Mazda put together 3 versions for the SA series & as with most Japanese cars, the last of the series is often the best. Manufactured from Sep 83 till Aug 85 the "series III" version recieved a few extras for the Japanese market that wern't to appear anywhere else. The most obvious of these was the TURBO option making it the first of the turbo rotary sports cars the world has come to admire.
Although the 12A efi/turbo engine was designed for the HB Cosmo series with it's emphisis on low to mid range performance, the turbo engine still gave the RX-7 the added punch it required (compared to the carby) to keep the competition from creeping up apon it's status as "TOP DOG". Enthusiasts knew of the Cosmo reputation with it's turbo option & jumped onto the band-wagon optioning the "series III" RX-7 with the top line engine simply for the prestige of owning such a vehicle.
The turbo engine was an expensive option & (over the years) as a result the car has become quite a collectors item on the used car market. Whilst the average "series III" RX-7 pulls a price you would expect see for a 15 year old plus car, the turbo version holds an amazing price on the Japanese used car market listing. Prices of around the 1 Million yen mark are not uncommon. It appears that the Japanese have adopted this particular version as a collectors item due to it's rarity (when compared to the carby versions)
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The "series III" has the honour of being the first turbo rotary into the sports car. Mazda haven't looked back since. Starting life with only 165 hp isn't that big a deal by sports car standards today but by 1983 the need to deliver more power was becoming obvious as Japanese auto makers began the turbo crazy era. Natural competition such as the Nissan Skyline & Mitsubishi Starion were on the turbo bandwagon with healthy power levels competing for the buyers dollar. Mazda's position was keep up or be left behind. How does it work ? Using an Hitachi ( HT-18 ) turbo, the analog controlled EFI computer devilered it's mix via 2 "high flow" injectors mounted in the engines centreplate. The air mix would arrive via a staged throttle body & progressive metering measured via a TPS to the ECU. Combining the relatively small turbo with it's short intake manifolding ( intercoolers wern't common in the early 80's ) endowed the 12A with instant throttle response devoid of any lag. Rated at the 165 hp figure. Providing boost from as low as 1500 rpm it's rated 6 psi would keep the engine well provided to the 6500 rpm peak. After this peak it's small HT-18 turbo would simply run out of puff requiring the next gear up-change. The turbo optioned "series III" wasn't available with the 4 speed auto as used on the carby optioned RX-7. To emphasise the sports appeal, Mazda opted only for the 5 speed transmission. This box is the same manual used in all the "series II & III" RX-7's except for a slightly different front case. The rear diff ratio was lowered to 3.909 to take advantage of the extra torque on tap. |
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Being the last of the SA series, Mazda had already had 5+ years to get the interior
appointments to there highest level. The seating comprises of the best seats for the
series with side support that still qualifies as a sports seat by todays standards.
The thick three spoke steering wheel feels sporty enough but what really provides
the sports feel is the factory "turbo boost" gauge within the 8,000 rpm tacho.
Feeling the turbo spool & watching the needle rise as it develops boost always
brings a smile to the face.
The luxury leather seating of the "Limited" spec was quite exceptional when new. Today, many of these examples are showing signs of advanced wear to the point where complete reconditioning of the leather is required. Fortunately this isn't all that difficult & the end result is simply stunning as it provides the look & feel of brand new seats. Leather clad door trims add to the appeal. Naturally power windows are provided for the GT-X & Limited. For the GT spec, a combination vinyl with cloth inserts suffice for the seating. The barest of trim levels prevail as Mazda knew that buyers of the GT simply wanted to go racing & for homologation purposes they provided this barest version to keep un-required weight out. Naturally the impressive sound system was employed for the Limited version with a Clarion Stereo cassette, graphic equaliser & joystick controlled fader. Quite impressive for the day but still lacking when compared to the HB Cosmo Stereo system of the same era. The GT-X spec RX-7 came away with a simple Stereo system. Today though, it's quite normal to find an aftermarket stereo installed & even an aftermarket sports steering wheel etc. |
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With the original floor pan design going way back to the RX-3 days, the SA series
was always going to be a compromise. Still, Mazda engineers designed an excellent suspension
package to provide the form & function demanded of this high quality spors car. The
live rear end with Watts linkage did well for the day but is lacking for todays standards.
This certainly didn't stop the RX-7 becomeing most successful make of car on the
racing curcuit in the world.Safety has been well catered for with the use of carefully
designed crumple zones & safety impact bumper bars front & rear. Dampers for the
series III are "user" adjustable via a 8 position knob on each of the strut legs.
This gave the user some degree of individuality for his style of driving.
Braking performance was quite exceptional for this type of car. 4 wheel vented discs gave the user a feeling of re-assurance without any fuss of worry. The cars relative light weight gave an advantage over the competition to start with. How often the sight of an RX-7 diving under another car on the brakes as if it was effortless. Although quite dated by todays standards, the 14" alloy wheels endowed to the series III gave the car a somewhat balanced appearence to cater for both traditionalist & boy racer. |
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THE AUSSIE LEGEND |
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THE AUSSIE LEGEND |