1985 MAZDA RX-7 (FC) 2.4L 5MT RWD (185 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Nicknamed “The Japanese Porsche 924”, the second generation of the RX7 came on the market in 1987 and received constant upgrades until the car’s retirement in 1995.

Mazda had a long reputation and experience with rotary engines and decided to use it on the second generation of the RX7. It was a similar engine as its predecessor but upgraded with new technologies, which made it more powerful. While the earlier RX7s featured naturally-aspirated units, the later ones were available with a turbocharger, which opened the doors for more ponies, and all were running.

When Akio Uchiyama designed the car, he allegedly was inspired by the Porsche 924. On the other hand, the aerodynamic played its crucial role in the car’s shapes, including the pop-up headlights at the front. Uchiyama installed a set of parking lights and the turn signals in the front, wrapped-around plastic bumpers. The flat and short hood has slightly risen before the raked A-pillars. A short roof and a Camaro-Esque rear windscreen completed the greenhouse. In the back, Mazda played it safe with rectangular taillights, flush to the bodywork.

Inside, the carmaker installed two bucket seats at the front and a bench in the rear wide enough for a few letters. The dashboard sported straight lines on it, with a glove-box in front of the passenger and a vertical center stack. Mazda designed an instrument panel wide enough to host two big dials and four gauges.

The RX7 was a sporty coupe for enthusiast drivers. Apart from the rev-happy engine, Mazda installed a complicated rear suspension system built to counter-act the toe-in and toe-out situations during high-speed cornering maneuvers. The twin-rotor Wankel engine sent its power to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox.