The 3rd generation or the FD RX-7 was basically the perfect sports car and it was also a big failure. So the question naturally comes. Why? The first and second generation cars were successful, innovative, and showed that the rotary engine was not just a novelty but a really cool seeming step forward in the internal combustion evolution. Of course we know that the rotary did in fact become a novelty because no one else outside of some small examples adopted the platform in any meaningful way.
The FD RX-7 turbo was a wildly awesome car. It was lauded by everyone, basically every year. It was capable of beating Porsches and it was very capable of beating the Acura NSX as well, humiliating the car at Willow Springs by more than one second. It reset the highest grip level ever recorded by a production car of that era during magazine tests. The list goes on and on.
Hell, the thing even looked cool. We can remember when these cars came out and they were so swoopy. They were turbocharged. They used a 1.3L displacement rotary and made 250hp with two turbochargers force feeding them.
Long story short, everything about these cars pointed to success…except no one bought them. This look back a the car and its quizzical life is great.
Hi Brian this is Tommy Chevelle
Give me a text or call back at 647-703-9858
Wondering if that LS7-454 is still around
If not that’s ok I own one I just pulled from a original crate and had a few questions
Have never had an LS7-454 so I have no idea what you are talking about.
Brian
I know rotary engines had a very difficult time meeting the ever evolving emission standards but that doesn’t really explain why so few people bought them.
Plus the fuel filter was behind the differential . So It was a pain to access . As a result many didn’t change it , witch made the rotary no favors .
Cool car, slow compared to its competitors, hard to smog in CA.