I'm having a BIG problem here. Renesis passes emmisions and gets good mpg. WHY does it take more $$ to make it than a 4 piston motor.

Jeez, it has almost no parts in comparision to a piston.

Simple solution, put the 2 rotor in the new Miata and a 3 rotor in the new RX-7. One gets 250BHP in 2400 lbs and the RX7 gets 375BHP in a 2800 lbs car.

To me that's a "NOBRAINER".

Ken
"94 PEP, White, Red Leather
www.nopistons.com

FYI......GM is NOT giving up on the Camaro. It will not be made for the year 2002 BUT it will return "completely new" as a 2003 model. With that being the case, it's only reasonable that the Firebird will return as well using the same chasis/components.

I think that the reason the FD failed was timing. Reagonomics were at an end. The older generation that had the money to buy the car then probably spent it on a Lexus or a Porsche or a Benz. Those with less money and more of a blue collar mentality were probably brought up on the muscel car brands, like the camaro and firebird and mustang. The Z and the 7 just died a quiet death. I remember people saying "I'm not going to pay that much for a Japanese sports car." They would spend a lot for a German sports car, but not a Japanese one. The 7 just ended up outclassing itself for the American buying public. But that is also why the Miata did so well. It was a relatively inexpensive Japanese sports car. It wasn't trying to compete with ANY muscle car. But then again, purists, the few, didn't think the Miata was a performance car (well until you stuck a Sebring in it and beefed up the drivetrain...but that is another story).

That was then, this is now. NOW, you can't go down the street without hearing a Honda go by sounding like a lawnmower on steroids. The muscle cars are a dying breed. Now it's not "my carburator is bigger than your carburator"...and it's not about displacement of a rat motor.........it's about cold air induction and p.s.i. and how much hp you can get out of a motor that's smaller than a mouse.

You don't think that with the shift in mentality TOWARD japanese sports cars as the in thing that a well priced RX-7 wouldn't do well in this new market?

I say put out the 3rd gen with a single turbo, get rid of all the vacuum hoses, make it easy to work on...and get rid of all those damned squeaks.

Do you think everyone would be fast and furious to get their wallets out?

I do....I would....in a heartbeat.

I am in complete agreement that the FD would do well right now in our market place. I also know that Mazda really doesn't have enough of a good reputation to take a risk like that.

In order to push the rotary engine through the bean counters they had to package it in something exceptionally special, thus the RX-8. I imagine they're trying to get the RX-7 back in the states, but that could be a long, hard road.

Another thing I'll take issue with in this thread is the FD being called a "supercar" by one of the earlier posters. What makes these cars "supercars" besides our opinion of them?

Surely, you will find very few people in the 3rd Generation RX-7 Forum who will dislike the car they own, love and drive being called a supercar, but how many other groups out there do you honestly think would call this car a supercar?

Before someone spouts off performance numbers, let me tell you that the stock FD and a stock 2000 Mustang GT have VERY similar numbers. Top speed, 0-60, quarter mile and all. So think again about supercar term, even if handling is surgeons scalpel sharp.

Don't get me wrong, I love these cars. I also think that some time down the road the stock examples of these cars that still exist will be worth a mint. However, we can't judge cars we have't seen yet and we kind of have to wait for Mazda to show us what they can do... again...

They're getting back into racing (they bought a track didn't they?) and if the Miata is the best platform they think they can have for a race car I'm going to have to trust them. How many of you guys have driven one of the new Miatas? You might be surprised at how well the 6 speed is matched to the limited output of the engine. If one were to come with S2000 horsepower numbers, it might just be the best car Mazda ever made.

I agree, the new (and old) Miata is a great car. Cant say I agree with the current FD ever being a hit in our marketplace though... even if it was reintroduced. People on here will hate me for saying this, but the FD killed the rotary engine in North America... it offered great performance (like all RX7s), but sacrificed reliability (the rotarys original trump card!). We all have heard and lived stories of ever breaking FDs. Every rotorhead has an opinion of wether this is true or not... but unfortunatly, the general public is now very weary of rotary engines. It's incredible how many kids now think of the rotary engine as super fast... while it lasts. Just ten years ago, most people thought they where pretty much indestructible... and somewhat slow.

As far as the FD being a supercar... thats how Mazda marketed it. It was "an affordable exotic" as they put it. It was always tested side by side with Porsches, Ferraris, Vipers... Maybe putting it more on a Camaro's or Mustang's level would have been a better idea. Honestly, if you ignore the price tag, I think the FD looks and acts very well next to cars worth more than twice as much. I hope when (if) a new RX7 appears it will be just as fast and fun to drive but also closer to the original X06 concept: Small, simple, fast, fun and CHEAP!

What constitutes a supercar is having more than 300hp or something like that. At least that's what I read in an article on the 3000 GT VR4 being "the last remaning Japanese supercar in the US".

From earlier note I also read that the 35th anniversary Camaro will be the last in the St. Louis Post Dispatch. So that is my source and it's not my fault if they're wrong. Not that I really care if they keep making it or not. I'll never buy that POS.

Something I think Ford should look at...

Chevrolet currently owns the US market for domestic sports cars (real sports cars) with the Corvette. The Viper is awesome but there's no way you can sale as many Vipers (hand built) as you can Corvettes.

With that in mind, IMHO it would be a very intelligent market move for Ford to build or tool a factory in the states to build the next rotary sports car or perhaps build a US specific FD to compete with the Corvette. Rebadged as a Ford, of course.

Ford has nowhere near the technological advancements GM has, but GM has nowhere near the advances Mazda has as far as handling and performance goes. GM is actively supporting their teams in the Le Mans series while any Ford car you see is either independent or is supported by Saleen. Either way, there is a noticeable lack of presence by Ford.

The good thing about this for us is that we could get a new FD at a great price since there would be no shipping or handling related charges. Plus, challenge the Corvette technologically and the US could end up making the best sports cars on the planet. It's a win/win situation, especially if Ford could figure out a way to make a good FD convertible.

Until then, however, I'm stuck between keeping my old (and wearing) FD, getting a Corvette coup or settling for a Miata. What's a guy to do? ;) I'm glad these are the decsision I have to lament over!

You mean the "FE" right?

Sounds like an idea, but I've heard Ford is working on a new GT40 to compete with the likes of the Corvette. Personaly, I'd like the RX7 to remain a Mazda from Japan. Lets not get another Probe/MX6 thing happening with the RX7.

You guys are all silly.

Just wait and see WTF happens first.

First off, the Miata was created on its own platform and shares nothing with other Mazda cars. This is part of why they were able to make the Miata a success. They may want to share platforms inteh future, they may not, I dunno, but I have no problem believing that they will make a Miata, RX-7, and RX-8 all on different platforms.

I'd actually sooner believe that the RX-7 and RX-8 will share a platform.

I like the idea of a 2 rotor for the Miata, and a 3 rotor for the RX-7, both NA. A 3 rotor Renesis shoud be awsome, and weigh about as much as a 13B does.

I think it woudl be awsome for them to have 4 rotaries going, the RX-8, Miata, and RX-7, as well as contnuing the Cosmo.

I wonder if they would dump the RX-7 and make a 3 rotor and call it a Cosmo and send it here for the first time? I think they might because the RX-7 name has been tarnished in the eyes of the general public is terms of reliability, but a "Cosmo" may sound like some new great shit.

As for AWD, screw it, leave me with RWD. People keep going on and on abotu AWD, but IMO its not all that its cracked up to be. All teh best handeling cars out there are still RWD, and its not like people are not trying, I mean the Porsche 911 AWD is a great car, but plenty of RWD cars are right up there with, and can out perform it on a roadcourse. AWD gives great 0-60 times, but other then that I can do w/o it. Added weight and complexity is NOT something that the RX-7 needs.

I was talkin to a guy at a local Mazda dealer about RX7's..... he was tellin me that the RX8 would be out in 2003 but mazda's bringin the RX7 back to the states in 2004 !

Does anyone know about this?

He didn't give me any specs or if it would look different etc. :(

I sure do hope it's true...... :D

Hey guys,

This is my first post on this forum and its probably the only topic I am qualified to debate because I am just offering an opinion. I think the body on the new RX-8 is ugly. What were they thinking? Lets take this nice looking RX-7 and make is look so-so so we can sell more Mustangs? The 3rd gen RX-7 is one of the best looking cars on the road, period. Just my opinion. So I guess I wouldn't buy one, at least not one that looks like that.



Petros

I've yet to see a RWD car beat a AWD car on the track the moment it gets wet.If it aint all that why did they ban it from raceing when the skylines were in competition after two years of dominance.I love my 7 and I could drive circles around most people with it in the rain, I love driving in the wet,but it doesn't even come close to my AWD car, neither does my 4WD car,not to mention you would have to be a idiot to lose control of it;as far as complexity until you get rid of your sequential set up your no better.I'm not trying to flame you your right it shouldn't be on a 7,but it is definately worth its weight.I personally wished for a AWD MR2 back in 91.toyota made only two.

I doubt that any dumb ass Mazda USA people will know what Mazda Japan will do.

I read a Japanese Auto mag said the 4 gen RX-7 will come out in Japan with the rest of the Supra and GT-R in 2003. It will look different to the RX-8. No word on the engine yet. Maybe the engine will be a NA 280hps engine that will go to 10k rpm. But it will stay a RWD 2 door coupe. The first design was released months ago and the car looks like a mix of F360 and RX-8. Also the headlight will stay the same as 3 gen FD. Of coz everything can still be change coz they just start to design the car.

When Phillip Martens(Mazda'a director of Planning) was asked if the US would see a new RX-7, he responded by saying "I think so. In fact, I would say that there would have to be." He went on to say that the car would be in the $50k range. I got this information right out of the March issue of "Road & Track." Therefore the new RX-8 will be the affordable, fun, yet fuctional car that is supposed to sell, while the new RX-7 is going to be the pure performance sports car that is meant to raise company image. It should be along the same lines as the Viper or NSX; neither of these cars sell enough to make there respective companies any real money but from a marketing perspective they are invaluable. If you actually research Mazda's finacial problems in the 90's much of it has to do with them pulling the RX-7 from these shores. While in 95 very few RX-7's were ever sold it still was a symbol of what Mazda was all about. So when they stopped selling it Mazda lost there whole "sporty" image.

But...Mazda has to pay for virtually all research for rotaries. Whereas in boingers there are billons of bucks poured into R&D for pistons.

There many piston makers. If a maufacturor is tooled to make pistons then it can more esily make various types, but how many rotor factories are there? Its so specialized that it could cost signifigantly more.

Where do I find a pic of this design?
Anyone scanned it, or know where a URL is?


I WANNA SEE!!

:blue:

:( A lot of Japanese publisher still doing things the old way. That means no web site and no photos. Anyway, it just the first draft. It still have a lot of change.

Several of our Chicago forum members were there reading that book with me after the Chicago gathering. :cool:

Inspirational RXcetera!!

:boink:

I try. lol