Growing up in South Florida and attending the test and tune nights at the local drag strip I learned very quick that the Puerto Rican built rotaries dominated the track. I don’t know what it is, but they’ve got the magic touch when it comes to making rotary powered cars into rocket ships on the 1320. About four months ago I was sent down to the island for work, on a long term assignment. I expected to come down here and find rotary powered cars all over the place and drag strips on every corner. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I went an entire month before I had my first rotary sighting. And unlike the long flat straight roads of South Florida, Puerto Rico is filled with twisty mountain roads which are especially interesting in underpowered rental cars…
If you spend any time on the various car forums, you’ve probably see the ongoing build threads that a number of members update as they make progress on their projects. Every once in awhile a build stands out from the rest due to the owner’s specific approach, dedication to details, or innovative design. Over the past few weeks, one such thread has seen a lot of attention over on the Rx7Club forum, and we decided to chat with the owner to get a little more information on his rather unique 3rd-generation Rx-7 build.
Anyone who has attended Deal’s Gap Rotary Rally (DGRR) knows that the winding roads of North Carolina’s mountain ranges provide for an amazing driving experience. Although DGRR happens but once a year, a second Rotary event in October provides another chance to experience the thrill and excitement of these absolutely beautiful roads.
The Blue Ridge Rotary Run, planned for October 23-24, begins in Asheville, NC and finishes in Cherokee, NC the following day. The cruise covers the Blue Ridge Parkway, also known as American’s favorite drive. This year the organizers have planned a dinner for registered attendees. Registration also includes a reserved campsite, and a commemorative t-shirt. While all Rotary (and formerly rotary) powered vehicles are welcome, I’m sure the gang would be just fine with a few Miatas or Mazda 3′s tagging along.
More information and photos can be found after the break.
Anyone care to translate? This appears to be a short film produced by Mazda to celebrate this history of the rotary engine along with the launch of the Rx-8. Even though it’s not in English, it has some nice visuals and is worth a watch.
While browsing the audio/video lounge on the Rx-7 club, I came across this nicely edited video. Matt’s car is definitely one of my favorite third generation Rx-7’s and I love the cinematography style of this video.
When it comes to putting aftermarket seats into a 3rd gen Rx-7, the pickings are fairly slim due to the size of the car. Bucket seats are generally reserved for competition driving and track cars, but have recently found their way into the world of street cars. Unsure how the Bride Vios III’s would fit in the FD, I bit the bullet and made the purchase along with a set of low max seat rails. I was a bit optimistic as to whether or not I’d be able to sit in a non-adjustable bucket seat for a long period of time; luckily all my worries would soon be laid to rest.
I just finished posting RotaryAddicts’ fourth how-to article: a step-by-step guide to refinishing your tail lights so they look like new. This is a simple process that only takes a couple hours depending on how bad your lights are.
I just spotted this very unique Rx-8 over on Super Street Magazine’s website. Apparently the car was featured in the September, 2008 issue, and I can understand why. The owner of this Rx-8 ditched the factory Renesis motor and replaced it with a 13B-REW out of a FD3S. To make the car even more unique, it sports the nearly the same paint/graphics as the world-famous Mazda 787B Le Mans race car.
According to the article, the car is making 394 horses @ 8600 rpm, and 332 foot-pounds of torque @ 6800 rpm. The car is boosted by a Bullseye Power S372 turbo and sits on KW Variant 3 coilovers. The owner built the car specifically for competition in Formula D and D1 events. More photos after the break.
