Mazda RX- 7 Series 4- 5: Buyers guide. By: Cliff Chambers, Photography by: Wheels archives. Date: 1. 1. 0. 7. The series 4 RX- 7 was aimed squarely at Porsche's 9. Is it a solid buy today? Buyer's guide: Mazda RX- 7 Series 4- 5. Having collaborated with Nissan’s . The one major disparity was price; the Mazda at $4. That price was still substantial and existing RX- 7 owners hoping to upgrade from their Series 1- 3 cars were slapped with a massive changeover cost. However, Mazda hoped that advances in engineering and equipment made the leap to the new car worthwhile. The Series 4’s wheelbase and overall dimensions were virtually the same as those of the S3 it replaced and weight decreased by 1. This was despite the earlier model’s live axle being replaced by an independent rear end and DTSS (Dynamic Tracking Suspension System). Improved disc brakes were standard and wheels went from 1. VR- rated performance tyres. The 1. 3B engine that had been around since the 1. The engine was designed to react and build revs faster than the older one while generating less heat and improved fuel efficiency. Fuel injection became standard and incorporated a two- stage fuel delivery sequence with microprocessor control. Vibration and resonance were addressed by a revised engine mount design. Power from the injected engine climbed to a respectable 1. W and maximum torque was available from 3. A’s 4. 00. 0rpm. Four- speed automatic cars came with a slightly lower (4. To combat the influence of the slug, Mazda needed a . Power increased by 3. W and 0- 1. 00km/h acceleration times dropped into the seven- second bracket. Australian- market Series 4s came in . Slow sales of non- turbo cars still didn’t convince Mazda to drop the non- turbo version. The turbocharged RX- 7 remained the one to have, and was a sub- $6. New in 1. 98. 9, local Series 5 Turbos sold for $5. The shape was unchanged, but detail changes such as the adoption of body- colour side- strips, a new rear spoiler design and front air dam kept Mazda’s quickest model looking modern. Here we need to make more than passing reference to the convertible version that came to Australia in small numbers – 5. For reasons probably related to pricing, Mazda elected to import only the non- turbo soft- top – which cost more than $6. Turbo that would have been better able to combat the added weight. Features of the Oz- spec cars included power windows and roof operation, alloy wheels and cruise control. Air conditioning seems to have been a dealer- fit accessory – again keeping the list price down – but it will be hard to find a locally delivered car without it. By 1. 99. 1, there were no more five- speed non- turbo cars left and if you wanted a manual it was going to be the $5. Turbo. In March 1.
Series 5 was replaced by the significantly more expensive Series 6. ON THE ROADIt's hard to know whether to highlight the turbo or . Where they win is in style, gadgetry and pricing that sees them currently worth less than a long list of very ordinary cars. The S5 engine, with 1. W against the previous Turbo car’s 1. W, also delivered improvements in standing start acceleration. Zero to 1. 00km/h in an S5. T required 7. 7 seconds against the S4’s 8. For people in the front, the view from an S4- 5’s tailored cloth seats is excellent and comfort not too bad. Some commentators grizzled about lack of adjustment, but you’d need to be a strange shape or very tall not to find a comfortable angle. However, for real driver involvement and fist- pumping fun, you need a Turbo and preferably the Series 5. RX- 7 drivers when starting out may fall victim to . However, it shouldn’t take too long before they begin to anticipate the arrival of boost and just how much throttle modulation is required. With no traction control back in 1. Turbo cars had 5. The independent rear suspension did a far better job of controlling throttle- off instability than the live axle of earlier RX- 7s, but is very complex. The spoke- effect alloys supplied with the S5 looked a little more sporty than the flat, polished rims of the S4. The most contentious issue when discussing rotary- engined cars is fuel consumption. In contemporary tests, S4s with all their factory- fresh components recorded 1. Find great deals on eBay for mazda rx7 series 5 and mazda rx7 series 4. Shop with confidence.Find great deals on eBay for mazda rx7 series 5. Shop with confidence. Mazda RX7 rotary If you are looking for quality example of a RX-7, then this is the car you should consider. L/1. 00km and that will still be typical consumption for a suburban- driven Turbo. Sit idling in traffic all morning or give it a pizzling on some . However, that hasn’t stopped values for most versions continuing to fall rapidly. Desirable mechanical and suspension modifications can sometimes drive values above $1. S6 Twin- Turbo) unless the car is outstanding. History counts for plenty when deciding which turbo- engined RX- 7 to buy. If you can find a fastidious former owner whose file of service- centre receipts shows the car on a hoist having its oil changed and nether regions checked every 5. Quality cars will cost $5. Trade- ins or auction cars with no recent history need to be very cheap to find buyers and still may cost squillions to bring up to scratch. Convertibles, even turbo- engined imports, are ridiculously cheap for what they are and very stylish for the price. Australian- delivered S4 models with 2. That's not a lot for some very enjoyable motoring. SPECIFICATIONSMazda RX- 7 Series 4- 5 (1. Number built: 2. 72,0. Body: All- steel, integrated body/chassis two- door coupe & convertible. Engine: Twin- rotor, 1. Power & torque: 1. W @ 6. 50. 0rpm, 2. Nm @ 3. 50. 0rpm (S5 Turbo)Performance: 0- 1. S5 Turbo)Transmission: 5- speed manual, 4- speed automatic. Suspension: Independent with coil springs and struts, upper & lower control arms, (f); independent with semi- trailing control arms, coil springs, struts, anti- roll bar (r)Brakes: Discs with power assistance. Tyres: 2. 05/5. 5VR1. Price range: $2. 00. Contact: RX7 clubs in most stateswww. More reviews: > Mazda RX- 7: Great cars of the '7. Mazda Rotary 4. 0th anniversary in Tasmania. Search used: > > Search Mazda cars for sale. We're giving away the last great Aussie Holden V8! Enter here for your chance to win! Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for more unique car reviews and features plus see the latest unique and classic cars for sale. Subscribe to Unique Carsmagazine- Print edition- Digital edition. Mazda RX- 7 - Wikipedia. The Mazda RX- 7 is a sports car that was produced by the Japanese automaker Mazda from 1. The first RX- 7 featured an 1,1. Wankel rotary engine and a front- midship, rear- wheel drive layout. The RX- 7 replaced the RX- 3, with both models sold in Japan as the Mazda Savanna. The original RX- 7 was a sports car with pop- up headlamps. The compact and lightweight Wankel rotary engine is situated slightly behind the front axle, a configuration marketed by Mazda as . It was offered as a two- seat coup. The rear seats were initially marketed as a dealer- installed option for the North American markets. The RX- 7 made Car and Driver magazine's Ten Best list five times. RX- 7s were produced. First Generation (SA2. C/FB). In Japan it was introduced in March 1. Savanna RX- 3, and joined Mazda's only other remaining rotary engine powered products, called the Mazda Cosmo which was a two- door luxury coupe, and the Mazda Luce luxury sedan. The lead designer at Mazda was Matasaburo Maeda, whose son Ikuo would go on to design the Mazda. Mazda RX- 8. The advantage the RX- 7 had was its minimal size and weight, and the compact rotary engine installed behind the front axle, which helped balance the front to rear weight distribution, and provide a low center of gravity. In Japan, sales were enhanced by the fact that the RX- 7 complied with Japanese Government dimension regulations, and Japanese buyers were not liable for yearly taxes for driving a larger car. The rotary engine had financial advantages to Japanese consumers in that the engine displacement remained below 1. Japanese annual road tax which kept the obligation affordable to most buyers, while having more power than the traditional inline engines. In May 1. 98. 0, Mazda released a limited production run of special North American models known as the Leathersport Models. This package was essentially an uprated GS model with added LS badges on each B- pillar, special striping, and LS- only gold anodized wheels (with polished outer face and wheel rim). All LS editions came equipped with special LS- only full brown leather upholstery, leather wrapped steering wheel, leather wrapped shift knob, removable sunroof, LS- specific four- speaker AM/FM stereo radio with power antenna (though listed as a six speaker stereo, as the two rear dual voice coil speakers were counted as four speakers in total), remote power door side mirrors, and other standard GS equipment. Two primary options were also available; a three- speed JATCO 3. N7. 1B automatic transmission and air conditioning. Other GS options such as cassette tape deck, splash guards, padded center console arm rest and others could be added by the dealer. The LS model was only ever available in three different exterior colors: Aurora White, Brilliant Black, and Solar Gold. No official production records are known to exist or to have been released. This series of RX- 7 had exposed steel bumpers and a high- mounted indentation- located license plate, called by Werner Buhrer of Road & Track magazine a . While marginally longer overall, the new model was 1. The GSL package provided optional four- wheel disc brakes, front ventilated (Australian model) and clutch- type rear limited slip differential (LSD). For various other markets worldwide, the 1. The license- plate surround looks much like Buhrer's . European market cars also received four- wheel disc brakes as standard. North American models received a different instrument cluster. GSL package was continued into this series, but Mazda introduced the GSL- SE sub- model. The GSL- SE had a fuel- injected 1. L 1. 3B RE- EGI engine producing 1. W) and 1. 35 lb. GSL- SEs had much the same options as the GSL (clutch- type rear LSD and rear disc brakes), but the brake rotors were larger, allowing Mazda to use the more common lug nuts (versus bolts), and a new bolt pattern of 4x. Also, they had upgraded suspension with stiffer springs and shocks. The external oil cooler was reintroduced, after being dropped in the 1. According to Mazda, its rotary engine, licensed by NSU- Wankel allowed the RX- 7 GSL to accelerate from 0 to 5. Kelley Blue Book, in its January. This was the last of the series and brought out in limited numbers. The Finale featured power options and a brass plaque mentioning the number the car was as well as . The finale had special stickers and a blacked out section between the window & rear hatch. The handling and acceleration of the car were noted to be of a high caliber for its day. This generation RX- 7 had . It was the lightest generation of RX- 7 ever produced. A- powered models accelerated from 0. The 1. 2A engine produced 1. W) at 6,0. 00 rpm, allowing the car to reach speeds of over 1. Because of the smoothness inherent in the Wankel rotary engine, little vibration or harshness was experienced at high engine speeds, so a buzzer was fitted to the tachometer to warn the driver when the 7,0. The 1. 2A engine has a long thin shaped combustion chamber, having a large surface area in relation to its volume. Therefore, combustion is cool, giving few oxides of nitrogen. However, the combustion is also incomplete, so there are large amounts of partly burned hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. The exhaust is hot enough for combustion of these to continue into the exhaust. An engine driven pump supplies air into the exhaust to complete the burn of these chemicals. Under certain conditions the pump injects air into the thermal reactor and at other times air is pumped through injectors into the exhaust ports. This fresh air is needed for more efficient and cleaner burning of the air/fuel mixture. The gauge layout and interior styling in the Series 3 was only changed for North American versions. Additionally, North America was the only market to have offered the first generation RX- 7 with the fuel- injected 1. B, model GSL- SE. Sales of the first generation RX- 7 were strong, with a total of 4. United States alone. In 2. 00. 4, Sports Car International named this car seventh on their list of Top Sports Cars of the 1. In 1. 98. 3, the RX- 7 would appear on Car and Driver magazine's Ten Best list for the first time in 2. Savanna RX- 7 Turbo. It was introduced in September 1. While the peak power figures were only somewhat higher than those of the engine used in the Luce/Cosmo, the new . Both rotor vanes of the turbine were remodelled and made smaller, and the turbine had a twenty percent higher speed than a turbo intended for a conventional engine. An optional turbocharged model, (1. The naturally aspirated Series 5 FC made 1. W), while the Series 5 Turbo made 2. PS (1. 51 k. W). The rotary engine had financial advantages to Japanese consumers in that the engine displacement remained below 1. Japanese annual road tax which kept the obligation affordable to most buyers, while having more power than the traditional inline engines. The RX- 7 in this regard to Japanese owners offered comparable performance to other Japanese performance coupes, while being of lighter weight, with a balanced chassis, and lively performance, without the extra expense of the road tax obligation. The second generation RX- 7 (. Mazda's stylists, led by Chief Project Engineer Akio Uchiyama, focused on the Porsche 9. FC because the new car was being styled primarily for the American market, where the majority of first generation RX- 7's had been sold. This strategy was chosen after Uchiyama and others on the design team spent time in the United States studying owners of earlier RX- 7's and other sports cars popular in the American market. The Porsche 9. 44 was selling particularly well at the time and provided clues as to what sports- car enthusiasts might find compelling in future RX- 7 styling and equipment. While the SA2. 2/FB was a purer sports car, the FC tended toward the softer sport- tourer trends of its day, sharing some similarities with the HB series Cosmo. Handling was much improved, with less of the oversteer tendencies of the FB. The rear end design was vastly improved from the FB's live rear axle to a more modern, Independent Rear Suspension (rear axle). Steering was more precise, with rack and pinionsteering replacing the old recirculating ball steering of the FB. Disc brakes also became standard, with some models (S4: Sport, GXL, GTU, Turbo II, Convertible; S5: GXL, GTUs, Turbo, Convertible) offering four- piston front brakes. The rear seats were optional in some models of the FC RX- 7, but are not commonly found in the American Market. Mazda also introduced Dynamic Tracking Suspension System (DTSS) in the 2nd generation RX- 7. The revised independent rear suspension incorporated special toe control hubs which were capable of introducing a limited degree of passive rear steering under cornering loads. The DTSS worked by allowing a slight amount of toe- out under normal driving conditions but induced slight toe- in under heavier cornering loads at around 0. G's or more; toe- out in the rear allows for a more responsive rotation of the rear, but toe- in allowed for a more stable rear under heavier cornering. Mazda also introduced Auto Adjusting Suspension (AAS) in the 2nd generation RX- 7. The system changed damping characteristics according to the road and driving conditions. The system compensated for camber changes and provided anti- dive and anti- squat effects. The Turbo 2 uses a turbo charger with a twin scroll design. The smaller primary chamber is engineered to cancel the turbo lag at low engine speeds. At higher revolutions the secondary chamber is opened, pumping out 3. The Turbo 2 also has an air- to- air intercooler which has a dedicated intake on the hood. The intake is slightly offset toward the left side of the hood. Though about 8. 00 lb (3. FC continued to win accolades from the press. The FC RX- 7 was Motor Trend's Import Car of the Year for 1. Turbo II was on Car and Driver magazine's Ten Best list for a second time in 1.
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