3rdGen7

This is shocking at the least. I thought that with all the rotary fans out there in the world, with all the research and time I've spent on the internet .. all those web sites I've visited..in all parts of the world,.. I really thought I knew it all when it comes to the types of FD's made.. well.. this is a first.. a 1993 Mazda RX7 Convertible ??!!? is this possible.. YES.

NOTE that 180,000 yen is just the start bid price so no Ohhhhh's and Ahhhh's about the price .. it may well end up at 3,000,000 yen.

Firstly, let me say, that the information below comes from an auction guy in Japan who supplies cars for bidding.. so I have no pics unless someone in Japan wants to run on down there and take some pics for us to confirm this .. but here's what he sent me. I already emailed to find out if the year was an error otherwise it would be an FC .. my buddy buys cars from him for his RORO dealership here in Trinidad... so.. it's not a joke.. maybe an error though.

"1993 Mazda RX7 Convertible, 13B Rotary engine with 5 speed gearbox. One of only 150 built. Auction Grade 4, ABS and Leather Interior.4 Bidding Starts from JPY 180,000 "

Anyone interested can contact this guy in Japan.

Contact person - :
Kent Yamachi
(81) 3-5810-8692 Fax: (81)3-5810-8693

MikeC

Creating a convertible would be a *huge* amount of work and cost, I'd be very suprised if they had done this for 150 cars. If they'd managed to do this for only $5million then it would be a cost of $33k per car. They might do this sort of thing for racing but I doubt for a convertible. However, I'd be happy to be proven wrong.

Johnsrx7

Problem with convertable FD is that they were not designed to be convertables. The roof supplies alot of the cars strength and regitity.

If you want just a cruiser, that would fit the bill, but the handling performance of the car is gone.

black99

Which is why is I call "mispost" or perhaps just putting the wrong year/info like the original poster said it could be if you look close enough at his post.

DMRH

The Jap-spec series-6 was released in Dec-91 to the Japanese public. Wouldn't they (Mazda) had done it at the begining.

Although the series-5 (89-91) ceased production in Oct-91. I know that they did 500 convertibles & sold them in 92 as run out models. Perhaps the 150 series-6 convertibles where done in 92 straight after the last of the series-5's where knocked off.

Strange that its mentioned as a 93 model. Midway through the series-6 run (92-95)

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

Keep in mind it's "marketing". I doubt that Mazda's factories ever turned out a convertible themselves, however there have been plenty of shops doing the conversion for years:



http://www.rudyscustomtops.com/photo.html

93BlackFD

puke

3rdGen7

WOW !! I've never seen a convert-FD .. not even a shop job... that pic is a new one for me..

I seriously doubt it's an error.. can't wait to confirm this.. will post back.. but DMRH.. you if anyone should have contacts to confirm this as well.. seeing that we pull our cars from the same market in JP .. oh.. and thanks for buying up all the darn Cosmo's ! he he he .. everytime we place a bid on a car.. the guy comes back with .. damn Aussies got it.. argg ! he he ho ho

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

Keep in mind that "One of only 150 built." doesn't say built by "whom".

pomanferrari

iTrader: (1)

I drove one of these FD convertibles a few year ago.

It was a flexi-flyer. Even with a 1/4 plate welded to the bottom of the floor pan to stiffen up the structure.

You can feel the body twist going over a bump. You thought the squeaks and rattles were bad in a stock FD?

Looked nice but other than that, wasn't worth owning.

jdhuegel1

Exactly. I know Mazda didn't do it..

3rdGen7

How do you know this ?
..or you don't.

3rdGen7

Japanese auction houses don't sell custom cars.

kiyoshi

I never heard Mazda offically did it while I was livig there in those years. They are FCs, I guess.

jdhuegel1

Ok... So maybe every piece of RX7 literature that clutters every table and magazine rack in my house is just false then..

the_glass_man

iTrader: (2)

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

Heh, good luck on that one....

3rdGen7

That's the exact reason for this post from the get go.. maybe it's possible there is information out there that I You/We, DIDN'T know... unless Mazda consults with you before doing anything.. in which case, I guess this is rubbish and sorry for the mis-post.

Herblenny

iTrader: (13)

I think I saw that car back in 1997 in DC?? was it silver?? I don't quite remember.. i was visiting my girl friend at that time and saw it around Georgetown area..

Anyhow,

I agree with most.. Mazda NEVER made FD in convertible from factory.. just as others have mentioned, it would be way too expensive to just build 150 and stop.. and only sell it for 30G hmm.. If I was a stock holder and found out about that... I would be complaining.. And Someone will get fired..

diablone

iTrader: (2)

You really think Mazda made a convertable 3rd gen and nobody has known for 12 years now?

PVerdieck

Wanna buy a bridge?

3rdGen7

Believe me, there are many things in Japan that never made it worldwide that you will know about.. there are a lot of limited edition production cars that you've never seen.. especially being in the US of A. How recently was it that you heard about the RZ FD & 96-2001 FD's for example?

An old room mate of mine was he service manager here at Nissan. Once when some Nissan Japan Execs were over here for a meeting, he told them about a BlueBird SSS we checked out at the used car lot with an SR20DETT 4WD and at 3 am in the resturant, after drinking scotch all night, they sobered up and became very angry.. they were shouting amongst themselves in Japanese.. they were pissed.. they wanted to go see the car at the lot at 3 am.. they said that that is a limited edition car that the world is not supposed to know about.. explaining that most of the car companies in Japan build cars like these (limited editions) in small numbers usually less than 200, to test the JDM market before considering selling it world wide.. if it fails the market research test.. it's canned...

Form the time I purchased my FD back in 1999, I use to have a lot of problems getting stuff out of the US because my car is a 1992 and everytime they ask me what year my car is, it was usually followed with an arguement that my car is an FC and not FD.. only recently have I seen parts being listed on US based websites for 1993-97.. maybe it's be another 3 years for them to post it as 1992-2001 FD3S

Secrets in Japan.

Mazda 929 Sports COUPE with a 6-Port 13B

Mazda 929 Sedan with Efini Badging

Bluebird SSS ->SR20SETT 4WD known in the US as an Altima.

Nissan Cifero-> RB20DETT & RB25DETT the later being a SKYLINE GTS-T motor.

Mitsubishi Lancer GSR ( looks like an EVO4) but is 1.8 Turbo 4WD FMIC ..just like an EVO but with a 1.8 ..

EVO3 - Same 4G63 but with the older body style.

Mistubishi Galant VR4 4WD with a 3000 GTO motor ( called GTO in Japan & GT in the US of A)

Nissan Pulser GTi-R - SR20DETT Transverse mounted 4WD .. runs mid 12 out of the box ..known as the baby Godzilla GTR.

Toyota MR2 SuperTurbo .. yup.. the later model MR2 but with a SUPER Charger AND a Turbo.. these are REALLY hard to find.. built by HKS for Toyota in Japan.

Mazda GTX - 1.6 and 1.8 turbo 4WD.

PVerdieck

You are doing a horrible job of trying to teach your mother to suck eggs.

Unfortunately, some people realize that the world extends beyond the internet. There are these things called books. Other people read them. They read books about RX-7s. In those books, they mention all sorts of things about production and models. Including the fact that a convertible was never made OEM.

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

I wouldn't necessarily call those "secrets". If that were the case, the Lotus Elise would be considered a "secret" to the USA as well (as the Porsche 959, etc).

However, having a factory production assembly line create 150 "special" cars that no one has ever heard of in 12 years is a little sketchy at best.

3rdGen7

I just got a Sony 36" .. want a new box to live in ?