What is the rarest, most collectable 3rd-gen?
06-19-06, 10:51 AM
#51
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the rarest us fd IS the Pearl White. dont' remember if it's a 93 or 94 model. but the only one made. was used as a show piece by mazda and was bought by a rep who lived in houston... if i understand correctly the car is in the west side now.. but i can find out ifyou like.
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06-19-06, 10:53 AM
#53
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actually the rarest one is cym 3801, its the only fd ive ever owned.... and its yellow, and it has the factory engine in it at 100,000miles
06-19-06, 12:02 PM
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Originally Posted by Henessey
Actually a rare 7 is a non abused one for a good price under 20k miles
06-19-06, 01:17 PM
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Out of curiousity, is there a working FD registry? The only one I came across didn't seem to actually work. I was interested to see how many registered FDs there were with a lower serial # than mine (#255 in 93)
04-19-21, 04:49 AM
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04-19-21, 05:39 AM
#63
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Just something to keep in mind.
Also, bumping a 15 year old thread to ask how much we think your car is worth??? 🤣
04-19-21, 08:46 PM
#64
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The most rare FD.... only one is made. It is a LHD Spirit R. I believe the guy who designed the fd has it? Or the top Mazda CEO... I forgot.
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04-20-21, 06:41 PM
#66
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If you want to know the most rare FD, it is the Spirit R Type C (automatic) in Vintage Red. Mazda made only 40 Type C Spirit Rs, but only one of them was in red. It was rare for a reason though. No one really wanted a depowered auto Spirit R.
The rarest proper production model is the 1995 RX-7 SP which Mazda made as a homologation special for Australian touring car racing. Mazda made 38 for the road (plus a further 3 dedicated race cars and one prototype). The definitive guide on the RX-7 SP is here: http://www.ausrotary.com/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=157658
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04-28-21, 09:10 PM
#68
I believe US car magazines were roadtesting an FD as early as the spring of 1991. Where is that/those cars?
The VIN numbers start at something like "50". Where are cars 1~50? Did they exist and where did they go?
Is there safety tested versions squirreled away somewhere?
Is there a VIN number on that Orange prototype in the museum. The one with the Miata-like nose?
The VIN numbers start at something like "50". Where are cars 1~50? Did they exist and where did they go?
Is there safety tested versions squirreled away somewhere?
Is there a VIN number on that Orange prototype in the museum. The one with the Miata-like nose?
04-29-21, 08:16 AM
#69
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I don't know for sure on the FD but a lot of cars have a number of prototypes/early production units made for testing, press cars, advertising shots, etc. I think many of them end up getting crushed - it's some weird thing where they aren't legal for sale or to be registered or something. I may be wrong but I have heard something like that.
Some of the early US cars may have stayed in Japan, were cranked out on the production line then given tests to make sure they had everything right with the production process. Again those cars were probably scrapped.
I have seen in person an early FC that was some sort of Mazda prototype - it had the UK-style tail lights with a larger gap for the UK tag, it had a distributor instead of a crank angle sensor, a few really odd ball things. It was a non-turbo as well.
Dale
Some of the early US cars may have stayed in Japan, were cranked out on the production line then given tests to make sure they had everything right with the production process. Again those cars were probably scrapped.
I have seen in person an early FC that was some sort of Mazda prototype - it had the UK-style tail lights with a larger gap for the UK tag, it had a distributor instead of a crank angle sensor, a few really odd ball things. It was a non-turbo as well.
Dale
04-29-21, 01:10 PM
#70
Deep in a Bavarian Forest Somewhere/Sometime
How about a very early European spec LHD?
There is a guy selling out the press photo archive of a defunct German newspaper. Nice collector prints in mint condition.
I bought a shot of a European plated FD by a waterfall.
The caption on the back says:
Der Kreiskolbenmotor erlaubt eine extrem flache Motorhaube. Foto: Mazda 6/92.
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/393128799840
The same archive seems to have had plenty of FB/SA shots.
I suppose this is consistent with 1993 FD being sold in Canada as early as April 1992.
Next time I am chatting with Angela Merkel, I will ask her what she knows.
The picture shows a plate. I wonder if that would make the particular car traceable to present day
There is a guy selling out the press photo archive of a defunct German newspaper. Nice collector prints in mint condition.
I bought a shot of a European plated FD by a waterfall.
The caption on the back says:
Der Kreiskolbenmotor erlaubt eine extrem flache Motorhaube. Foto: Mazda 6/92.
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/393128799840
The same archive seems to have had plenty of FB/SA shots.
I suppose this is consistent with 1993 FD being sold in Canada as early as April 1992.
Next time I am chatting with Angela Merkel, I will ask her what she knows.
The picture shows a plate. I wonder if that would make the particular car traceable to present day
Last edited by Redbul; 04-29-21 at 01:18 PM. Reason: added info.spelling.
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Narfle (05-05-21)
05-07-21, 11:30 AM
#73
Recovering Miataholic
Why is "rare" appealing? My first car was a 1954 Jensen Interceptor... only two in the U.S. But... there were good reasons why there were only two here.
In the case of the FD, why is "bone stock" good? The pre-cat overheated everything even worse than the turbo'ed rotary engine. Most under-hood rubber parts turned into hard plastic, making vacuum lines leak, and the "fuel pulse regulator" leaked after a while. The engine ran pig-rich when cold, destroying what little fuel mileage the engine could deliver. The mandatory "fuel recall" ran radiator fans for 10 minutes after engine turn-off, which ate batteries for lunch. The original LIM gasket degraded to the point of blowing out, and needed to be replaced with stainless steel. Wiring insulation cracked and broke because of the high temperatures. IMHO if an FD had not been "managed by walking around" and pieces replaced & upgraded regularly, very few would be in good condition by 50K miles. Our '94 CW (bought new in Sept. '94) was delivered and found to be a "gross polluter" at its first smog test. Someone (at the factory?) had crossed two vacuum hoses and also shorted out a wire under the UIM. Fixed under warranty.
You definitely cannot buy a "low-mileage" FD and "fire and forget" this car. Try it and good luck!
In the case of the FD, why is "bone stock" good? The pre-cat overheated everything even worse than the turbo'ed rotary engine. Most under-hood rubber parts turned into hard plastic, making vacuum lines leak, and the "fuel pulse regulator" leaked after a while. The engine ran pig-rich when cold, destroying what little fuel mileage the engine could deliver. The mandatory "fuel recall" ran radiator fans for 10 minutes after engine turn-off, which ate batteries for lunch. The original LIM gasket degraded to the point of blowing out, and needed to be replaced with stainless steel. Wiring insulation cracked and broke because of the high temperatures. IMHO if an FD had not been "managed by walking around" and pieces replaced & upgraded regularly, very few would be in good condition by 50K miles. Our '94 CW (bought new in Sept. '94) was delivered and found to be a "gross polluter" at its first smog test. Someone (at the factory?) had crossed two vacuum hoses and also shorted out a wire under the UIM. Fixed under warranty.
You definitely cannot buy a "low-mileage" FD and "fire and forget" this car. Try it and good luck!
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j9fd3s (05-08-21)
05-08-21, 09:06 AM
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I don't know for sure on the FD but a lot of cars have a number of prototypes/early production units made for testing, press cars, advertising shots, etc. I think many of them end up getting crushed - it's some weird thing where they aren't legal for sale or to be registered or something. I may be wrong but I have heard something like that.
Dale
Dale
the FD has a lot of preproduction, Mazda seems to average about 11 cars, and the FD is 46
its kind of a case by case thing though, Mazda's factory is very flexible, and so you can see some "odd" things.