RX7Club.com - Mazda RX7 Forum - The Colors of 1979-1980

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- - The Colors of 1979-1980 (https://www.rx7club.com/1st-gen-general-discussion-207/colors-1979-1980-a-1145545/)

The Colors of 1979-1980

This little project started with this thread, https://www.rx7club.com/1st-gen-gene...olors-1141750/ and a spreadsheet i had made for the FC and FD. The FD and FC were really easy, its all in the parts catalog, there is a door handle or spoiler that came painted and so all the colors, and codes and the names were in the parts catalog, so it was easy. With the 79-80 cars they didn't (except when they did) have pre-painted parts, so the information isn't in the parts catalog.

Thanks to Stu (7Aull) and Kypreo for the help! This would not have happened without help from both of them.

and down the rabbit hole we go.....

The first thing is that the SA comes in an amazing variety of colors, and it looks great in every single one of them. Some are bolder than others, but the car just looks great. I had a great time just adding pics
My friend Gary is a sculpture teacher and he says:
"The first gen just looks great in any color, I think that is an unusual trait that not many cars have.
I wonder if it is because it is such an elemental shape? Or because the design is a little masterpiece of composition?"

The second thing, we came up with a kaleidoscope of brochures. in the USA we had 4, 79,80, and they came in long and short. For color choices it says "The Mazda Rx7 comes in a handsome assortment of sporty colors. However, some colors may not be available in all areas". We ended up finding something better, the paint formulas. We found many Japanese brochures, there may be as many as 12 different ones (!), its like a publishing company that sold cars.... There are some holes, there are brochures in the pic that we couldn't find (yet).
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...4c7a8878a7.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...68ba0d6d2c.jpg

Third; In the USA we have the 1979 and 1980, in Japan they are about 6 months ahead of us, so they have more "versions" than we do. they have an early 78 version, and at least a 79 and a 1980. Each one has different colors in it. Production started in February 1978 with the RHD cars, and the LHD cars following by March. The Japanese cars were on sale in Japan in March, or maybe April at the latest. in the USA we have to add 6-8 weeks for the shipping time, so that puts the US at mid May.

Our journey is then partly chronological, but not strictly so

Japan starts with just 4 colors, from the first brochure.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...ea8b882f61.png
The 4 colors are Mach Green, Spark Yellow, Cyclone Red and its very dark, but it is called Specter Green,

Here is the March 1978 brochure
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...d62fa88301.png

Here is yet another catalog, my lady friend is Japanese, and she was kind enough to translate. It is also where we find out that its Cyclone Red.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...ffc8f99425.png

Specter Green, did not do much in English, I have seen Spectrum Green, but the only color that made it to America that looks close is G2 Pearl Green Metallic. It does happen sometimes that there is a different color name in different places, G2 is an educated guess

pic is a low mileage original car
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...f9076deefb.png
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...969e0108e2.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...672d28e226.jpg

The next color is the red, and this was a surprise, I was expecting Sunrise Red like we got in the USA, but its called Cyclone Red.
This means there were different reds depending on the continent you were in, crazy!

Cyclone Red RT, is in my book
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...8328d9b9b0.jpg
In the USA we got this color on something else, either the 626, GLC or the Truck. My representative picture is under fluorescent lights and its unverified, the seller was not nice enough to take a pic of the underside of the hood..
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...65473ac27e.jpg

The next color is Mach Green metallic, G4. I got to see an original car last year at sevenstock and its just a phenomenal color. Something in the USA came in this color, its in my book.

It is hard to imagine looking at this color and then choosing something else, but they did.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...de4bc28b91.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...d88363a4fa.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...3e687bb3c6.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...3eea2397b.jpeg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...d608bf954e.jpg

We had the Limited Edition in E6, Beat Black Metallic. Japan must have had something, but no info. Yet another interesting color, its black, but has an undertone of something
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...36b04afe91.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...a51c368a04.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...f9f0d3a372.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...f18964bd86.png

Then the Red, in the USA we had RH, Sunrise Red right from the start. Japan eventually switches, although we were not able to confirm when, for sure by 1980. This one is a popular color, it is the first one that makes it past 1980, Mazda used it up to 1988
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...a14e3e509.jpeg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...33ae851731.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...43610580a.jpeg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...b127ac3696.jpg

That completes the colors for just for 1979, for 1980 its different again. 1980 looses some of the wild colors in favor of more balance, maybe.
The K3 Silver, WN White, and RH Red carry over, but all of the other colors are new.

From the Japanese catalog, translation was very easy
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...56b80af130.jpg

Space Yellow, Japan switches from Spark Yellow, YU to Space Yellow, YW. Similar, but bolder. Mazda used this color at least until 1982, if not later. in North America, yellow was just dropped on the Rx7, we did get it on something else.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...0cd2e13673.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...05cb0908de.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...56a626a404.png

Spark Yellow is similar, but as you can see more mild
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...e65326868a.png

The other Japan only color in 1980, is Indi Maroon, or Indy Maroon, Y6. I am fairly sure this was a popular color on the GLC/323, in North America
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...bf7a06e77.jpeg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...59b4d6bafc.png
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...502ca9c3b.jpeg

And probably the most famous pic here, who would have thought that was the factory color? sometimes these things hid in plain sight
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...524fb85941.jpg

Back in North America was got a dark gray, K8, Tornado Silver, used on the Rx7 from 1980-1988. While it was really popular, it was hard to find an SA in this color.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...d371c107d8.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...55ec9bc3bd.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...c02df5057f.jpg
not an SA, but it shows off the color really well
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...125aa065ab.png

The last new color for Japan, and in the US it replaces Daytona Blue, it is the U2 Stardust Blue. Another popular color, it is used to 1982. I've grown to really like this one
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...dcfcde2bf.jpeg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...00191a972f.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...4ac0d25b2d.jpg

Japan is complete, but North America still has a few more. Sonic Bronze was dropped and replaced by M4, Solar Gold. Another one year color, it gets replace with Mayan Gold in 1981
Its a really warm color, especially in the sun.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...651b718e51.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...1f08d10d00.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...99388d9cf6.jpg
and back to my favorite veiw
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...b1267844a8.jpg

The US continues its extra colors with Anniversary Edition, for the special occasion it came in a special color, R3 Renaissance Red. This color was another one that must have hit a particular spot, as it became part of the regular lineup for 1981-1983
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...f9e18d4353.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...f1391c81e4.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...7e5b368efb.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...84805d4c5.jpeg

And the final color was least fancy, and the hardest to find a picture of. On the 1980 Rx7 it was only offered on the LS model, so quite rare. However, the color, PZ Brilliant Black was used from 1980 all the way to 1995,

and then it gains a clear-coat and becomes A3F Brilliant Black Clearcoat. Probably the longest lived color in Mazda’s lineup.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...58e856c328.jpg

its also not in my book, we have to travel all the way to 1992 to get the formula
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...5ab1944509.png

And that is it! This took a while to put together, but once the pics were put in, it really was great fun, and of course all of the colors are just cool.

-mike

This is incredible!!! I am archiving this and making it a sticky!

Deep Dive, Mike. Even the paint mix data? wow-wow-wow. Thanks for the hard work and sharing, sir.
:worship:

Stu A
80 GS (paint code RH)
AZ

Very well done and a valuable resource for the community. Many thanks.

Just Amazing !!! Thank You for putting this Valuable Resource Together !!!:icon_tup:

interesting how different manufacturers have different formulas
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...8cd2e3ea0.jpeg