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One-Off 1992 Mazda RX-7 FD3 With 480-HP Nissan SR20DET Engine Is for Sale

Mazda built less than 70,000 units of the third-generation RX-7, which is also the last of the RX-7s. It was the first mass-produced automobile to feature a sequential twin-turbocharged engine that was sold in multiple countries. But what if you could get it with an inline-four-cylinder engine?
1992 Mazda RX-7 FD3 on the track 9 photos
Photo: eBay seller rosemaryoun_9
1992 Mazda RX-7 FD3 with Nissan SR20DET engine1992 Mazda RX-7 FD3 with Nissan SR20DET engine1992 Mazda RX-7 FD3 with Nissan SR20DET engine1992 Mazda RX-7 FD3 with Nissan SR20DET engine1992 Mazda RX-7 FD3 with Nissan SR20DET engine1992 Mazda RX-7 FD3 with Nissan SR20DET engine1992 Mazda RX-7 FD3 with Nissan SR20DET engine1992 Mazda RX-7 FD3 with Nissan SR20DET engine
Someone has built a one-off RX-7 FD3 with a different engine, and the vehicle is now for sale in the UK. Instead of the 13B-REW rotary engine that came from the factory, its former owner decided to swap a Nissan SR20DET engine.

As the current owner notes, the vehicle has been imported into the UK as an otherwise standard car, but with the engine swap, and he then proceeded to modify it to suit his taste. The SR20DET engine is claimed to provide 480 horsepower after undergoing extensive modification, but it does not have a dyno sheet.

Interestingly, whoever performed the engine swap has managed to retain the stock wiring for the RX-7 engine, so the car could be reverted to a rotary if future owners wanted to do so. Naturally, the seller is referring to the stock wiring harness, but swapping this back to stock will take more than just a rotary engine and its ancillaries, as an ECU will also be required.

It is clear that whoever buys this modified Mazda RX-7 will not go back to a rotary swap. While possible, doing so would prove expensive and complicated. It is easier to just get an RX-7 with its stock engine if that is what you are looking for.

This 1992 Mazda RX-7 FD3 comes with twin-adjustable coilovers, upgraded calipers (RX-7 front, Skyline rear), a short shifter, and a welded rear differential. The latter is meant to make the Japanese coupé more suitable for drifting and could prove to be a handful to drive in the wet.

As you can observe, the dash and center console have been “flocked,” which is a treatment usually reserved for race cars. The idea is that a non-reflective material is applied to the dash and other plastic elements to prevent reflections from disturbing the driver.

Also in the cockpit, we spot a half-cage (possibly a bolt-in unit, not a weld-in), a pair of Bride seats, a Rad2 digital dash conversion, a hydraulic handbrake, snap-off steering wheel, custom door cards, and additional gauges. The driver also has access to a boost controller, a Motamec battery tray behind the seat, and a fire extinguisher in case things go seriously wrong.

You do not have to be a Mazda RX-7 enthusiast to figure out that the exterior of this vehicle has been modified. The body is covered in a “custom purple haze” color-shift paint, while the spokes of the wheels have also been painted to match. The modifications on the exterior go even further, as do those concerning the engine, suspension, and interior.

The current asking price is GBP 25,000 (ca. $33,295), but the vehicle does have a few issues, such as non-working headlights, a cracked windshield, and it will require some attention to a few other aspects.

Since the vehicle is a one-off, it is difficult to assess its price and value, but, at the end of the day, it will be worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it.
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 Download: Screenshot of eBay advertisement (PDF)

About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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