Mazda RX-7

The Mazda RX-7 Mark 1 is a car, which first appeared in 1978 featuring the twin-rotor 12A Wankel rotary engine.

The RX-7 was a true sports car design, as opposed to a hatchback or a saloon[?] with sporting accessories. The relatively light Wankel engine was situated slightly behind the front axel, and the car had rear-wheel drive[?] with a 2+2 seating arrangement. The handling and acceleration of the car were noted to be of a high calibre for its day; the design allowed for speeds of over 120 miles per hour. The engine operated very quietly, thus a buzzer was fitted to the rev-counter[?] to warn the driver when the 7500 rpm limit was approaching. The buzzer would increase in pitch when the limit was reached.

Marks I to III were the first generation of RX-7s. The second generation featured a complete restyling; some would say it resembled the Porsche 924. The engine became the 13B[?], slightly larger and with electronic fuel injection[?] producing 148bhp in standard configuration. Later models were turbocharged producing 200 bhp from a 1.3 litre engine.

The third and final generation dispensed with the rear seats, and featured an aerodynamic, futuristic-looking body design. Sequential twin turbos boosted power to 220bhp and finally 280bhp by the time production ended in Japan, in 2002. It was replaced by the rotary-powered 4-door sports car the RX-8, with a future 2-door variant of that car rumoured to wear the RX-7 name.

See also: Mazda