Identifying an authentic Mazdaspeed short shifter......
 

....not to be confused with a Mazdaspeed shift knob :D

Do any OGs have any pictures with identifying marks?

Thanks :icon_tup:

Yeah, Mazdaspeed shifters are normally rubber isolated (unlike most others with the notable exception of RE-Amemiya). There apparently was a non-isolated version too.

Two different versions of isolated MS shifters. The early version was shorter:

Thanks Gomez :)

Appears I have the earlier shorter version, and mine is non-isolated. Comparing it to the OEM shifter, the height is identical (which I prefer). I've never liked short shifters with a nice short throw, but a shift knob that sits higher.... I believe Mazdatrix copied the newer style Mazdaspeed short shifter, which sits the knob higher as seen in the comparo pic above.

One other very interesting thing--the shifter I pulled off this '95 car was VERY different to drive than a typical '93 shifter. Gear changes with the '95 were much more secure, with more resistance. An M3 owner rowed through the gears and commented it felt 'like the bolt action on a firearm' :lol:

In my experience, manual BMW shifters feel like rowing a boat. I hated the bland shifter feel on the 135i, for example...

Anyway, I might be in the minority in this, but I actually prefer the stock throw and feel on RX-7's, just with a shorter height. RE-Amemiya fits the bill here. The Mazdaspeed shifter I had previously was a bit too short, I couldn't get used to the click-like shifts.

Here are some pics of the MS short shifter I found

http://imageshack.us/a/img194/7739/msshiftknob1.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img845/6487/msshiftknob2.jpg