I just returned from a 400 mile trip in my 25 year old car. A 25 year old car that still operates with original rubber hoses and wiring. A modified car that quietly accepts the additional stresses of a turbo, suspension upgrades and 50 series tires. A car that rarely gets exercised and spends months on end under the darkness of car cover in a barren garage with only a 1968 BMW R60/2 motorcycle as a companion.

My other hobby is amateur astrophotography and I was on my annual trek to Algonquin Provincial Park, some 200 miles north of Toronto. It’s a natural wildlife preserve nearly the size of Connecticut with pristine dark night skies illuminated only by the Milky Way galaxy itself. I suspect that the thought of preserving the night sky against the influx of modern living has never crossed the mind of the average 21st century North American.

Fighting the terrible Friday afternoon traffic of cottage dwellers escaping the last days of summer from the city, I had time to ponder the enigma of the Rx7. It was not readily apparent that this was the oldest vehicle on the highway. Good design, in and out, have graced the car with a timeless appearance in the same manner that quality fabrication imbued it with mechanical longevity. When I was in a highschool during the 1980s, a 25 year old car would have been something like the original Ford Mustang. Something that was so irrepressibly ancient sporting rear leaf springs, pushrod engine, and body on frame construction with panels gaps filled in with lead solder by indifferent assembly line workers. My daily driver is an Audi Avant which I consider to be the finest automobile I have ever owned, reasonable given that I am a middle aged and increasingly rotund individual. There has been little true development in automotive engineering during the past 25 years. Cars are generally bigger (because we are!), have sacrificed fuel economy for freakish power levels and have more computer processing power responsible for safety related accessories such as ABS, airbags and vehicle stability software. In truth, the essence of the automobile peaked during the era of the Rx7 and modern development has been merely to make automobiles easier and safer to drive. In other words, like universities who now grind out a generation of office cubicle dwellers, cars have been dumbed down for an increasingly dumber driving audience.

There is no better example than the current line of Mercedes Benz vehicles which proudly feature an engine without an oil dipstick or the profusion of plastic engine block covers which give modern cars a tidy Transformers engine bay décor.

So the Rx7 represents the last pure expression of the sporting automobile, a design that was both a commercial and engineering success. When the traffic started to clear, it was the old Rx7 that made others yield the left passing lane. As the miles piled, the suspension became more fluid and high speed stability and feedback improved. A guy riding a Ducati who had been tailing me for several miles finally passed me on his way to his exit and flashed me a thumbs ups. A gleaming white Infiniti QX56, one of those hulking luxury SUVs whose raison d’etre is to be seen and be seen making a spectacle, flashed by well above the speed limit and wove in an out of three lane traffic. Each time he found an opening he would inevitably have to stand on his brakes and then accelerate into another lane. I stayed put in my lane and spoiled my brakes linings. When we both took the same exit ramp, I took him on the outside lane at the apex of the sharply curved ramp and left him behind, he never had a chance.

Best of all, I got home completely sleep deprived but without hitting any moose or deer and without any hint of mechanical mishap. What a car!

 

Nice story. They (RX-7's) are truly timeless. Another Cartech Turbo? Pics are required!

 

very well put, that was a pleasure to read

 

Thanks guys for the kind comments and taking the time to read.

 

First, astrophotography, that's a hell of a hobby, I've always been interested in astronomy and space in general, especially the pictures

Second, awesome read , it's a relief to hear that other people share the pain of seeing what modern automobiles have been reduced to in a sense to deal with an increasingly incompetent market of people who don't DRIVE the car the own, they simply get in it and go. Then they continually expect more, and show less appreciation for their cars with every passing year.

 

^Agreed its a sad state of affairs with cars these days, even "sports cars" like the Miata are getting bigger/heavier and dumber than their previous versions...
Jim that was a really nice story, glad to see that this forum is still filled with people who appreciate these cars as much as we do.
Very cool picture by the way!

 

Nicely told Jim! Mirrors my high-school experience (Calgary!) exactly and certainly concur re all the "tech" new cars lay on us. Don't think it will bold well for the next generation of hobbyists trying to keep these on the road in 30 yrs.

But I do worry about your 200mi-from-home excursions on "25 yr old original hoses" -LOL! Dude- I'm all for old school, but spoil your Baby and pop for some new heater hose Brutha! You gotta time bomb ticking under the hood...

Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

 

Hey thanks for all the great comments guys, nice to know that I'm not the only one thinking this way.

Stu, you're absolutely right, I need to replace those hoses or my next writeup won't be as upbeat.

Directfreak - I have an old thread with some engine bay images but the installation is not really that photogenic. Here's some exterior shots, essentially just a stock looking car that has survived the Canadian winters by staying away from them.

 

To the op.
Good story



To DarrenTRS,Your absolutely right and what better example than the current rx-8. I remember all the bitching from people at the auto show just when the rx-8 was starting to come to the public. (Whats a rotary?,1.3L engine and has shitty gas mileage,no torque,WTF no pistons,you have rev it too high get it going) from the Noob owners (it uses too much oil) even though it uses alot less than previous versions. (it break down too many times) from lack of maintenance like adding oil.

I swear with each new generation of people born with that entitlement mentality each generation of new auto's soul will die as well. and then those new autos them self become mirror images of the newfag drivers

P.S I'm only 23

 

Awesome story, I share your feelings. What type of wheels are those? Any more pics?

 

Hi Jibaro,

Those are 15" Ronals, I don't know the model. I was running 13" BBS mesh knockoffs for the first decade and then found it increasingly hard to buy performance tires in the 13" size. I was living in Vancouver at the time and this tire place actually had this set of Ronals that somebody ordered in the 1980s but never picked up. The difference in handling moving up to 15" from 13" was astounding.

For some more pics you can check out this old threads:

https://www.rx7club.com/1st-gen-general-discussion-207/illuminated-rear-center-panel-finished-879556/

https://www.rx7club.com/1st-generation-specific-1979-1985-18/another-turbo-fb-born-479071/

https://www.rx7club.com/1st-generation-specific-1979-1985-18/fc-rear-seat-install-misc-12a-turbo-fb-pics-581137/

 

My sentiments exactly. Thats why in 1983 when I bought my first car out of college
I got a used 1980 RX7 GS and not a 1984 GSL-SE. I wanted that raw, sports car
feel that was already starting to be lost in the GSL-SE. In fact thats the same car
I still have today. I like manual steering and no EFI and no computers.

I just finished a 400+ mile run this past week to attend the OGTA meet down in
hot-lanta. It was a great drive and the car felt great. Next up is a long drive down
the Blue Ridge Parkway in October for the B3R event. Can't wait.

 

Excellent story.