Before RX-7, Mazda had the Savanna, which is better known by it’s international name, RX-3. A Grand Familia/808 with a rotary engine under the hood, the RX-3 was popular for many reasons. It had good size for a Japanese two-door coupe, had decent power for it’s engine size, and in Japan, having a 1.3L mill meant that owners could save on paying road taxes, which Japan charges based on engine size, among other factors. In racing, the Savanna/RX-3 was a bit of a giant-killer…this is a car that competed with the Nissan Skyline GT-R and in Australia, raised eyebrows in 1975 after it placed fifth outright at the Bathurst 1000 race.
Al from The Skid Factory has had his hands in many car builds over the years and for this episode, he is going to showcase one from his past, a 1973 RX-3 that has a turbocharged 13B-RE engine that would’ve been found in a 1990s Eunos Cosmo. This RX-3 started out as a bare shell that the owner wanted built bad enough to sink the time and money into the restoration and modifications that you see here. It’s a clean example that should be a riot to drive and Al will point out every tweak and mod needed to get this RX-3 to where it is now.
