Four-Rotor Mazda RX-7 Has Driveshafts Exploding Inches From the Driver's Arm

It was 2016 when Rob and his crew introduced the build and work on the thing hasn't stopped ever since. We're dealing with a unique turbocharged four-rotor, all-wheel drive FD-generation RX-7, so, even without factoring in the brap-brap ASMR magic of the said Wankel unit, this is an amazing adventure.

The ka-blam took part during a recent testing session that saw Rob pulling what can be described as a rather mild anti-lag launch (think: you can hear the car bogging soon after it takes off). As you'll notice in the video below, the Mazda leaves some bits behind as it takes off, which is never a good sign, but makes for a particularly dangerous scenario when you're talking about a vehicle that showed 1,000 hp on the dyno earlier this year.

And, as the machine accelerates, both the front and the rear driveshafts blow up, with a piece of shrapnel possibly touching, rather than hitting, Rob's right arm and sparks flying everywhere.

The problem? A couple of bolts backed out with locking washers failing to keep things in place due to the extreme vibration, among others - you'll see Rob assessing the damage and explaining the problem in the clip.

Fortunately, nobody was hurt in the incident, while the damage to the car was limited. For instance, most parts of the carbon fiber driveshafts can be reused, while the enthusiast also used the occasion to take apart the Nissan Skyline GT-R transfer case used for the project - this had been purchased in used condition, so it's good to perform an extra check.

As for the lesson that comes from the unfortunate happening, there are two main points that need to be discussed.

For starters, as many aficionados who seem to be connected to the racing world, where vehicle "abuse" is normal, explain in the comments section of the vid, lock washers seem to fail at keeping things secured. And the solutions involve hardware such as thread lockers and safety wire, as well as using paint markers to ensure you can easily check all the bolts are just as they had been left when tightened to the correct torque.

Then there's the need for protection: regardless of the hardware recommended above, builds like this could use debris shields, just in case things go south.

Speaking of which, the outcome of the incident could've been much more serious, especially if the metal bits had decided to give up later on, say, in the middle of a drag race (this puppy is obviously going to see a lot of stopwatches)

PS: In this time when some vloggers destroy their high-profile machines for the sake of attention, this tale proves are still YouTubers out there who focus on the speeding mission and have to face the resulting damage rather cause it.