Seeing classic cars come out of long-term storage is one of the coolest things out there, but most of them are usually mundane vehicles that aren't worth restoring. It doesn't happen very often, but some barn finds make me think: "hell no, this thing shouldn't spend decades in hiding." This third-generation Mazda RX-7 is one of those cars.
Believe it or not, someone parked a pristine RX-7 in a garage for a whopping 23 years. And by "pristine," I mean a vehicle that was taken off the road with only 8,800 miles (14,162 km) on the odometer! How is that possible? Well, according to "WD Detailing," the shop that was commissioned to bring the RX-7 back to life, the owner got scared after driving it on the freeway to 140 mph (225 kph).
It's a silly reason to lock a brand-new car in a garage, and I have a feeling there's more to this story, but it doesn't really matter now. The important thing is that the Japanese sports car was brought back into the light and given the attention it deserves.
Not surprising for a vehicle that was parked for more than 20 years, the RX-7 emerged with a thick layer of dust covering its body. It also became home to a few rats, with numerous nests discovered inside the cabin and under the hood. Our host also found a few dead mice in the car, but fortunately enough, they didn't do too much damage.
Once dragged out of the garage, the folks over at "WD Detailing" took the RX-7 back to their shop and put it through a long and comprehensive cleaning process. They removed the rat nests, washed almost everything inside and out, and gave the body a good polishing. And the result is fantastic, to say the least, because the Mazda came out looking like new.
Sure, the twin-turbo, 1.3-liter rotary engine doesn't run, and we don't get to see it back on the road just yet, but it's a great start for what will be a great revival. And hopefully, the owner will never lock this gorgeous RX-7 for so long ever again.
As a brief reminder, the third-generation (FD) Mazda RX-7 was produced from 1992 to 2002 with minor upgrades. The coupe kept the 1.3-liter Wankel engine for its entire production run, but the mill was offered with different outputs, ranging from 236 to 276 horsepower. The coupe arrived in North America for the 1993 model year but was discontinued in late 1995.
Despite the 10-year production cycle, Mazda built only 68,589 cars, a figure that makes the FD-generation RX-7 a somewhat rare and desirable 1990s vehicle. But that's enough history for today, now, hit the play button below to watch this forgotten coupe come back to life after more than two decades.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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