RR of the Day: 1983 Mazda RX-7 GSL
Ah, the RX-7. The first generation, it could be argued, are the best. They were inexpensive, sharp looking, sharper driving and durable. They burst on the scene looking a little like a cross between the Porsche 930 slantnose and the 924 greenhouse and rear end. Flickr member TacitBlue discovered the ersatz-Porsche goodness and affordable thrills of this 1983 RX-7 GSL and realized that it ticked every box on his "perfect car" list. Once he nabbed it, he did the right thing and went right to taking it apart.
Read on for the full story, a list of modifications and more pictures after the jump.
If you'd like to see your own ride featured here, simply upload photos of your ride into our Flickr group. Next week's theme is forced induction, so be sure to add your own unnaturally aspirated whip to the group. Detailed instructions can be found after the jump.
The first generation RX-7 is a great starting point for a really fun car. They're not hyper-powereful right out of the box, but they handle like demons. That handling prowess is due to the little beer keg of an engine, the 12A Rotary, being extremely light and located behind the front axle, providing a 50/50 weight distribution. The rest of the chassis was filled with good stuff, too, like a Watt's link out back and a curb weight of just over 2500 pounds, these cars tended toward the Lotus "Add Lightness" ethos. The Rotary (or Wankel, after Felix Wankel) engine was so smooth, you could easily rev it out to 9 or even 10,000 RPM – so the world's loudest buzzer was fitted to the tachometer of these cars. The 100 horsepower doesn't sound like much now, in these power-drunk days, but back in '78 when the RX-7 bowed, it endowed these cars with respectable performance for the day. If that's not enough for you, there's plenty of enthusiast support, and one of the quickest, easiest routes to power (and one that helped the RX-7 rack up more IMSA racing victories than any other car), is porting and bridging the intakes. This involves opening up the intake port in the rotor housing, allowing the rotor to take larger gulps, and tacking a little bridge across the port so the rotor's apex seal doesn't come flying out. This practice can nearly double the output of the little Wankel, and that's before you start playing around with forced induction.
Using the car as part of an automotive course curriculum, TacitBlue made some modifications, learned a lot about rust abatement and how to start fires with MIG welders. All his hard work has paid off, as he's got a nice-looking ride that's capable on the track as well. Not content to leave the GSL alone, he's fitted an RX-4 oil cooler, changed the carburetor, opened up the exhaust (at the expense of his hearing, no less) and made some chassis tweaks. Altogether, it looks like TacitBlue enjoyed his learning experience and he's apparently been taking the fruits of his labor out to autocross, which is far better than being sent to the glue factory. These are cars worth getting fired up over.
Modifications:
ENGINE
- Mikuni 44PHH Side draft Carburetor
- Mazda Wrap Around Intake Manifold
- RX-4 Oil Cooler
- Racing Beat Header
- 2 ¼" exhaust w/Racing Beat Resonator, stock muffler
- Carter 72GPH Fuel Pump
- Holley FPR
- Emissions Removal
- A/C Removal
- Engine Torque Brace
- Racing Beat Springs
- Tokico Blue Shocks
- 195/60/R13 Sumitomo HTR200
How to submit to RR of the Day:
Create a Flickr account if you don't already have one. Search for and join the group called 'Autoblog RR of the Day'. Upload up to three photos of your ride to your own account at a size no larger than 450 pixels wide if possible and include as much information about it and yourself as possible. Even if your ride is sweet, it will not be chosen if there's not a lot of info accompanying it. Click on each photo and just above the picture it will say "Send to group". Click that and select the Autoblog group. You're done, that's it!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Nazgul350r 10:41AM (12/01/2006)
Nice car! Wish I still had mine ('82 GSL) Darn salt water from Ivan.
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Richard Warren 10:50AM (12/01/2006)
Sweet little cars.
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curtis 10:51AM (12/01/2006)
Found what I'll be voting on!
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UpIrons 11:12AM (12/01/2006)
Gets my vote too! I had a friend who turned 16 about 6 months before me and this was his first car circa 1988 - same color as this one pictured but of course he added the louvred panels on the hatchback (lol, thank god we don't see much of those anymore). Unfortunately he only had it about 6 months before wrapping it around a tree (UGH! the horror).
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Alex Nunez 11:24AM (12/01/2006)
Nice pick by Dan. I have to say that I like the mix we have for this week's RRs. The weekend poll should be fun.
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TacitBlue 11:26AM (12/01/2006)
Oh my, well this is a pleasant surprise. There's some more info (ok, a lot) if you take a look at my pics in the flickr group. Thank you mysterious Autoblog people for choosing me!
Edit: Minor detail, but the curb weight for the 12A model is around 2300lbs. My car's around 2200lbs right now and with ~140hp it has a slightly better power to weight ration than a Miata although it doesn't have such an excellent suspension. Or gearbox. Or fuel economy. And it's not a roadster.
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jstand6 11:32AM (12/01/2006)
I sure do miss my old '82 GS. It was an amazing little car for its time, and even though mine was already 16 years old before I bought it, it was still an impressive machine. It was my first Mazda, and I haven't looked back since (I'm now on my sixth Mazda).
My list of cars since then includes an '04 Mazdaspeed Miata and my current '06 MX-5, but that little RX-7 is still my favorite of every car I have ever owned! It will definitely get my vote!
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Ben 12:22PM (12/01/2006)
Um, the RX7 came out in 1979, about 2-3 years before the slantnose Porsches.
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jscro 12:22PM (12/01/2006)
Love this generation of RX-7, very nice ride.
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Scott 1:03PM (12/01/2006)
I love RX-7s, Ive had 3. A turbo II and a 3rd gen.
Nice car! This will get my vote. I dont think many people realize how much fun these cars are.
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Jay 3:22PM (12/01/2006)
I currently own a 1979 RX7 GS 5spd with 75,000 original miles on it. It's bone stock right down to the original silver paint. It's still a blast to drive and so rare to pass another one on the road.
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Scott 12:58PM (12/01/2006)
-Ben
Not quite...The Porsche 924, which this car resembles the most, came out in 1976 about 3 years prior to the RX-7.
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Kevin White 1:42PM (12/01/2006)
I never owned a Gen 1, but I loved my Gen 2, the most fun I've ever had on four wheels by far!
Great car there!
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Sasha 8:43PM (12/01/2006)
Sweet ride! I always loved these things, the crazy engines, the way they handle, those quirky and exciting breakdowns...nice condition too.
I'll probably still be casting for the D90, but this is a serious contender.
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Mike 1:43PM (12/01/2006)
I love this generation of the RX-7. Mine was a 81 that I bought off my dad. Great little car, really fun in the snow!
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AutoFan 3:20PM (12/01/2006)
While a very cool and nostalgic car, I have to disagree that it was the "best" RX-7. The first gen cars were notorious oversteerers, and it was far too easy to throw the car away.
I think the best is the 3rd generation, delicate as it may be.
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G. Snyder 5:23PM (12/01/2006)
Scott - Ben is referring to the 930s (911s) with the custom slant-nose front. These are the cars referred to as slantnose in the Porsche world.
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jm 7:28PM (12/01/2006)
drool :p can't we have a autoblog hoopty ride of the week? I think it would be alot of fun.
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Calvin 7:23PM (12/01/2006)
I love first gen RX7's. I currently have a GSL-SE (the best of the first gens :-) and my daughter who is now 21 still has wht was her first car, a GSL. Both of our cars are '85's. This RR seems to be a really nice one. Congrats to TacitBlue for doing such a nice job at saving this little piece of autodom.... .
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RXDad 10:23PM (12/01/2006)
I've owned my '79 since new. Great little car. I still love to drive it on weekends.
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