J. Aaron Rinaca
It started as
a test....would the world be receptive to a new, affordable, two seater
sportscar powered by the revolutionary rotary engine? To find out, Mazda
took possibly the boldest move in automotive history. At a time when sports
cars were on the way out, they decided to test release about 2,000 of their
newly designed RX7 sportscars into the American market. This release didn't
flop as experts had predicted, instead the American public purchased them
by the thousands. In 1978 over 19,000 were sold, and in 1979 over 50,000
were sold in a single year. The RX7 was praised for its handling and speed,
all at an affordable price to everyone. 1st Generation Rx7 Timeline:
Model Year Summary : The worlds market for inexpensive and fun sports cars was quickly dying out......yet Mazda took one of the boldest steps in the auto industry by introducing the revolutionary Mazda Rx7 sports car. First unveiled to the public in Japan on March 30, 1978, and in the United States on April 24th as a 1979 model, the Rx7 took the world by storm. The Rx7 was both inexpensive and a LOT of fun to drive.....to add to its new image and appeal Mazda powered this spunky new car with the revolutionary 12A Rotary Engine. Although the 12A was a less powerful engine than others Mazda had developed, Mazda was taking into account the fact that its other engines may have had high performance, but guzzled gas and were more expensive. Based on Mazda's RX-3, but totally redesigned, the Rx7's exterior was far different. The engine was placed behind the front axle, which made it a front mid-engine vehicle(this design has been re-used in the new Mazda Prototype the RX-01). As a bonus, the Rx7 had a near 50/50 weight distribution between its front and rear tires. The suspension was compromised of MacPherson struts and a live rear axle on coil springs with four trailing links and a Watts link. Mazda made three transmissions available. These transmissions were the standard 4-speed manual, the optional 5-speed manual(w/overdrive), and the optional 3-speed automatic. The first Rx7 's came only with the 4-speed manual and only a driver-side mirror. In the USA, the Rx7 was only sold as a 2-seater, however the Japanese version had a backseat standard. The reason for this is that the US version had to have a rear collision brace behind the front seats in order to pass US safety tests. Dash instrumentation included a centrally-located tachometer, which soon became a trademark of the Rx7. A 130-mph speedometer on the right, and a cluster of a clock, fuel and temperature guages on the left. Two models were offered, they were the S and the GS. The S was well-equipped for a price of $6,395. But for $600 more, you could get the GS which contained a 5-speed tranny, rear anti-roll bar, and wider 185/70R13 tires. There were many popular options but the most purchaced were the $250 alloy wheels and a tail spoiler. Mazda initially planned to make only 1,500-2,000 Rx7's bound for the US, however to their surprise, America got Rotary Fever, and the amazing Rx7 sold 19,299 in 1978 and a whopping 54,853 in 1979.
Year Specifications:
General Specifications Suggested Retail Price (S Model): $6,395
EPA Gas Mileage: 17 City / 26 Highway Engine Specifications
Drivetrain Specifications
Steering Specifications Type: recirculating ball Suspension Specifications Front, type: Independant MacPhearson strut type, with anti-roll bar and
tension rods, coil springs. Weight Specifications 3-speed Automatic Transmission : 2,410 lbs. |
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Model Year Summary : No vehicle
or model line-up changes different from 1978.
Year Specifications:
General Specifications Suggested Retail Price (S Model): $6,395
EPA Gas Mileage: 17 City / 26 Highway Engine Specifications
Drivetrain Specifications
Steering Specifications Type: recirculating ball Suspension Specifications Front, type: Independant MacPhearson strut type, with anti-roll bar and
tension rods, coil springs. Weight Specifications 3-speed Automatic Transmission : 2,410 lbs. |
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Model Year Summary : The first generation Rx7 hardly changed in 1980. However Mazda made the radio antenna about 8 inches longer, the ignition system was converted to electrical, which did away with the old points system, and they also added rubber below the rear bumper's rubber strip. Added in 1980 was the option for full vinyl upholstery. Later in the year, a Leather Sport package was made available. This package added an LS badge, full leather upholstery, sunroof, and gold-colored alloys.
Year Specifications:
General Specifications Suggested Retail Price (S Model): $6,395
EPA Gas Mileage: 17 City / 26 Highway Engine Specifications
Drivetrain Specifications
Steering Specifications Type: recirculating ball Suspension Specifications Front, type: Independant MacPhearson strut type, with anti-roll bar and
tension rods, coil springs. Weight Specifications 3-speed Automatic Transmission : 2,410 lbs. |
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Model Year Summary : The first generation had its largest facelift in 1981. For many reasons, Mazda added more aerodynamic front and rear bumpers, and wider trimming which blended into the bumpers much more efficiently. A redesigned and in my opinion much better looking front spoiler was added. For emissions sake a pair catalytic converters were added and a "split-air" exhaust system was added. This system pumped fresh air from the air pump to either the exhaust ports or the second catalytic converter, to reduce emissions. Also, a "shutter valve" in the intake manifold was designed to shut off the gas and air from the rear rotor while the car was decelerating. This raised the city and highway gas mileage by about 20%!!! New, redesigned alloys was another exterior change for 1981. The GSL model replaced the Leather Sport package..the GSL included rear disc brakes, aluminum wheels, and a sunroof, and it made leather interior an option. The price for this model was an all-time high of $11,400.
Year Specifications:
General Specifications Suggested Retail Price (S Model): $8,595 Engine Specifications
Drivetrain Specifications
Steering Specifications Type: recirculating ball Suspension Specifications Front, type: Independant MacPhearson strut type, with anti-roll bar and
tension rods, coil springs. Weight Specifications 3-speed Automatic Transmission : 2,360 lbs. |
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Model Year Summary : No vehicle or model line-up changes.
Year Specifications:
General Specifications Suggested Retail Price (S Model): $8,595 Engine Specifications
Drivetrain Specifications
Steering Specifications Type: recirculating ball Suspension Specifications Front, type: Independant MacPhearson strut type, with anti-roll bar and
tension rods, coil springs. Weight Specifications 3-speed Automatic Transmission : 2,360 lbs. |
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Model Year Summary : Very few noticable changes were made in 1983. However, Mazda did remove the 85-mph speedometer and replaced it with a much more realistic 130-mph speedometer when the US govenment removed a needless limitation on speedometers. Very few engine modifications were made except that the oil cooler was moved from under the radiator to under the oil filter. A Limited Edition model was released in '83. The Limited was based on the GS and every one was painted "Chateau Silver" with red pinstriping and special 14x5.5 inch wide alloys with 195/60HR15 tires. Many automotive writers and magazines began referring to the Rx7 as aging, but they complimented it at the same time by naming it the "Best for the Money" in its class and saying it was slower but also cheaper.
Year Specifications:
General Specifications Suggested Retail Price (S Model): $8,595 Engine Specifications
Drivetrain Specifications
Steering Specifications Type: recirculating ball Suspension Specifications Front, type: Independant MacPhearson strut type, with anti-roll bar and
tension rods, coil springs. Weight Specifications 3-speed Automatic Transmission : 2,360 lbs. |
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Model Year Summary : As public intrested in the now aging Rotary Rocket dwindled, Mazda tried to revamp its creation by making an almost completely mechanically-different RX-7 which was named the GSL-SE. The GSL-SE's exterior was very similar to the past models, but Mazda had a surprise waiting under the hood....the GSL-SE held a 13B rotary engine instead of the aged 12A. The 13B used the new 6PI, "six port induction" for a broader torque spread and a new fuel injection system which Mazda called EGI, "Electronic Gas Injection". Mazda also added DEI, "Dynamic Effect Intake" which utilized the basic "surge" phenominon peculiar to the rotary engine to maximize its fuel intake through the new 6PI system. The 5-speed manual transmission was still standard but it was upgraded with a stonger clutch, and the automatic was scrapped as an option!. On the exterior Mazda vamped up the Rx7 with new 12-spoke 14-inch aluminum wheels. These rims used 205/60VR14 size tires. Mazda helped cure the loose tailend of the Rx7 by dropping the rear trailing arms by about 20mm. Also, to aid in stopping, the brakes were upgraded by making the front and rear disc brakes vented....this was made a standard option. As proof that Mazda made the right decisions during its redesign, Motor Trend ran tests between the Rx7, Toyota Supra, and the Nissan 300ZX and recorded the Rx7 at an amazing 0.88g on the skidpad. That score even beats the second generation Turbo II! Unfortunately, with these improvements the price was raised some to about $16,100, but it was well worth it. The other models received the option of a 4-speed automatic, and power steering was made standard on the GSL-SE, while being optional on all the other models. It was determined that the rear suspension alteration should be applied to all the Rx7 models.
Year Specifications:
General Specifications Suggested Retail Price (S Model): $8,595 Engine Specifications (Non GSL-SE)
Engine Specifications (GSL-SE)
Drivetrain Specifications
Steering Specifications (Non GSL-SE) Type: recirculating ball Steering Specifications (GSL-SE) Type: recirculating ball, power assist optional Suspension Specifications Front, type: Independant MacPhearson strut type, with anti-roll bar and
tension rods, coil springs. Weight Specifications 4-speed Automatic Transmission : 2,300 lbs. |
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Model Year Summary : No changes. The Rx7 line-up remained the same for 1985, as Mazda prepared for it's long awaited unveiling of the second generation Rx7.
Year Specifications:
General Specifications Suggested Retail Price (S Model): $8,595 Engine Specifications (Non GSL-SE)
Engine Specifications (GSL-SE)
Drivetrain Specifications
Steering Specifications (Non GSL-SE) Type: recirculating ball Steering Specifications (GSL-SE) Type: recirculating ball, power assist optional Suspension Specifications Front, type: Independant MacPhearson strut type, with anti-roll bar and
tension rods, coil springs. Weight Specifications 4-speed Automatic Transmission : 2,300 lbs. |
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