New-age car enthusiasts will never understand the true value of classic sports cars – and we can't blame them. New is better. It's improved and reliable, and for that matter, always prevails over the old. For some, the rotary engine was a revolutionary powerplant. For others, reliability issues (Apex seals) sum up the now-classic sports car's weak points. Today's feature isn't about why the revolutionary rotary engine sputtered and died – but the good that lies on the other side of the spectrum.
Javier of That Racing Channel on YouTube recently got to review the craziest father and son rotary collection by a gentleman called Ben, a collection stashed in a secret hanger. There are ten Rotaries stored in the hanger (four 3-rotor) – it's the most RX-7 Mazda and Rotaries you'll see anywhere other than a Mazda Cars and Coffee.
The first three-rotor in his lineup is a 1987 Mazda RX-7 FC. According to Ben, Pineapple Racing built the entire thing in Washington in 1993. It's running a kit called Mariah Motorsports. It's a rare 10th Anniversary RX-7 (only 1,500 units were developed in white) with a little over 100,000 miles (160,934 kilometers) on the odometer.
Part of the performance add-ons under the hood include a huge 85-millimeter GT42R turbo, Turbosmart BOV, and a straight-piped exhaust.
The next three-rotor in the lineup is an RX-7 FD – the prettiest car in the collection. It's a little bit different from your average version. According to Ben, it was built to replicate what the FD would look like with a 3-rotor. It's the work of Pet Racing in West Palm. It originally had gold stripes and polished wheels, but Ben removed the lines and fit in a set of gold wheels.
The fleet initially had 25 Rotary cars
Photo: YouTube Screenshot/That Racing Channel
Ben confessed to Javier that, at one point, they had 25 Rotaries in their fleet (they retained the best of the collection).
"My dad got me into Rotaries. I pretty much grew up with these cars all my life. The first car that he got was a '78 RX3 SP. It was a drag car, bright blue. Something about that just triggered my enthusiasm, I guess. Now we have all these cars, and I love them all," Ben said about his inspiration for collecting Rotaries.
The next car in their fleet was a red RX-7 with a widebody one-off BRS kit. They got it about ten years ago. It has changed very little ever since. The entire kit was made of fiberglass with carbon fiber bits (carbon doors and trunk), significantly reducing its overall curb weight.
It's a Street-port 3 rotor built by Pettit Racing - it runs a T88 Greddy turbo. Ben is currently running the setup on seven pounds of boost. Its current maximum output is 400 hp (406 ps). The idea behind the build was to make a crazy street show car, which currently has 93,000 miles (149,670) on the clock.
The 1993 Veilside body kit RX-7 is a looker
Photo: YouTube Screenshot/That Racing Channel
Next to that BRS RX-7 is a 1993 RX-7 with an eye-catching Veilside body kit. It has about 70,000 miles (112,654 kilometers) on the odometer. According to Ben, this '93 RX-7 is nothing more than a body kit running a stock rebuilt engine.
Meanwhile, behind the BRS kit variant is an original 1993 CYM (Competition Yellow Mica) RX-7 FD repainted in Rio Yellow Pearl. It currently has about 50,000 miles (80,457 kilometers) on it. It has a fully restored interior and is the most reliable of the bunch. Or the most 'daily'd' of the bunch, as Ben puts it.
They also have a Mazda Eunos Cosmo running the original factory triple rotor 20B engine. It makes 320 hp (324 ps) on the stock motor and has only 70,000 miles (112,654) on the odometer.
Hidden at the back of the hanger are some OGs running 12a rotaries and 13b, respectively.
Partially-tuned RX-7 FD making 624 hp
Photo: YouTube Screenshot/That Racing Channel
If that wasn't enough, outside they had yet another immaculate and rare 1993 Mazda RX-7 FD owned by Dylan Dana. It was initially a black car with a black interior and no sunroof (only 638 of these were built).
"This car I bought from Wisconsin. I saved it from getting rusted out up there and chartered and shipped it down here. Took it to Torque Performance, and they just went through it for me and turned it into an animal," Dana confessed about his RX-7 FD.
It's a standard car for an FD owner with a half Bridgeport fully dialed and studded motor, balanced rotors, and an e-shaft. It's also running on E85 and packs a 3584 RS turbo, a four-inch stainless steel downpipe, and a custom V-mount intercooler. It currently makes 530 wheel horsepower ( 624 hp/ 633 ps) and is still a work in progress, with a bunch of other plans in the pipeline.
They also had a rare RB26 AWDNissan 240SX in their fleet. We recommend watching the video below for more information about their Rotaries. Rotary lovers should have an absolute blast checking out this rare fleet.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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