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1993 FD CONVERTIBLE ! (1of150 Built)

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Old 03-31-04, 10:25 AM
  #26  
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Originally posted by Mahjik
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.
No worries.. I already emailed the auction house for details on the car. Hopefully, I'll be able settle this soon.
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Old 03-31-04, 10:33 AM
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Originally posted by 3rdGen7
No worries.. I already emailed the auction house for details on the car. Hopefully, I'll be able settle this soon.
What/Who are you going to use to verify that the auction house is being honest?
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Old 03-31-04, 10:34 AM
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Originally posted by Mahjik
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.
Oh.. as per the Porsche 959, i heard (no joke) that Bill Gates had ordered one and it's sitting on a dock somewhere in the US because he can't get it certed for the roads because the have to crash test a few of them to pass it... darn DMV.
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Old 03-31-04, 10:36 AM
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Originally posted by 3rdGen7
Oh.. as per the Porsche 959, i heard (no joke) that Bill Gates had ordered one and it's sitting on a dock somewhere in the US because he can't get it certed for the roads because the have to crash test a few of them to pass it... darn DMV.
Off topic but:
http://www.autoweek.com/cat_content...._code=09282484
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Old 03-31-04, 10:37 AM
  #30  
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Originally posted by Mahjik
What/Who are you going to use to verify that the auction house is being honest?
Dude.. we buy millions of dollars worth of stock from them all the time. If we request info on a particular unit we get it from them and it's good info..it's Japanese law. The cars are all graded on a 1-5 scale with history and everything.

Here's our site.
www.crism.com
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Old 03-31-04, 10:42 AM
  #31  
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Originally posted by Mahjik
Off topic but:
http://www.autoweek.com/cat_content...._code=09282484
WOW . .You're QUICK on the draw !

Thanks .. still reading... good stuff...

"Canepa imported a pair of 959s for Microsoft founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen in the early 1990s, but the cars never made it past U.S. Customs officials in Oakland, California. "
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Old 03-31-04, 11:01 AM
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Interesting reading. I thought the 959 could be imported 25 years after production or something as an antique or collector. Interesting that someone has been able to speed up the process. A little pricey for me though.
As far as an FD vert goes, is it possible that although Mazda didn't actually produce a convertable, they had a domestic company do the modifications or coachwork and then gave a factory warranty with the car on a very limited basis (like a small scale karmenn for volkswagon). I am sceptical about a factory fd vert, but could this have been possible? Maybe they limited who was getting this car to execs or loyal customers who had big bucks or connections.
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Old 03-31-04, 11:12 AM
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Originally posted by Senseny
Interesting reading. I thought the 959 could be imported 25 years after production or something as an antique or collector. Interesting that someone has been able to speed up the process. A little pricey for me though.
As far as an FD vert goes, is it possible that although Mazda didn't actually produce a convertable, they had a domestic company do the modifications or coachwork and then gave a factory warranty with the car on a very limited basis (like a small scale karmenn for volkswagon). I am sceptical about a factory fd vert, but could this have been possible? Maybe they limited who was getting this car to execs or loyal customers who had big bucks or connections.
Well, I believe Toyota Celica Convertible were done that way.. It was ASP (I think that was the name.. icould be wrong) who did the conversion in US.. But I don't think Mazda themselves would take on this project.
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Old 03-31-04, 11:12 AM
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Originally posted by Senseny
Interesting reading. I thought the 959 could be imported 25 years after production or something as an antique or collector. Interesting that someone has been able to speed up the process. A little pricey for me though.
As far as an FD vert goes, is it possible that although Mazda didn't actually produce a convertable, they had a domestic company do the modifications or coachwork and then gave a factory warranty with the car on a very limited basis (like a small scale karmenn for volkswagon). I am sceptical about a factory fd vert, but could this have been possible? Maybe they limited who was getting this car to execs or loyal customers who had big bucks or connections.
True.. true.. (i know we're getting off topic.. but this is interesting stuff) ..

My friends dad had to fly to Japan to get a 98 SUPRA for him.. had to buy the car through a japanese friend and then ship it home because Toyota refused to sell a 95+ supra to someone who planned on taking it out of the country. My friend (Ryan Garcia also from Trinidad) is the guy who beat Adam Saruwatari's NSX at the IDRC import finals to win .. with his 1985 Mitsubishi Lancer turbo...pro-stock class with a 7.7 sec 1/4 mile time out of a 4G63 4-cylinder turbo.

Here's more on that->
http://www.trinituner.com/skf/index.asp

http://www.modified.com/events/articles/?13-410037.html

http://www.trinituner.com/skf/skfmoroso.asp

Last edited by 3rdGen7; 03-31-04 at 11:27 AM.
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Old 03-31-04, 11:27 AM
  #35  
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Interesting thread. Like many of the others, I don't believe that Mazda produced a convertible FD in 93. If there are 150 of them, it is most likely that they are FC's.

There is no way that Mazda would create this car as a 93 model, and build a number of convertibles in the same year they introduced the car. No way!
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Old 03-31-04, 12:45 PM
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Originally posted by 3rdGen7
WOW . .You're QUICK on the draw !
Mahjik's the Wyatte Earp of the internet.
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Old 03-31-04, 01:23 PM
  #37  
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Originally posted by 3rdGen7


Secrets in Japan.

.
.
.

Mazda GTX - 1.6 and 1.8 turbo 4WD.
Wow. I owned 3 of the "secret" cars at one time. I have two now I'll sell you one of these "secret" cars at a special price.
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Old 03-31-04, 01:28 PM
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Originally posted by israel
Mahjik's the Wyatte Earp of the internet.

So true...
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Old 03-31-04, 01:51 PM
  #39  
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Originally posted by the_glass_man

+ Flyin' Miata Turbo Kit = Convertible FD (Well almost )

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Old 03-31-04, 01:59 PM
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Originally posted by Rated R1
Wow. I owned 3 of the "secret" cars at one time. I have two now I'll sell you one of these "secret" cars at a special price.
you had the 1.6 .. right ?? The 1.8's are hard to find.
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Old 03-31-04, 03:01 PM
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3rdGen7,

You're not telling us anything we don't already know.

We knew about the RZ, Type R, Type RS, YEARS AGO - before rx7club.

Same with the SP1 and SP2 types.
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Old 03-31-04, 03:52 PM
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3rdGen7,

I've talked to a guy in Huntsville, AL who as a rare FD made in,... I think 92-93... It was called ZR or something like that.. NOT RZ.. He told me that he called MazdaUSA and they did a search for him.. via VIN number..
It was so rare that Mazda gave this guy some SST.

One way to find out for sure about those Convertible FD's is to give us the VIN number.. By industry standard, All production cars are supposed to have this.. By that call mazda and find out for sure if its acturally came from factory convertible or just converted..

Sounds easy enough.. i think??
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Old 03-31-04, 03:59 PM
  #43  
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Nah, why do that man...that would be too easy. Instead everyone needs to just keep talking/bitching about it. I'm sure in due time the truth will fall out of someones *** haha

STEPHEN
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Old 03-31-04, 06:29 PM
  #44  
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Sorry 3rdGen - no factory convertible in the third gen range - ever. I've got very detailed info from various japanese sources.

There are only two rx7 'secrets' - one is the SP2 (which is fairly common knowledge), the other is the M2: kudos to the first person that can tell me what that is

Auction houses DO sell customised cars. These days many owners try to sell through yahoo auctions, etc, as they can get a better price.

A couple of other points - there's about five or six other mazdas that wore efini badges (as they came from efini dealerships) - I'll write a list up later, it's printed on the outside of one of my (JDM) owners manuals. They aren't sports models, either.

EVO3 - there are evo I to evo VIII (or is it 8.5 now...). Before the evo I (lancer) there was a one-off evo galant.

The GTiR runs about 13.8 'out of the box' - but it's legendary for being able to run 12s with very little tweaking. They came with a factory umbrella! And it runs a SR20DET - with quad throttle bodies

Here's a little-known mazda -

The Roadpacer - a 70s Holden (australian GM) shell (kingswood) with a 13b. Sold in japan.

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Old 03-31-04, 07:22 PM
  #45  
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OMG....all I can say is OMG....
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Old 03-31-04, 07:38 PM
  #46  
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and the roadpacer was a spectacular failure.

here is the list of JDM models and manufacture numbers.

http://www.rx7.net.nz/rx7netindex.html
click "models and variations" on the left.

thanks for wasting our time.
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Old 03-31-04, 07:41 PM
  #47  
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On the topic of Bill Gates and his 959

http://www.gulf-coast-imports.com/au...how_and_go.htm

It was stuck in customs, but big dollar Bill got legislation passed so he could drive his baby over here

Oh, and I saw one of these custom convertible FD's in person in FL. It looked almost Lexus like, had huge box beams welded in underneath with bracing to the front and rear suspension. I wouldn't own one, but neat looking for sure.

Last edited by fitzrx7; 03-31-04 at 08:00 PM.
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Old 03-31-04, 07:49 PM
  #48  
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Originally posted by fitzrx7

It was stuck in customs, but big dollar Bill got legislation passed so he could drive his baby over here

I wonder if Bill and Jim will ever race?





Na... Would be cool though..


Anyways sorry to be off topic. Some Rotary history there that I didn't know about ^^
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Old 03-31-04, 08:05 PM
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Originally posted by DaiOni
[B]Sorry 3rdGen - no factory convertible in the third gen range - ever. I've got very detailed info from various japanese sources.

There are only two rx7 'secrets' - one is the SP2 (which is fairly common knowledge), the other is the M2: kudos to the first person that can tell me what that is
What, the Miata?
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Old 03-31-04, 08:10 PM
  #50  
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How many R2's came to the US? Several hundred I believe and they are not easy to find but they are out there...Why then, if there is "150 made" covertibles, has nobody ever heard of them?

Dont believe everything you read.
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