Photo: j.b.cars / Instagram
Although its powertrain choice made it a potential niche sports car, the trio of Mazda RX-7 generations was more than successful by Wankel rotary engine standards. But unfortunately, its story ended almost two decades ago.
More than 800k units were produced between 1978 and 2002, which means the Mazda RX-7 has reached enough customers to warrant its iconic status. Sure, the compact, lightweight Wankel rotary engine and all its (in)famous quirks meant this wasn’t a car for everyone.
Then again, if something is popular, there are all kinds of measuring instruments. For some, the sales don’t matter as much as the driving feel. For others, the styling might be more important than its performance. And so on, though in recent years we have also come to measure a car’s popularity by the amount of attention it gets from virtual artists.
After we have recently witnessed a mix of Need for Speed and Fast and Furious courtesy of the musartwork account, the latest virtual incarnation of the fabled third-generation (FD) RX-7 is a bit subtler. But that doesn’t mean it’s not going to be controversial... quite on the contrary.
Jake, the virtual artist behind the j.b.cars account on social media has dreamed of a “modernized” RX-7. If we are allowed our own two cents, it looks the part for a possible continuation series. Perhaps one that would make use of a sporty iteration of Mazda’s new series plug-in hybrid with a rotary generator that will arrive under the hood of the unconventional MX-30 crossover SUV.
Of course, that might not have been the purpose of this digital edit, as it appears that fans mostly believe it was intended for them to find potential Toyota Supra and FT-1 design influences. As far as we are concerned, the jury should still be out on any styling DNA theft since the pixel master didn’t give us too many perspectives to judge.
Instead, all we have to ogle at is the rear end of the rejuvenated RX-7, which looks decidedly modern indeed. For example, it even sports big “MAZDA” lettering on the trunk lid, which is all the rage among OEMs right now. And the CGI expert came up with an interesting twist. Since these days all lighting is modern LED, why not make the brand name an illuminated one, so people will know both the make and model at night?
Then again, if something is popular, there are all kinds of measuring instruments. For some, the sales don’t matter as much as the driving feel. For others, the styling might be more important than its performance. And so on, though in recent years we have also come to measure a car’s popularity by the amount of attention it gets from virtual artists.
After we have recently witnessed a mix of Need for Speed and Fast and Furious courtesy of the musartwork account, the latest virtual incarnation of the fabled third-generation (FD) RX-7 is a bit subtler. But that doesn’t mean it’s not going to be controversial... quite on the contrary.
Jake, the virtual artist behind the j.b.cars account on social media has dreamed of a “modernized” RX-7. If we are allowed our own two cents, it looks the part for a possible continuation series. Perhaps one that would make use of a sporty iteration of Mazda’s new series plug-in hybrid with a rotary generator that will arrive under the hood of the unconventional MX-30 crossover SUV.
Of course, that might not have been the purpose of this digital edit, as it appears that fans mostly believe it was intended for them to find potential Toyota Supra and FT-1 design influences. As far as we are concerned, the jury should still be out on any styling DNA theft since the pixel master didn’t give us too many perspectives to judge.
Instead, all we have to ogle at is the rear end of the rejuvenated RX-7, which looks decidedly modern indeed. For example, it even sports big “MAZDA” lettering on the trunk lid, which is all the rage among OEMs right now. And the CGI expert came up with an interesting twist. Since these days all lighting is modern LED, why not make the brand name an illuminated one, so people will know both the make and model at night?
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