name.
October: Anniversary limited-edition Type RS-R released.
1997
Exterior styling also revised.
December: A minor change raises maximum output to 280 ps.
1998
October: Special limited-edition Type RZ released.
2000
August: Special limited-edition Type R Bathurst R released. December: Special-edition Type R Bathurst released.
2001
March: The final limited-edition Spirit R series,
three models, is released.
2002