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This 2001 Mazda RX-7 Is a God Tier Rotary Legend, Provides a Deafening Drive

It's no secret that I am one big rotor head. As in a big aficionado of rotary-powered vehicles. So far I've driven several RX-8s, my own Turbo II FC3S, and my buddy's FD3S. The first-generation RX-7 is the only one to have evaded me so far, but I do plan on getting one sometime soon. So naturally, when I saw Clay Wong's newest video, I was instantly hooked.
Clay Wong Reviews the 2001 Mazda RX-7 FD3S 23 photos
Photo: Clay Wong
Single Turbo 2001 Mazda RX-7 FD3SSingle Turbo 2001 Mazda RX-7 FD3SSingle Turbo 2001 Mazda RX-7 FD3SSingle Turbo 2001 Mazda RX-7 FD3SSingle Turbo 2001 Mazda RX-7 FD3SSingle Turbo 2001 Mazda RX-7 FD3SSingle Turbo 2001 Mazda RX-7 FD3SSingle Turbo 2001 Mazda RX-7 FD3SSingle Turbo 2001 Mazda RX-7 FD3SSingle Turbo 2001 Mazda RX-7 FD3SSingle Turbo 2001 Mazda RX-7 FD3SSingle Turbo 2001 Mazda RX-7 FD3SSingle Turbo 2001 Mazda RX-7 FD3SSingle Turbo 2001 Mazda RX-7 FD3SSingle Turbo 2001 Mazda RX-7 FD3SSingle Turbo 2001 Mazda RX-7 FD3SSingle Turbo 2001 Mazda RX-7 FD3SSingle Turbo 2001 Mazda RX-7 FD3SSingle Turbo 2001 Mazda RX-7 FD3SSingle Turbo 2001 Mazda RX-7 FD3SSingle Turbo 2001 Mazda RX-7 FD3SSingle Turbo 2001 Mazda RX-7 FD3S
And while rotaries are fun even if they're naturally aspirated, boost can be very addictive. The FD I've driven was rated at about 320 horsepower, as it was still using the factory twin-turbo setup. And I must say that the feeling of going all out in it is quite similar to what you'd get on a motorcycle. And I'm extremely excited that my buddy has decided to go for a single-turbo conversion, which should bring it up to about 500 horsepower.

And you might hear various opinions on the single turbo conversion. There's probably going to be more lag, and you're going to have to be even more careful with your throttle inputs in poor grip conditions, or while cornering. Some people would much rather stick to the stock twin-turbo system, but I think that most rotor heads dream about a big single turbo FD. Because anything north of 400 horsepower in this car is bound to deliver a visceral driving experience.

And the car that Clay is driving in this video is rated at 700 horsepower. If that doesn't sound like much, you need to also consider the fact that this car only weighs around 2,755 lbs (1,250 kg). If you think of it, a Shelby GT500 has 760 horsepower, but it weighs almost 4,200 lbs (1,905 kg). The list of mods on this FD is so big that Clay couldn't even remember it all, but it does look like the owner has thrown in everything but the kitchen sink.

Single Turbo 2001 Mazda RX\-7 FD3S
Photo: Clay Wong
The engine was built by Kensei Autoworks and it's a bridgeported 13B unit, now being force-fed by a Garret GTX35 Gen2 Turbo. There are a lot of RE Amemiya parts involved in this build, as you'd expect from a top-level RX-7. This FD is using 2 Siemens Deka 2,400cc injectors and 2 Bosch 2,200cc injectors, alongside not one but two Walbro 460lph high-pressure pumps. But I guess we all know that rotaries are really "thirsty" when pushed hard.

I've seen several of Clay's reviews so far, but it seems like whenever he gets behind the wheel of an RX-7, you can feel the need for a better microphone, especially because this one has got an SMB full exhaust system. It's quite funny that Clay praises the excellent torque delivery of this car, considering that the popular belief is that rotaries aren't that good when it comes to those performance figures.

There are very few things that have remained standard with this car, and I was surprised to see that the owner opted for a set of Aragosta Type S Coilovers, which just goes to show that quite a hefty budget was used for building this 7. Just by looking at the list of modifications, I would estimate that the cost of the build is at least $40,000, over the price of the car, which might match that figure, considering it's a 2001 model.

As Clay points out while driving the car, this is a complete package, but of course, you could decide to take it further by dropping in a 20B or 26B engine, but you're moving into the realm of supercars already, at least budget-wise. He points out that "the capabilities of this car are literally endless". But no matter how fun this might be on the street, the race track is still the only place you could ever witness its true might.

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About the author: Dragos Chitulescu
Dragos Chitulescu profile photo

The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S.
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