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Mazda's best rally car?

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Old Mar 5, 2004 | 01:22 AM
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Mazda's best rally car?

This is posted in the second gen section, but you race guys might miss it????

https://www.rx7club.com//showthread....hreadid=279220
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Old Mar 5, 2004 | 05:14 AM
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Nah, the 323 GTX was the best rally car with championships to prove it. That thing is a hemorphadite.
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Old Mar 5, 2004 | 11:11 AM
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I like the suspension and chasis of that car, but the second gen guys are right is is very ugly. No problem, a new body could be made for it.
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Old Mar 7, 2004 | 02:02 PM
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1st-gens are still winning national championships in the US of A.

Of course, Mazda isn't exactly backing them anymore...
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Old Mar 10, 2004 | 01:17 AM
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I dont think that car actually ever got to compete coz of changes in the rules... it was the end of the Group B era by then
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Old Mar 10, 2004 | 03:46 PM
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awd, the 323gtx

rwd, 1st gen 7. infact there is some guy that is surprising everyone in his 1st gen. i'm guessing that's who pj is referring to.
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Old Mar 10, 2004 | 05:14 PM
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Several people, actually. Although Andrew Havas's seems to be the most photogenic one...
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Old Mar 10, 2004 | 05:23 PM
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actually mazda campaiegned a 3 rotor awd fc for pikes peak back in 89 i believe. I have a picture somewhere. but to answer your question that would be mazdas best rally car.

the 323 gtx is an awesome rallycross car but it has major tranny problems.
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Old Mar 11, 2004 | 06:38 AM
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That's funny I have had 3 323 GTXs and I have never heard of or personally had any major tranny problems. Unless, you put it a 4 puck unsprung disc, the weakpoint in the drive train is the clutch.
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Old Mar 11, 2004 | 12:30 PM
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Rally guys break 323 trannies left and right.

Even the 2WD version of the tranny is pretty weak...
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Old Mar 11, 2004 | 08:50 PM
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Yeah, I used to do SCCA Club Rally for several years (not in a Mazda).

As was stated above the 323 GTX does pretty well but is now very outclassed by the WRX and the Lancer. Sometimes a 323 would still win at a club or regional event but never a national event.

However, the 1st generation RX7 still does pretty well in RWD. As a matter of fact a 1st gen RX7 took 1st place OVERALL at the Prescott, AZ rally a few years back.
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Old Mar 12, 2004 | 11:56 PM
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Originally posted by M's
actually mazda campaiegned a 3 rotor awd fc for pikes peak back in 89 i believe. I have a picture somewhere. but to answer your question that would be mazdas best rally car.

the 323 gtx is an awesome rallycross car but it has major tranny problems.
That was not a Mazda effort, but Rod Millen's car.
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Old Mar 15, 2004 | 06:55 PM
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ok, but it was still a mazda rx7, correct
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Old Mar 17, 2004 | 02:38 PM
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That's a bunch of nice parts, but do they work well? Has that car ever raced and won? 323's and 1st-gen's are proven competitors.

For rally, I'll take the Suby please...

-s-
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Old Mar 18, 2004 | 10:01 AM
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Originally posted by C. Ludwig
Nah, the 323 GTX was the best rally car with championships to prove it. That thing is a hemorphadite.
You can't compare a 323gtx to a tube framed, 3-rotor AWD RX7. The former's a nice Prod-GT club rally car. The latter used to hold the open class record (circa 1990) at Pikes Peak (driven by Rod Millen).

My old GTX didn't have any tranny problems, then again I never rally'd it I think its the 2nd gear synchro that gives everyone problems. Weak tranny aside, the car did have one major short coming, a god awful cable shifter.
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Old Mar 19, 2004 | 08:20 PM
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It isn't ugly if it's fast.
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Old Mar 23, 2004 | 08:58 AM
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Originally posted by Hamza734
My old GTX didn't have any tranny problems, then again I never rally'd it I think its the 2nd gear synchro that gives everyone problems.
I rally-x'd my GTX all the time on a course that was as bad, or worse, than any rally stage. I never had any problems with the tranny.

Originally posted by Hamza734
Weak tranny aside, the car did have one major short coming, a god awful cable shifter.
Don't forget that infamous crankshaft nose!
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Old Mar 23, 2004 | 10:29 AM
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That's one ugly car. Dont think it's a Rally car though because of the Homogulation rules (must be based upon a production car with minimum run of ??? ).

Dont know how many AWD RX7's were made but I do know of 1 I saw in Nevada...




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Old Mar 25, 2004 | 02:06 AM
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As previously mentioned, it was built by Mazda as the ultimate rally weapon, but then the rules changed... just a piece of history now.

A friend has a Japanese GTR-323 as a circuit / targa car and it is forever braking tranny's. http://mrec.homestead.com/files/members/sc_323.jpg

The top rally versions ran non-mazda x-trac transmisions (spelling?) which cost more than the standard road car, but at least they did not go pop every second event!
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Old Mar 26, 2004 | 10:30 PM
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Originally posted by Rated R1
I rally-x'd my GTX all the time on a course that was as bad, or worse, than any rally stage. I never had any problems with the tranny.



Don't forget that infamous crankshaft nose!
Crankshaft nose? Never heard of that!
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Old Mar 28, 2004 | 11:41 PM
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Originally posted by M's
ok, but it was still a mazda rx7, correct
Was is right, haha.
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