Simviation Forum - Mazda goes "Hmmmmm..."

Jun 25^th, 2007 at 8:23pm

beaky Offline
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Met up with my pal Stevie Z. on Saturday in New Orleans, and finally got to see his rotary-powered RX-7.
Didn't drive it; maybe next time... I drove a piston-powered 7 once years ago and thought it was pretty cool.
I can't remember how he ended up with this one; a friend may have given it to him. He travels in it quite a bit all over the area.

Thought some of the car buffs at the V might enjoy this curiosity... Grin

Not exactly a creampuff, but it's pretty straight and the engine runs well, if inefficiently.

The AC is inop, and I guess the fans are inadequate, so he uses this 12V blower to stay alive when stuck in traffic in the Louisiana heat... I think he got this from work (he's a rigger and grip for movie shoots).

Must still be very hot, but the moonroof is removable, which helps... and God knows it can't be as bad as his old Volvo P1800ES, which had the vent intakes caulked shut because they let water in- I drove that in New Orleans once and it was like an oven.

The Wankel: a pretty bold idea at the time Mazda introduced these, and a very good idea, except for the horrendous fuel consumption of these early ones. He's started doing a little work on the car- that new brake line is his latest creation, and pretty good for a first attempt.

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Reply #1 - Jun 25^th, 2007 at 8:43pm

Craig. Offline
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ah the rx7, a classic yet also a heap of junk. But we can at least say it spawned the amazing RX8.

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Reply #2 - Jun 26^th, 2007 at 1:43am

ozzy72 Offline
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Speaking as an ex-Mazda owner I have to say those Wankel engines are superb Cool

There are two types of aeroplane, Spitfires and everything else that wishes it was a Spitfire!

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Reply #3 - Jun 26^th, 2007 at 6:46am

expat Offline
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ozzy72 wrote on Jun 26^th, 2007 at 1:43am:

Speaking as an ex-Mazda owner I have to say those Wankel engines are superb Cool

Smoother than a Kashmir codpiece.

Matt

PETA People Eating Tasty Animals.

B1 Boeing 737-800 and Dash8 Q-400

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Reply #4 - Jun 26^th, 2007 at 10:13am

Björn Ex Member

I'd buy one if it wan't for the fuel consumption.

Sexy thing and its successor is not bad either.

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Reply #5 - Jun 26^th, 2007 at 12:06pm

ozzy72 Offline
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I have to say the best car I ever had for handbrake turns was a 323F. That thing was awesome for a 17 year old petrol head Grin

There are two types of aeroplane, Spitfires and everything else that wishes it was a Spitfire!

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Reply #6 - Jun 27^th, 2007 at 2:24am

Mushroom_Farmer Offline
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The Mazda rotary was so bad it only won it's class in the 24 Hours of Daytons 10 years in a row, starting in 1982, and won the IMSA GTU championship each year from 1980 through 1987. It also went on to win more IMSA races in its class than any other model of automobile, with its one hundredth victory on September 2, 1990.
Yep, (sips beverage) sounds like a real P.O.S. to me.

&&&&"We're just sitting here trying to put our PCjrs in a pile and burn them. And the damn things won't burn. That's the only thing IBM did right with it - they made it flameproof." && Spinnaker Software chairman William Bowman, 1985

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Reply #7 - Jun 29^th, 2007 at 7:05pm

C Offline
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Won Le Mans in 1991 too. The last fancy engine to do so before the TDi's appeared. What a noise too.

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Reply #8 - Jul 4^th, 2007 at 8:29pm

Roughrider Offline
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You guys sound like you might like this, this is what I keep in the garage for Sunday drives, Its a 2004 and has 4,105 miles on it. Its never been wet. It will reach 60mph in 2nd gear, and it is a 6 speed.

&&Canon Rebel XTi (400D)&&Canon EFS 17-85mm&&Canon EF 70-300mm&&Canon EF 100-400L

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Reply #9 - Jul 5^th, 2007 at 6:06am

Craig. Offline
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You keep that in the garage? I hope your weekday car is a ferrari otherwise shame on you Wink

Tis a lovely car.

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Reply #10 - Jul 13^th, 2007 at 1:59pm

beaky Offline
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Finally got to drive SZ's RX-7 two weeks later... needs a little work on the front end, but it is indeed a blast to drive. I though for sure I'd be grindin' 'em up because I haven't driven a stick in ages, but it was very forgiving. It was nice to be buzzing along low to the road again... made me miss my old Fiat 124 Spider. Cry

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Reply #11 - Aug 20^th, 2007 at 12:07pm

BuggsK100RS Offline
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I work as a contract Driver at a roll on roll of ferry port the Humber Sea Termanal (ok i cart spell it) its a bit boring doing nothing but drive Brand spanking new cars off ferrys all day but ever now and then there is a bit of a hi light the RX8's are defo one of them Hi's. Tho the Mazda Speed ones rearly are NUTS. The better of the two RX8 models (the 6 speed gear box one) is nothing in conparason with a Mazda speed Twin Turbo 6 speed model defonatly mutch rarer and OMFG!!!!!! are thay fast. On the port we are only serposed to do 20MPH max But Roll Eyes

well it got to 20 very fast and no that wasant me doing 80 down the jetty Wink

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Reply #12 - Sep 9^th, 2007 at 12:59am

beaky Offline
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Update: SZ ditched the Mazda and got a Mustang LX... Huh

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Reply #13 - Sep 9^th, 2007 at 2:31am

Mushroom_Farmer Offline
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beaky wrote on Sep 9^th, 2007 at 12:59am:

Update: SZ ditched the Mazda and got a Mustang LX... Huh

An LX? Is he heavily medicated? May as well have gotten a Pinto. Or a Gremlin X. Grin

Settle for no less than a GT. Roll Eyes

&&&&"We're just sitting here trying to put our PCjrs in a pile and burn them. And the damn things won't burn. That's the only thing IBM did right with it - they made it flameproof." && Spinnaker Software chairman William Bowman, 1985

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