The Spirit Of PanSpeed: FD3CB's JDM inspired street car build
Welcome everybody! I decided to stop being lazy and start a build thread of my FD over the past couple years of having it. First I should go ahead and introduce myself and share my little amount of history so far with the rotary.
My name is Ben and I'm from a small redneck town in southern Ohio, where there is nothing to do and no car scene. I enlisted active duty in the Navy in '08 and have been stationed in southern California since then, which happens to have a prospering car scene I might add. My love for the FD started when I was about 12 after I saw the first Fast and Furious movie (like many others). Fast forward to 2010 when I was 22 years old and a wimpy little E-3 in the Navy. I honestly had no idea how a rotary engine worked but all I knew was that it was fast and the car looked sexy so I started looking for one. After a month of searching I finally came home with my first FD, a '94 Brilliant Black Touring. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...8d1f25df6c.jpg Looking back at it all I feel like I signed my soul away to the rotary gods but it didn't matter at the time because I was so happy and in love with the car lol. It became my daily driver and I was researching all about the rotary platform on this forum, learning as much as I could. Time passed and two years later the only modifications I could afford for the car were RE-Amemiya headlights and AW-7 wheels with Falken Azenis tires. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...13f502e962.jpg Then one day in September of 2012 on the way home from work, something terrible happened. An elderly man in his corvette decided to make a left hand turn and T-bone me as I was driving through an intersection. Luckily I was fine, the car though wasn't. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...c98c7b45b1.jpg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...d3240baa47.jpg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...b1989db872.jpg Im going to cut to the chase on this because I feel like Im getting too side tracked with this. I got the car repaired and sold it because it was just too much of a hassle for me to deal with it at the time, the motor just busted a coolant seal and I was having some financial issues. After doing a deployment to Korea, being out of the "game" for almost a year and getting my finances straight I decided one day that I wanted to get back into an FD. So in March of 2014, after looking around for 2 months I found this SUPER CLEAN one at a decent price. A '94 Chaste White Touring with original motor that had 45K miles. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...1b4892e0cc.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...b640d19c95.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...e844eacbf6.jpg The previous owner did a great job maintaining this car. Modifications included the 99 spec bumper, lip, wing, tail lights, Shine side skirts, Tanabe Medallion catback, high flow cat, downpipe, jerry rigged K&N intakes and some cheap medium stock mount intercooler. Also, the previous owner told me he had an M2 ECU installed which was made for the mods currently done to the car and the boost was set to 7psi for the longevity of twins. I thought it was odd but I didn't mind since the car seemed to be perfectly healthy. For the first few months I didn't plan to mod the car but I decided it was time to give it a more modern look. The first thing I decided to do was give it a new set of wheels, tires and coilovers. I went with some Gramlights 57D's in white, 18x9.5 +22 on all around. I also got a great deal on a set of 245/40/18 Yokohama S Drive's for the wheels. Sorry I don't have pictures of the tires lol. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...8c5a8b2a54.jpg After getting the wheels and tires, I placed the order on some Stance Super Sport+ coils...the ones from Rishi who has the helper spring installed. I was super stoked about these. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...0726f7d032.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...b1d3b96316.jpg |
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Legit
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Sharp looking FD, I've noticed military guys (along with engineers) tend to gravitate towards owning RX-7s.
Are you sure on the tire sizes? 245/35-18 would be more typical. Looks like you don't much much additional room in the front..... with a 255 would you be rubbing do you think? |
The next thing I wanted to do was get some gauges because just like most of us, I want to know how my car is doing. I already knew exactly what I wanted it and how I wanted them mounted. I searched for a Flyrx7 gauge pod but was having a hard time finding one for sale. Luckily someone gave me a lead as to how to get in touch with the guy who actually makes them. I emailed him and he was able to help me out. He presented me with all the pod options that he made and I was able to get what I needed. I first bought a 60mm triple pod but changed my mind, sold it and went through him a second time to get a 60mm quad pod. If your in the market for a gauge pod I highly recommend the FlyRx7 pod. Its a great quality pod, durable and fits the dash speaker hole perfectly.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...24cc0c3a32.jpg As for gauges I went with the DEFI Advance CR series in 60mm that requires the control unit. Im not going to explain what these gauges can do with the control unit (other than changing the gauge lights) but they're really nice, and I like nice things lol. I also went and got a Greddy oil filter block adapter for the oil pressure and temperature sensors to go into. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...c96b8a31cf.jpg Quick video of the gauge start up and shut off. |
Originally Posted by GoodfellaFD3S
(Post 12006686)
Sharp looking FD, I've noticed military guys (along with engineers) tend to gravitate towards owning RX-7s.
Are you sure on the tire sizes? 245/35-18 would be more typical. Looks like you don't much much additional room in the front..... with a 255 would you be rubbing do you think? |
I forgot to mention that I bought and installed the Innovate LC-2 Wideband along with the Defi's. Anyways I felt like showing this picture of the gauges...that stock wheel is killing me.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...7551f7299c.png Once the gauges were installed I left the car alone for a few months while I contemplated what the next thing to do was. Fast forward to Feb/March 2015. During the months I didn't do anything to the car, I spent hours upon hours reading articles on Narita Dogfight or Speedhunters learning about the small rotary shops and all their time attack FD's. One car that really caught my attention was Daisuke Aoki's FD from Ready Go Next. You might recognize this car since it use to belong to the RE Amemiya shop and Aoki-san use to work for RE-Amemiya. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...9ef077c473.jpg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...d6359bd4e9.jpg Anyways, I was really digging this car and so I decided to try to pursue a build similar to Aoki-san's FD. Before I went and spent my tax return on body parts I found a full titanium Greddy Power Extreme exhaust that I had been searching a long time for. Luckily another forum member in Canada had this piece and took decent care of it. I was so excited for this upgrade since I just wanted my car to be loud haha. The Tanabe Medallion was too quiet for me. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...1ee94e8cca.jpg Comparison between the Tanabe and the Greddy Ti https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...b541f08211.jpg Got the Tanabe all cleaned up and sold. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...8973874f5d.jpg Rear view with the old Tanabe. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...d35f4cdd4.jpeg Rear view with the new Greddy Ti. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...a923e6683c.jpg |
Car looks great, gauges look good with the quad pod, where did you put the wideband gauge?
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Originally Posted by ZE Power MX6
(Post 12006744)
Car looks great, gauges look good with the quad pod, where did you put the wideband gauge?
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...437dbc1d89.jpg |
About time brother. I got dibs on the side skirts and lip though.
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Absolutely stunning car mate!! :nod:
The white on white looks awesome those rims suit the car 200% good job man:icon_tup: |
Originally Posted by 7_rocket
(Post 12006904)
About time brother. I got dibs on the side skirts and lip though.
(Looks up in the sky and see's the vultures doing circles waiting for the bumper and lip) :lol: |
Originally Posted by waz_05
(Post 12006909)
Absolutely stunning car mate!! :nod:
The white on white looks awesome those rims suit the car 200% good job man:icon_tup: |
Enter PanSpeed
May 2015 roles around, and I've noticed (mainly on social media) how everyone is busting out of the woodwork with an FD fully outfitted in RE-Amemiya parts. Now I should go ahead and say that I'll always be a fanboy of RE-A but I decided that it was time to go for a different look. A look that people weren't used to seeing. It was about this time I had started reading small articles here and there on the internet about PanSpeed. (FYI, its not like I had just found out about PanSpeed. I've obviously heard about them just like everyone else but never paid much attention to them lol). Anyways after learning more about this small family operated rotary-only shop located in the Saitama Prefecture of Japan, I found myself trying to watch all the Youtube video's I could of PanSpeed's cars. And trying to find abundant information on PanSpeed is hard because they either don't get the attention they deserve or they just don't want the attention.
The more pictures and videos of PanSpeed I saw the more it started to grow on me. I finally told myself that this was what I wanted to go for. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...9636980759.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...52b56101ec.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...ffaf322431.jpg Now there was one thing I was a little nervous about. I was always a regular on RHDJapan.com or JapanParts.com and saw them listing partial pieces of the PanSpeed GT kit. None of them sold the bumper though which was the first thing I wanted to get. So I sent an email to the guys at RHDJapan and JapanParts asking if they were able to get me the bumper. Without hesitating RHDJapan responded to my email telling me they had added the PanSpeed bumper to their site. So at the end of May I placed my order for the PanSpeed front bumper and after waiting for almost two months it arrived. I cant even describe how exciting it was to have this bumper show up. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...563f806956.jpg |
Sick man!! Bumper is SHARP!!
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Subscribed !! Keep it up :D
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If you dont mind me asking, what dash kit did you need to buy to put in a double din radio?
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Originally Posted by 7krayziboi
(Post 12007322)
Subscribed !! Keep it up :D
Originally Posted by 04G35S
(Post 12008119)
If you dont mind me asking, what dash kit did you need to buy to put in a double din radio?
https://www.rx7club.com/interior-ext...-units-816215/ |
June 2015
Shortly after getting my bumper, I noticed a pretty bad coolant leak coming from the car. Come to find out the neck on the OEM radiator had finally gave out.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...3dd0fdf0c7.jpg And it was the perfect reason to spend some money and upgrade:D https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...084157b935.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...2d4f12e192.jpg I should go ahead and mention that this whole time I made it my main priority to try and get my Panspeed kit together as soon as possible, but I end up picking up random odds and ends that I come across here and there. Im a simple man, when I see a good deal on RX7 parts I buy them :icon16: lol So with that said I end up picking this Efini Y pipe for a good deal thinking that this is going to come in handy later on. Im a diesel mech for the Navy and we have almost everything you can think of in our shop including a parts washer and a sand blasting cabinet and so of course you can probably guess what I did with the Y pipe. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...fa340db2f5.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...c7b365cb56.jpg Ill eventually end up going with a polished look in the engine bay, but in the meantime this pipe will just sit in a box until Im ready for it. |
that y pipe cleaned up well.
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Originally Posted by GoodfellaFD3S
(Post 12006686)
Sharp looking FD, I've noticed military guys (along with engineers) tend to gravitate towards owning RX-7s.
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Originally Posted by fd3CB
(Post 12006679)
Here is how she currently looks.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...273978557.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...fa4a5cff2.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...a778a0959.jpeg |
[QUOTE=staples323;12008971]
Originally Posted by GoodfellaFD3S
(Post 12006686)
Sharp looking FD, I've noticed military guys (along with engineers) tend to gravitate towards owning RX-7s.QUOTE]
True story. -----> E-5 in the Air Force
Originally Posted by R-R-Rx7
(Post 12009031)
reminds me of my white fd when i first got it.. looking really nice my friend !
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August-October 2015
Since the car got the new Koyo radiator installed it ran like a champ. So during most of this period, I was mainly saving money to collect parts.
Random midpipe I found from a local guy on Craigslist, thought that I might need this in the future :nod: https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...3340280cff.jpg Got my Panspeed front fenders with the "Bachikarufin" or vent fin. And the rear over fenders as well. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...3feab440d6.jpg I should point out that for awhile now I've been looking for the old style Panspeed rear over fenders and it seems damn near impossible to get a pair of these. They look more aggressive than the newer style and the way they are shaped would match the front fender arches better. Anyways, I found another member on here who had them brand new and put them up for sale, they never sold so he decided to keep them. I was able to get in contact with him on social media and offered to buy them but he was intent on keeping them. I have even taken desperation measures and asked my neighbor's Japanese wife to call Panspeed in Japan to ask if they would make one special set of them and they weren't interested in doing that. Long story short I bought the newer style since its more of my second choice if I cant score a pair of the discontinued ones in the future. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...7adf27ffe9.jpg The search will continue though.... |
November 2015 - Present
More parts collected. I got tired of staring at the ugly stock steering wheel and decided it was time to put something in the cockpit that was more visually appealing. Knowing already that I wanted a fixed hub, I went ahead and placed that order for a Works Bell standard hub. I was really happy with this hub kit, it came with all the little jumper wires to eliminate the airbag light and keep your cruise control funtions (even though I was eliminating mine). Unlike some cheap $10 crap made in China where they give you a low quality hub and a measly little extension wire to hookup your horn.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...901cfad6ed.jpg Anyways I had been wanting to get a steering wheel for a long time now and felt that it finally needed to happen. I looked at steering wheels for a couple days and couldn't decide whether I wanted a Nardi Deep Corn or a Personal Grinta. Then I randomly started looking up pictures of Porsche 911's and that's when I found the steering wheel I wanted. I found a distributor for Personal wheels, placed the order and had to wait 4 weeks for it to arrive from Italy. Personal Fitti E3 (350mm) https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...218e2494ab.jpg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...a797934907.jpg I didn't waste anytime putting that bad boy in haha. Anyways, I was very happy with the way it looked and how it felt. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...c74da9b2ff.jpg After changing out the steering wheel, I saw this package deal pop up here on the forum and decided to jump on it. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...125c4619ba.jpg Next things to get will be the side skirts and hood to finish off the body kit :) |
Keep it up man! Looks amazing so far
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Originally Posted by Jaemc
(Post 12012418)
Keep it up man! Looks amazing so far
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Update Jan 25th
Things have been kind of quiet on here and mainly because I've been extremely busy at work and I finally placed the order on my side skirts last week. But...some things have popped up which in turn is forcing me to change gears on this build. So with that said I will be placing my Panspeed kit up for sale when my side skirts arrive. Hopefully there will be someone out there that would be interested in it.
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What will you be going with now?
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Originally Posted by 7_rocket
(Post 12021634)
What will you be going with now?
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Update Thursday, 2/11/2016
Just thought I'd update this thread since my special little plan didn't go as expected. I didn't want to say anything right away but I was trying to sell my current Panspeed kit in order to pay for and place an order for the new Panspeed widebody.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...b0ad3bff3b.png Unfortunately nobody has shown any serious interest in purchasing my current setup :( but I'm totally ok with that since I have no problem keeping it! Anyways, I've placed a few orders on more parts and Im just waiting for them to come in. Ill be posting more photos as they come in. In the mean time check out my Panspeed side skirts that just came in today! As bad as the Google reviews are on DHL Shipping, I was surprised that they delivered the box way ahead of schedule (originally scheduled for Monday delivery). Another big surprise was that they didn't ask for some sort of payment lol, and the box showed up in one piece! Aside from DHL, I was pleased with the packing on the side skirts that came directly from Panspeed. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...ad0bac50a2.jpg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...c696b6e979.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...bd2209ee5f.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...d238096de6.jpg Last item to complete the Panspeed kit is the hood, which is already on order! |
nice build dude....keep going. Pan speed kitted FD's are rare so you'll def stand out from the usual re amemiya or feed kitted fd's. I was also thinking of going Panspeed but cant afford it tbh soooo well jel haha. keep it up...cant wait to see it all on your fd. Those side skirts have a huge floor under them...are the jacking points still accessible?
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Nice kit bro, do I spy a V8 swap in the FD's future? lol
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Originally Posted by rx7srbad
(Post 12026769)
nice build dude....keep going. Pan speed kitted FD's are rare so you'll def stand out from the usual re amemiya or feed kitted fd's. I was also thinking of going Panspeed but cant afford it tbh soooo well jel haha. keep it up...cant wait to see it all on your fd. Those side skirts have a huge floor under them...are the jacking points still accessible?
As for the side skirts I was surprised that they weren't just "sides". I honestly didn't know that they looked like this and provided some sort of aerodynamics to the underside of the car. The only pictures I've ever seen of these side skirts is with them mounted on cars. As far as the jacking points, Panspeed had me covered lol. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...6dc93e430.jpeg |
Originally Posted by silverTRD
(Post 12026789)
Nice kit bro, do I spy a V8 swap in the FD's future? lol
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That was a fast reply! lol the quality on those side skirts look killer. I've always heard their products a nice but i'm impressed. That's gonna save you time on install for sure.
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Originally Posted by silverTRD
(Post 12026797)
That was a fast reply! lol the quality on those side skirts look killer. I've always heard their products a nice but i'm impressed. That's gonna save you time on install for sure.
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Update Wednesday, 17 February 2016
Today was an awesome exciting day since I received the last piece to my Panspeed body kit, the GT2010 hood. This thing is absolutely gorgeous and the quality of it is on point.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...9ab62d8745.jpg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...551f20efe0.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...6ebcbb748d.jpg Unfortunately I came across some minor damage to the hood as I was unboxing it. I'm assuming it happened during shipping but I don't think it will be hard to repair. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...915bc86226.jpg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...f65a9e1cc9.jpg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...7364af67ca.jpg |
Yikes, that's not cool about the damage to the hood.
Otherwise, your FD is coming along AWESOME :bubrub: Very impressive. Dig the steering wheel and shift knob. Any plans for a nice leather/suede shift and E-brake boot as well? |
Originally Posted by GoodfellaFD3S
(Post 12029003)
Yikes, that's not cool about the damage to the hood.
Otherwise, your FD is coming along AWESOME :bubrub: Very impressive. Dig the steering wheel and shift knob. Any plans for a nice leather/suede shift and E-brake boot as well? It's funny you mention the shift and e-brake boots as I was shopping for new OEM leather replacement boots earlier today. I'm about to order the RE Amemiya shift knob and short shifter because even though I like the look of the Carbing shift knob I don't like how it feels with the FD's tranny since it's made from that delrin material. |
Be careful with the RE-A short shifter. I had one for about two days before removing and selling it.
I like a lot of their products, but the 'short' shifter is just an oem throw shifter that sits the knob itself a bit lower. That's it. Not worth the money at all IMO. Austin and Alex Edwards over at ESH Upholstery can get you some very nice quality boots in whatever color leather and stitching that you'd like, get in touch with them :icon_tup: https://www.facebook.com/Eshupholstering/ |
Originally Posted by GoodfellaFD3S
(Post 12029126)
Be careful with the RE-A short shifter. I had one for about two days before removing and selling it.
I like a lot of their products, but the 'short' shifter is just an oem throw shifter that sits the knob itself a bit lower. That's it. Not worth the money at all IMO. Austin and Alex Edwards over at ESH Upholstery can get you some very nice quality boots in whatever color leather and stitching that you'd like, get in touch with them :icon_tup: https://www.facebook.com/Eshupholstering/ |
The parts hoarding continues. Today my HKS RS intakes and Blitz FMIC kit showed up straight from Japan.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...36aded9e11.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...4cb0580ff0.jpg |
I've been drooling over that kit for a good minute dude I'm so glad you got it!!!! And even more so considering you're in my neck of the woods. Hopefully I'll get to see this thing in person!!! :icon_tup::icon_tup::icon_tup::icon_tup:
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Originally Posted by 4g63rotary
(Post 12031187)
I've been drooling over that kit for a good minute dude I'm so glad you got it!!!! And even more so considering you're in my neck of the woods. Hopefully I'll get to see this thing in person!!! :icon_tup::icon_tup::icon_tup::icon_tup:
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Originally Posted by fd3CB
(Post 12031255)
Haha which kit are you referring to? And yes hopefully we run into each other at a local meet or maybe Sevenstock later this year.:icon_tup::icon_tup:
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Originally Posted by 4g63rotary
(Post 12031439)
That new PanSpeed kit you're putting together. How long did it take to get to the states?
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Do you have a pan-speed cluster to go with it?
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Originally Posted by HARD2B
(Post 12031785)
Do you have a pan-speed cluster to go with it?
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Yes they do make them, but not anymore now.
Here a pic of it 10k rpm and 320km. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...1918e56aa3.jpg |
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