Simply the best sports car from a Japanese manufacturer. Mazda did not compromise when designing what is arguably the ultimate Marque killer. The 3rd generation RX-7 didn't rested on the reputations of the prevoius two. 1992 - 93 - 94 - 95 victories in the Bathurst 12 hour endurance events against the best Porsche (open cheque book) racers (944 - 968 - 911RS) & other reputable sports car entries has showed the the world how Mazda's little 1.3 lt rotary engine could outclass the best from Europe & any other country bidding for it's glory. At the popular "Targa Tasmania" each year, even privater RX-7 entries are able to tople the factory Porsche outfits for top honours on regular occasions.

Porsche 911, Honda NSX, Nissan Skyline etc were targets Mazda aimed for, & when released onto the world stage in 1992 the "series-6" RX-7 easily outshined the best of them with styling years ahead of it’s time & breathtaking performance to match. The 3rd generation RX-7 won numerous awards & races throughout the world & became an instant classic. However the cost of building such an "over achiever" meant the 3rd generation had crept up the price scale putting it out of touch with many of it's loyal followers. Reluctantly Mazda dropped the RX-7 from the world stage at the end of the series-6 production run (92-95) leaving the series-7 (96-98) to Japan & Australia only (after Mazda AUS fought hard for it to stay) were they remained as the companies flagship sports car.

A few years later & it was a sad day in Australia's automotive history when the announcement was made late in 98. After 30 years of exportation to our Australian shores, the Mazda rotary was to be no more. 20 of those years where holding the RX-7 name, etching it forever into our hearts and heads. A name that easily brought gloating emotions of Porsche killing even to the average man in the street. Its demise here may have appeared untimely but was not with out reason.

Like any business, Mazda produce cars to make money. Due to overpricing here, only 30-40 sold each year in Australia for the series-7 version, (96-98) there seemed little choice but to pull the pin. Where was the problem you ask..? Well, like the US & Europe. It was the pricing. At AUS $89,ooo plus on road costs, Mazda Australia simply took the car far beyond the reach of its true market. "The enthusiast". When the series-6 was released in 1992, the AUS $73,ooo price tag was a hard pill to swallow, especially since the direct equivelent in Japan was AUS$30,ooo cheaper. Mazda would tell you that it worked out that way but then couldn't explain how the 121 - 323 - 626 where all similarly priced between the two countries. By 1998, sales where too low to justify the expensive of re-testing the car for Australian complaince with the pending series-8 in 1999. New emmissions standards meant a lot of expensive re-working & that would have meant pricing the series-8 into the AUS$90,ooo plus catergory.Its fate as an officially released car was sealed.

So what's new for the series-8. A common problem with the series-6/7 was the intake setup. One duct would provide outside air to both intercooler and air box. When pushed, the airbox would suck all the available air leaving nothing for the intercooler. Intake temperatures would rise, and most owners would know "that fading feeling" after just a few minutes of hard driving wondering where all the power went. To solve this Mazda engineers separated the two intakes providing ductwork for the air intake at the letterbox slot in the license plate mount. The end result allows an 80% increase in intercooler airflow reaping obvious rewards.

On the top line engine (280hp) the turbo's came in for some modes aswell. A higher flow is achieved with the aid of the new turbine blade angles and housing modification. Mazda engineers coated the inner housing with an abradable resin then spun the turbine up to shear away the excess leaving a seal between blade and housing in the microns. The result was an increase in flow of 10%. Combine that with a slight increase in boost and you get a major part of the 15 extra horses available when compared to the series-7 version engine.

A thinner wall exhaust system increases flow area aswell as a reduction in rear muffler baffling giving a 10% decrease in backpressure. Extra cooling was now required, starting with an extra core for the radiator and the re-designed nose has allowed a 110% increase in cooling area plus further 80% gains in oil cooler area. What this basically means is no more overheating problems when pushed hard on the race track.

For the RS version a 4.3 rear Diff is fitted as standard compared to the usual 4.1. Bilstein struts enhances it prowess as does the 17" standard rims and 255/40 series Potenza's. Braking has been enhanced with bigger discs & calipers found previously on the series-6 RX-7 SP from 1995. The lower spec versions come mechanically, much the same as the series-7.

Interior trim changes are subtle. Gone is the ever failing oil pressure gauge, replaced with a boost gauge. Twin air bags are standard and gone is the oversized airbag steering wheel. A genuine Nardi sports wheel with compact air bag replacing it. The Bose stereo remains an option for the 99/00 versions but has been dropped for the 01/02 version. Replaced with Mazda's modular system you find across there model range at this time. Strangely the sunroof isn't on the options list. The 99/00 version is equipped with black background gauges with the 01/02 version getting the white background gauges.

Additional options include clear coloured side blinkers. Billet aluminium hand brake lever & gearstick are available as are the four(4)foot pedals in aluminium. Seats are the same design but trim material vary according to specification. The 280hp "Type-RS" & "Type-R" come equipped with a front strut tower brace. Colour choices are.......Vintage red - Pure white - Sunlight silver metallic - Innocent blue mica - Brilliant black. A recent limited run of the "Type-R Bathurst" had the option of Sunburst yellow.

For the top of the line version (Type-RS) Mazda have fitted Bilstein gas struts as standard equipment to provide road hugging equal to the aftermarket modified versions so popular on Japanese streets. A recent limited edition version called the "Type-R Bathurst" came with Mazda's first adjustable platform struts that where set to the height for the user on delivery. Lower spec versions recieve struts from Mazda as per the spec. The Type-RB-auto with the softest struts of the line-up.

Braking has always been a strong point of the RX-7. How many times during a production car race do you see an RX-7 dive under it's competition for the next corner. Impressive enough they may be, but Mazda engineers wanted more. So the 280hp optioned "Type-RS" & "Type-R" have been upgraded even further with the addition of larger discs & calipers. As mentioned before, Australians have seen this combination previously the "series-6" RX-7 SP from 1995. Naturally ABS controlled, they make for the safest braking set up you will ever have the chance to experience on a production car for many years to come.