Photo: walterkim213/instagram
Gazing at the rendering sitting before us, one might rightfully ask what the heavily modded Mazda RX-7 it portrays has to do wit the Hot Rod genre and the answer revolves around the open engine bay of the thing.
We're looking at the freshest creation of Walter Kim - while this is a spare-time fetish, the gearhead's "business hours" are spent creating as a concept artist at DreamWorks Animation, among others.
And this Wankel animal isn't alone. In fact, the Mazda is part of a Neo Tokyo Mad Max series, so at least a part of all the hardware that now adorns the cabin of the vehicle was created for autonomous driving.
The FD-generation RX-7 is the third contraption of the series, with the Mazda following a Mk IV Toyota Supra, as well as an R34-generation Nissan Skyline GT-R.
Nevertheless, the two previous digital builds kept the said electronics on the outside, thus bringing a busier look, but highlighting the self-driving possibilities. Another change revolves around the chassis: unlike its mates, the Mazda doesn't feature an elongated front section.
Even so, that still-open engine bay mentioned above allows us to admire a four-rotor engine that comes in a naturally aspirated form.
As for the widebody kit of the beast, the artist sought inspiration in the JGTC motorsport version of the RX-7. And the swan neck wing is just as impressive as the rest of the downforce gear. Even the wheels are tasked with adding downforce, at least if we're talking about the Turbofan design featured on the front axle.
It's worth noting that deciding on a design for an extreme rotary engine build doesn't come easy. And if we are to discuss a real-world build, the turbocharged quad-rotor, AWD project of Rob Dahm, which is a world-first, makes for an example as good as any.
Update:Kim was considerate enough to drop some closeup work, so we can dive into the details of this wicked RX-7 (you'll find this in the second post below).
And this Wankel animal isn't alone. In fact, the Mazda is part of a Neo Tokyo Mad Max series, so at least a part of all the hardware that now adorns the cabin of the vehicle was created for autonomous driving.
The FD-generation RX-7 is the third contraption of the series, with the Mazda following a Mk IV Toyota Supra, as well as an R34-generation Nissan Skyline GT-R.
Nevertheless, the two previous digital builds kept the said electronics on the outside, thus bringing a busier look, but highlighting the self-driving possibilities. Another change revolves around the chassis: unlike its mates, the Mazda doesn't feature an elongated front section.
Even so, that still-open engine bay mentioned above allows us to admire a four-rotor engine that comes in a naturally aspirated form.
As for the widebody kit of the beast, the artist sought inspiration in the JGTC motorsport version of the RX-7. And the swan neck wing is just as impressive as the rest of the downforce gear. Even the wheels are tasked with adding downforce, at least if we're talking about the Turbofan design featured on the front axle.
It's worth noting that deciding on a design for an extreme rotary engine build doesn't come easy. And if we are to discuss a real-world build, the turbocharged quad-rotor, AWD project of Rob Dahm, which is a world-first, makes for an example as good as any.
Update:Kim was considerate enough to drop some closeup work, so we can dive into the details of this wicked RX-7 (you'll find this in the second post below).
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