Hoboman3000

Anyone know why they named these cars RX-7's? RX, hmmm, don't know what that stands for. And the number 7? Seems pretty random to me. Does it have any meaning?

85rotarypower

Well, the 7 has more meaning than you realize. There was first the R-100. This can almost be called the first RX car, therefor RX-1. After that, as far as I know there was an RX-2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. It only seems logical for an RX-7. As for the RX, I don't really know.

sa22c_Drifter

http://members.ij.net/mrmazda/cfaqmenu.html#FCF

i 'on know read this i think is there.

Hoboman3000

Ah, yes I forgot about those preceding models. Well, that takes car of the 7. But we are struggling on the RX.....isn't that the abreviation for a prescription from the doctor?

heb09

wtf

Hoboman3000

That chick is hot!! I want to pick her up in my RX-7!

bizarro

iTrader: (1)

Don't remember where or if its true but I read that RX stands for Rotary Experiment...

1stgen4life

iTrader: (1)

I heard that it stood for Rotary Experiment Seven. Don't know that for a fact though.

edit: dang, beat again! I guess we heard the same thing!

hornbm

Its written actually stands for two things. It origionally stood for rotary export, as the rx2 3 4 5 were not called that in japan. They got names like familia, and savanah. How ever the rx-7 was called rx-7 in america and japan. So it was changed to rotary experimental thereafter.

Hoboman3000

Wow, that is very interesting!

dark mephisto

The japanses didn't call it the rx-6 because 6 is too hard to say in japanese, so they called it the rx-7 instead

rosey

iTrader: (1)

I also heard that '6' is bad luck in japan.

hornbm

Actually, if you wanna be really technical about it, the 6th rotary powered vehicle was the REPU, which could have been called the rx-6, making the rx7 the 7th.

But your right the japanese have a hard time pronounceing 6.

Suparslinc

Rotary Experimental. I got into a huge argument in the lounge about this a few years ago. I was eventually proven right dammit.

Suparslinc

Just for posterity, here is the link
http://www.rx7club.com/showthread.ph...=RX7+stand+for

85rotarypower

It sounds to me like it was never resolved. But your right. I also have read someware about RX standing for Rotary Experiment. I just didn't use it because I was told wrong so many times about it. I feel now I can use that designation again.

faye x7

I've heard Rotary Experiment, but that was here on the forums. I've never actually talked to someone or read anywhere that it was what it stood for.

seanrot

iTrader: (2)

Come on you know hobo it was the aliens

Junia

hmm...I wonder if the parkway rotary bus had a rx designation?? anyone know if it did?

Manntis

RX-7
XR-7
CRX
NSX
280ZX
300ZX

etc. etc.

X is just a popular moniker in sporty cars. Period. Mazda eXported the REPU, Cosmo, etc. without putting the X in the name. Mazda sold the RX-7 as an RX-7 domestically. X does not stand for eXport (nevermind that export starts with an 'E'). By the time the RX-7 came about the Wankel had been around for over a half century, Mazda had used rotaries in several models of cars, and there was hardly anything experimental about a tiny two seater, since the English and Italians had made millions of 'em prior to the RX-7s inception. RX-7 does not stand for Rotary eXperiment. It wasn't experimental, it was proven to work. No ammount of "I heard from my doctor's trainee nurse's former roomate's best friend that it really, really does stand for..." will change that.

The Japanese just like the look and sound of an X in the name of cool cars, just like they (and other car makers) make up words as brands and names. 'Acura' sounds like 'Accurate', so hey there's a good name. Allanté sounds kinda italian, so GM used that for a snooty overpriced drop-top. Same with Fiero for the working-class pseudo-Italian flavour to a 2 seater. The words didn't exist, didn't stand for anything, but just sounded neat.

Do Nissan owners debate if their 300 is a Zoological eXperiment? nope. Is an NSX officially 'known' as the Nice & Sexy eXport? Uh uh. If Mazda was that sticky on 'descriptive' names for their products they wouldn't even be labelled as Mazda products but Toyo Kogyo, and we'd be driving TKR-7s.

dark mephisto

whoa, deep, very deep

Junia

Damnit I wish I had my friend's rx7 magazine. It actually explains how they named their rotary cars. I can't ask my friend because he can't read japanese so when I see him again I'll make sure to post any info I find.

Suparslinc

Isn't there something in The Rotary Grafitti that mentions the desigination?

Junia

I looked and the only thing I can find is that the rx7 was project x605. Nothing really on the way they came up with the name. Probably just sounded cool. Its definately not the 7th rotary car because there was about 10 or 11 before the rx7 came out. Oh, and btw in Japan the numbers 4 and 9 are unlucky numbers not 6. 4 is yon or shi in japanese and shi also means death. 9 is kyu or ku and ku means suffering/to suffer.

d0 Luck

i would partially concurr w/ manntis!