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 first RX-7 only had a 1150 cc engine. The rotary engine featured twin rotors and the vehicle was a rear wheel drive car. The rotary engine had been developed in Germany many years earlier, but Mazda is one of the few auto manufacturers to successfully use the technology in a widely produced vehicle. One drawback of the engine is that it uses more fuel than the piston engine. This cause several problems for Mazda in the 70s oil crisis.
Rotary engines are light weight in their construction. This gave the RX-7 a feeling of more power with a smaller engine. The engines also run smoother that a comparable piston engine.
The rotary engines were found to be easily modified to meet air emission standards without catalytic converters. However, this conversion caused them to use even more fuel. By 1984, Mazda offered a fuel economy of 29 highway and 19 city. In the RX-8 replacement for the RX-7 the fuel economy is comparable to other vehicles of the same size and weight class.
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 third generation RX-7 was introduced in 1992 and sales of the RX-7 were halted in the United States in 1995, with only a limited number of vehicles being sent to the United States in that year, although the vehicle continued to be sold in other parts of the world.
The Mazda RX-8 eventually replaced the RX-7 world wide. It was first introduced into the United States in 2001 at an auto show, but sales did not begin until 2004. The RX-8 continues Mazda’s tradition of the rotary engine, however it offers seating in the vehicle for four as standard.
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