I came across this late 1st generation Mazda RX-7 a couple of weeks ago and was struck by just how right this car has always looked to me; in high school a good friend had the twin to this one and it was the first rotary-powered car I ever drove.
This one is a GSL model in the very pretty Ocean Blue Metallic (really more of a green-blue teal, the camera seems a little off), which was the model just under the top of the line GSL-SE. The SE was a bit of a different animal as it featured the new 13B rotary which would become the base engine for the 1986 restyle. The GS and GSL (like this one) still featured the older 2-rotor 12A rotary as the car had been introduced for 1979 with.
Power figures for this one amounted to 100hp and 105lb-ft of torque; from an engine that displaces 1.1 liters it’s quite impressive and since the car weighed under 2500lbs was enough to feel decently lively for the day with excellent handling and steering as the small engine is mounted behind the front axle. It’s certainly better than the 80hp my own 1979 Mazda 626 that I had at the time managed out of its 2.0l I-4.
What’s hard to convey until someone has driven one is just how smooth a good rotary engine is, it just feels turbine-like with a very different soundtrack to a “normal” engine. But so smooth, it makes a small Honda engine for example feel agricultural in comparison.
I was a bit shocked to see that the odometer had turned to an even 100,000 miles just half a mile before it was carted off to this junkyard in Wyoming. Imagine the feeling of celebrating the excitement of your car turning the big 100 and then less than half a mile later a hugely crushing sense of doom as something big fails…
In the 80’s it was quite uncommon to see a 7000rpm redline in any car, with the rotary it wasn’t any big deal, just a smooth surge of power all the way up to that mark.
The GSL model also featured a limited slip rear differential, rear disc brakes, power windows and door locks along with optional leather seats as compared to the GS model. It also had a large sunroof. The RX-7 was never offered as a 2+2 in this generation in North America but occasionally was offered as a 2+2 in other markets. I can’t even imagine how tight those seats must have been as while the front is roomy enough there is simply no spare space in the back.
Those seats by the way, although not leather, have held up remarkably well, the fabric is a very soft but apparently durable velour that still felt good to the touch some 34 years after first rolling out of the factory. Someone here scored the steering wheel as well as the stereo from the console but otherwise this looks remarkably untouched and in great condition.
This one is an automatic (3 speed) which must sap a lot of the fun, my buddy’s was a stick shift and a joy to drive on Mulholland Boulevard and even along Wells Drive in the West Valley as a couple of dorky high-schoolers with no particular place to go or girlfriends to meet on weekend evenings…
Mazda has long been involved in racing with first generation RX-7’s in IMSA-GTO/GTU (as above), Group B rally, 24hrs of Daytona, Bonneville, and plenty of other series. Of course Mazda also won the 24hrs of LeMans in 1991 with their 787B, the first Japanese entry to win as well as the only non-piston engined car to ever win.
Yes those are 13″ wheels, sporting 185/70R13 tires. The same wheels with the same size tires were also used on the Mazda 626 of its first generation post-refresh. The only RX7 of this generation to wear large wheels was the GSL-SE in 1984-85 with 14″ wheels which at the time seemed huge in comparison.
I came close to buying an RX-7 of my own in the mid-90’s to the point of having one inspected for purchase, alas the engine was not in great condition and I was advised against that particular one. Then, as usual, my interest went someplace else and that was that. Now though I’d like one of these again, so pretty.
I’ve always preferred the late first-gen models to the originals, mainly due to the rear end, I really like the (missing on this one) smoked rear light panel that went all the way across the back, other than the rear not that much else is significantly different throughout the 1979-1985 series, at least on the outside. This is one of the very few cars that I prefer post-refresh to the original form, usually I find the changes to be “wrong”, but not on this one. I figured this one would be here for a while, but then last week was shocked as I happened back to the same yard and realized this row of cars was gone for good, carted off to the crusher. I suppose there is little demand for old RX-7 parts in this area of Wyoming and its time to be picked over ran out. A real bummer as it was one of the prettier sights on that day. At least it’ll live on here.
Related Reading:
These came out right as I was graduating college and was on everyone’s wish list. Have always been in love with this design!
I had a summer job working in the service department at a Mazda dealership in 1987. There were plenty of gen 1 RX-7s around and they were just a hoot to drive. They weren’t all that fast but the way the rotary engine made power was just so smooth the car felt faster than it really was. Handling was also very good for a Japanese car of the era.
I haven’t seen one of these for ages. The motors were actually quite durable. It was the body that fell apart/rusted on these cars.
There’s a person about a mile from me embarking on a restoration journey with a rusty RX7 old enough to have the smaller taillights. It’s a shame that he doesn’t have access to this car, as it needs next to nothing compared to a full body rebuild.
I had one almost identical this one. Plus a 81 model. Wonderful, wonderful cars. As you say they just look right. One could claim the steering box instead of a steering rack was a bit of a downer but really it was not that bad if adjusted properly.
“In the 80’s it was quite uncommon to see a 7000rpm redline in any car, with the rotary it wasn’t any big deal, just a smooth surge of power all the way up to that mark.”
Mazda’s had an over-rev buzzer in the tach, since the lack of engine noise and roughness made it easy to exceed the redline. The engine would hold together at 10,000 RPM, but the joke was that apex seal life was limited to one mile or one minute, whichever came first.
What a lovely find, that one was substantially less rusty than mine was in 1995.
I saw one curbside last year, you forget how tiny these cars were.
To me, these late first-generation models are my favorite RX-7s. And as unusual as they are to find now, they still seem more common than the 2nd generation cars.
The last one I saw was this red 1985 model I found at a gas station about two years ago:
Sad to see this one, perhaps the underside is rotted out and a restoration was not possible.Loved my 83. Purchased in 93 with only 63k on the clock, it was LAFS and a real pick me up after losing my job and company car (a tan 89 Taurus). Nicely spec’d with a/c, a 5 speed, pop off top, and factory am/fm stereo cassette player with an equalizer and music search for the tape, it was a great three season automobile and I still miss it.
Love the co!or on this one, it was mint gorgeous body and interior. Even the alloy rims had absolutely no corrosion. I’m in the northeast in upstate ny.. This car is a super rare gem in this part of the country.. What a crying shame it went to the crusher. Absolute sacrilege…!!!
Even if 13″ I still love those rims. So proto-typical Mazda from back in the day. The interior fabric looks to have the same ribbing as my 91 626 has. Not durable but very durable. Last one I saw was in 2021 in front of my bank when I stopped to make a deposit.