FD RARE PARTS (rare defined)
#983
Racing Mechanic
#984
Senior Member
#985
Thrashing your Roy score!
iTrader: (19)
A few carpets....
Highlights of the rare ones.
2001 RZ carpet in near mint condition (hardest thing I have ever had to find, see Spirit R mats for sale all the time but not these, took years)
Early Model OEM option rear cargo carpet cover
Late Model OEM option rear cargo carpet cover (Not sure the year it switched)
2002 Bathurst R checkered floor mats
Red OEM option floor mats
#988
Thrashing your Roy score!
iTrader: (19)
Fair Enough. Here's everything I (think I) know. Please feel free to correct any incorrect statements I've made guys... I'm going off memory.
The parts for the SP cars actually did not originate with the SP, and the design did not come from Australia. They were adopted for the SP program and a few tweaks were made (such as the two vents towards the windshield) but the design and wind tunnel testing was done by mazda in house in Japan.
Back in the early 90's Mazda had a couple in-house tuning companies. One was mazdaspeed... we all know about that one, they make some fun and go-fast street car tuner parts, but weren't given the job of making track ready FD parts/cars. That job was given to the subdivision of mazda in the early 90's named Mazda Two (or M2) not to be confused with the california based company m2.
M2 was given the task of taking mazdas sports cars such as the FD and Miata, and turning them into turn-key track ready/lightened versions of those stock cars.
The miata M2-1001 and M2-1002 projects were examples of this:
M2 had similar plans for the FD, called the M2-1020 Project. This was to be a track ready version of the FD, with new more aerodynamic body panels, with a focus on FUNCTION not form... like mazdaspeed. A lot of effort went into the 1020 project from designs to testing to production ready aluminum dies, molds, etc. This was gonna be the FD on steroids, for track junkies. Then the Japanese financial crisis hit, and everything went to hell. Funding was diverted away from M2 by mazda. Since the miata was such a great selling car, the M2-1001 and M2-1002 miatas were in fact produced and sold, however with lower volume sales of the FD, the project was set on the back burner and then sadly canned.
Since the M2-1020 project was already gearing up for production before they got the axe, they had a number of panels already built
for a small handful of upcoming track FD's. A few sets we're given to people within Mazda (such as the driver of the 787b). The rest of the pieces (I wish I could say the exact number but no one knows... maybe 5? 10? something very very very low) were disbursed to various places but we're specifically instructed NOT TO BE SOLD. Story goes that one mazda dealer in Japan put a number of the panel sets up for sale, and were heavily penalized/reprimanded when mazda headquarters got word of this.
Anyway, long story short, the M2-1020 FD never made it to production. It was the FD that should have been. The M2-1020 was (I'm pretty sure) the grandfather of the SP cars, and a very important part of FD history (though a somewhat sad part as the project never got off the ground).
The parts for the SP cars actually did not originate with the SP, and the design did not come from Australia. They were adopted for the SP program and a few tweaks were made (such as the two vents towards the windshield) but the design and wind tunnel testing was done by mazda in house in Japan.
Back in the early 90's Mazda had a couple in-house tuning companies. One was mazdaspeed... we all know about that one, they make some fun and go-fast street car tuner parts, but weren't given the job of making track ready FD parts/cars. That job was given to the subdivision of mazda in the early 90's named Mazda Two (or M2) not to be confused with the california based company m2.
M2 was given the task of taking mazdas sports cars such as the FD and Miata, and turning them into turn-key track ready/lightened versions of those stock cars.
The miata M2-1001 and M2-1002 projects were examples of this:
M2 had similar plans for the FD, called the M2-1020 Project. This was to be a track ready version of the FD, with new more aerodynamic body panels, with a focus on FUNCTION not form... like mazdaspeed. A lot of effort went into the 1020 project from designs to testing to production ready aluminum dies, molds, etc. This was gonna be the FD on steroids, for track junkies. Then the Japanese financial crisis hit, and everything went to hell. Funding was diverted away from M2 by mazda. Since the miata was such a great selling car, the M2-1001 and M2-1002 miatas were in fact produced and sold, however with lower volume sales of the FD, the project was set on the back burner and then sadly canned.
Since the M2-1020 project was already gearing up for production before they got the axe, they had a number of panels already built
for a small handful of upcoming track FD's. A few sets we're given to people within Mazda (such as the driver of the 787b). The rest of the pieces (I wish I could say the exact number but no one knows... maybe 5? 10? something very very very low) were disbursed to various places but we're specifically instructed NOT TO BE SOLD. Story goes that one mazda dealer in Japan put a number of the panel sets up for sale, and were heavily penalized/reprimanded when mazda headquarters got word of this.
Anyway, long story short, the M2-1020 FD never made it to production. It was the FD that should have been. The M2-1020 was (I'm pretty sure) the grandfather of the SP cars, and a very important part of FD history (though a somewhat sad part as the project never got off the ground).
Have this hood on one of my parts cars... Thought it was pretty cool being aluminum with an incredibly well designed insert that was installed by a magician, never knew just how cool. Must have skipped a couple pages first time I read through this thread.
#989
Rotary Motoring
iTrader: (9)
The parts for the SP cars actually did not originate with the SP, and the design did not come from Australia. They were adopted for the SP program and a few tweaks were made (such as the two vents towards the windshield) but the design and wind tunnel testing was done by mazda in house in Japan.
I don't think that is quite correct.
The M2 RX-7 M2-1020
https://www.rx7club.com/attachments/...0-scan0003.jpg
You can see the RX-7 SP body work was developed by M2 of Mazda in Japan. Front bumper cover, main hood vent (I can't see if the SP cowl louvres are present), rear wing.
These Mazda M2 body pieces were most likely produced in fiberglass. You can see the rear wing required a central support that was not necessary on the RX-7 SP Carbon Fiber version.
RX-7 SP
https://forums.finalgear.com/attachm...-rx7sp_add.jpg
The engine bay lacks the CF airbox, CF intake pipes, CF IC duct of the SP.
You can still buy all the carbon fiber bits. Front bumper, undertray, intake, IC duct, gas tank, wing, etc through SMB of Australia.
I believe forum member "carbon man" of Australia was the original supplier of these parts. Perhaps he made molds off the Mazda M2 body pieces to make them CF when he developed the other pieces.
https://www.rx7club.com/attachments/...rbon-parts.jpg
The SP exhaust is also still available from the original supplier (now named SMB) in Australia.
This document shows SMB's involvement in the RX-7 SP project-
I don't think that is quite correct.
The M2 RX-7 M2-1020
https://www.rx7club.com/attachments/...0-scan0003.jpg
You can see the RX-7 SP body work was developed by M2 of Mazda in Japan. Front bumper cover, main hood vent (I can't see if the SP cowl louvres are present), rear wing.
These Mazda M2 body pieces were most likely produced in fiberglass. You can see the rear wing required a central support that was not necessary on the RX-7 SP Carbon Fiber version.
RX-7 SP
https://forums.finalgear.com/attachm...-rx7sp_add.jpg
The engine bay lacks the CF airbox, CF intake pipes, CF IC duct of the SP.
You can still buy all the carbon fiber bits. Front bumper, undertray, intake, IC duct, gas tank, wing, etc through SMB of Australia.
I believe forum member "carbon man" of Australia was the original supplier of these parts. Perhaps he made molds off the Mazda M2 body pieces to make them CF when he developed the other pieces.
https://www.rx7club.com/attachments/...rbon-parts.jpg
The SP exhaust is also still available from the original supplier (now named SMB) in Australia.
This document shows SMB's involvement in the RX-7 SP project-
Last edited by BLUE TII; 02-24-17 at 12:16 PM.
#994
Rotary Motoring
iTrader: (9)
I think the RX-7 SP hood was an Aluminum hood with the front vents punched and then the two CF cowl louvers added.
Here are some specs that list Aluminum hood-
Craig's Rotary Page: Mazda Australia's RX7-SP
As far as I know, all the CF on the RX-7 SP is shown in that one picture.
If you can find another picture of RX-7 SP #9 that wrecked in practice in 1995 Eastern Creek event you could find out if the hood was crumpled Aluminum or shattered CF.
By the fact that you can see the hood prop still supporting the hood in this picture, I am going to say- probably Aluminum.
http://www.rx7.net.nz/sp1f.jpg
Here are some specs that list Aluminum hood-
Craig's Rotary Page: Mazda Australia's RX7-SP
As far as I know, all the CF on the RX-7 SP is shown in that one picture.
If you can find another picture of RX-7 SP #9 that wrecked in practice in 1995 Eastern Creek event you could find out if the hood was crumpled Aluminum or shattered CF.
By the fact that you can see the hood prop still supporting the hood in this picture, I am going to say- probably Aluminum.
http://www.rx7.net.nz/sp1f.jpg
#996
Rx7 Wagon
iTrader: (16)
Originally Posted by Link
Exterior
Vented aluminium bonnet (to lessen underbonnet temperatures)
Carbon fibre nose cone (larger intakes, splitter)
Carbon fibre rear wing (more downforce than S6)
17" BBS alloy rims
Vented aluminium bonnet (to lessen underbonnet temperatures)
Carbon fibre nose cone (larger intakes, splitter)
Carbon fibre rear wing (more downforce than S6)
17" BBS alloy rims