The Mazda RX-7 is a sports car that was produced in Japan beginning in 1978 and ending in 2002. The most unique feature of the car was its featuring of a rotary or Wankel engine. The RX-7 was a replacement for the RX-3 and eventually was the only rotary engine vehicle produced by Mazda other than the Cosmo.
The rotary engine in the first of the RX-7s was only 1150 cc. The motor featured a twin rotor engine and the vehicle was rear wheel drive. Wankel invented his engine in Germany, but Mazda is one of the few car manufacturers to ever successfully use these engines. The company faced an uphill climb as they went through the fuel crisis of the 1970s with the engine that burned more fuel.
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.
Mazda found that it was easy to modify the engine to meet tougher emissions standards without use of a catalytic converter, however, these modifications caused the RX-7 to use even more fuel. Finally, by 1984, fuel use was improved to 29 mpg highway and 19 mpg city. For the RX-8, fuel economy matches other vehicles of the same class 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.
In the later part of the 80’s Mazda redesigned the RX-7 and styled it to look like the popular Porsche. In 1988, they introduced the RX-7 convertible who’s production continued until 1992. While it was being produced, the convertible was rated as the best convertible that had ever been produced.
The RX-7 started its third generation in 1992, but sales of the RX-7 stopped in the United States sometime in 1995. Only a limited number of RX-7s were shipped to the Stated during 1992, but the vehicle continued to be sold in several other countries around the world.
Worldwide Mazda introduced the RX-8 to replace the RX-7. The United States saw their first models in 2001 at auto shows, however sales were delayed until 2004. The RX-8 still uses Mazda’s tradition of rotary engines. Seating in the RX-8, however is designed for four persons.
Andy Zain is the admin of Mazda RX-7 Owners Forums , 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 Car Forums
