...Does anyone else think the RX-7 should return to its routes rather than go the "big muscle" way? I'm talking continue in the design philosophies stream that the 78-85 RX-7's waded in.
-Low cost (Celica and RSX territory)
-Low weight (~2500 lbs.)
-Smaller engine, not bigger, like a 1.1L rotary engine tuned to 180-200 HP to be competitive, 140 ft. lbs of torque
-The smaller engine/lighter chassis would be more fuel efficient to boot.
-And of course, RWD, 2 door, hatchback. Give it a wonderful shifter and some slippery styling, and I would absolutely drop everything to own one (even the RX-8).

I thought that was called a Miata!

i say NO :)

I think it depends on what Mazda would view as competition for a new RX-7. The original RX-7's were focused on beating Celica, 260Z/280Z, Mustang, and Camaro. But Mazda was forced to up the ante as other makers moved to more power and higher price tags with the Supra, 300Z, 3000GT (mitsubishi), and others in the late 80's and Early 90's.

Mazda has a choice if they develop a new RX-7. Do as you described - essentially a fixed roof 2 seat hatchback version of the current miata with a bit more power and a rotary, or a high-powered, track-dominating halo car with with 2 seats and a hatch. My choice would be the 2nd option. But whichever they choose to develop and release, it's success will be dependent on the price point. Offer more fun and power for less $$$, and it should do well.

Originally posted by red_base 95
I think it depends on what Mazda would view as competition for a new RX-7. The original RX-7's were focused on beating Celica, 260Z/280Z, Mustang, and Camaro. But Mazda was forced to up the ante as other makers moved to more power and higher price tags with the Supra, 300Z, 3000GT (mitsubishi), and others in the late 80's and Early 90's.


Yep, and thats exactly what killed it. That market dried up and died, and I'm not conviced even with the 350Z, G35 coupe, Supra, and all those others coming out soon (or already out) that market will be strong enough for many more entries.

Then there are people like me that can not justify $50k+ (Canadian) for a 2-seater gas guzzler, but would jump at the change to buy a $27k RX-7 with the specs I described above.
Maybe it shouldn't be called the RX-7, maybe it should be called the RX-6 or something else, for the purists.

R. Cade It wouldn't be called a Miata since that has a roof that folds down and a 4-cylinder engine. :p Many people who buy a Miata wouldn't buy an RSX or a Celica, and vice versa. But many many people (magizine editors especially) would love it if the Celica or RSX were RWD. I think this is a niche that Mazda should fill. It hasn't had a sporty coupe in its lineup since the MX3 and MX6 went away.

actually Grimdog, i think i'd really like to have a $50k track-dominating rotary engined car, as demand for the FD's would fall through the floor, as it has with the FC's, and i'd be able to pick one up for (hopefully) less than $20k, which is like the ceiling of reason, for me... buying an FD is like a dream of mine, but at 130K km, and two engine rebuilds, with the interior beat to $#!T, i couldn't justify an "investment" of more than $20k...

if they follow through with the rx-7, i would like to see similar stats to the 3rd gen. i thought that the third generation rx7 was one of the nicest and one of the most well rounded cars (except for a few problems.) by the way, has anyone seen the odd scetch or the new rx7?

If Mazda is smart they'll produce a coupe based on the new Mazda3. A new MX-3, but I prefer a RX-3 (yes, with rotary). Thát can compete with the Celica and such

New RX-7...I hope the price will be near 40/45,000 euro. So it can compete with the TT, 350Z. So a two seater and with 2 engines. 240hp (from the RX-8) and 300+

I would purchase any high performance 2-seat rotary car that Mazda made for under about $50k U.S.

However, I would much rather that car be cheaper and lighter weight. It seems to me that all too often the higher $$$ a performance car is, the more it weights. That makes no sense to me. I do understand why that is, they need the HP numbers for marketing reasons, and those HP numbers mean a heavier engine, which means a beefier suspension, which means more weight, which means more power...

My ultimate car would be a <2200 lb. 2-seater with a 200-220 HP NA rotary engine for under $30,000. If it was a convertible, that would be a nice bonus. They've got the engine, and they've got the car (Miata). It would just need a bit of a diet, but I would imagine the rotary weights less than the I-4, and it's under 2400 lbs. to start with. Considering that a base Miata is about 21k now, I can't see why they couldn't shoehorn the RENESIS in and drop a few lbs. for $10,000 a car. I think that's pretty similar to what you're talking about, Grimace, with a few changes.

Of course, this has been discussed ad nausem over on the Miata forum, and people (bwob) in the know have assured everyone that the Miata is going to stay as it is for the forseeable future, so it's not going to happen. I'd love it if they made it an option though. If they can make a 4 banger standard for so many cars and a V6 optional, why not a 4 banger standard with a rotary option?

rich,
rumor has it that bwob is no longer at mazda so a rotary miata could be back on the drawing board. and other than the rotary engine it sounds like what you might be looking for is bob lutz's pontiac solstice!

I would have agreed with all of your points five years ago when I graduated college! Actually, i agree with all of them today except I'd throw the rx8's renesis in there and take on the extra cost and few extra pounds from the engine and related brake, suspension, etc. modifications.

It seems the RWD hatchback-sports/sporty car isn't very popular these days. The 2 seats and a trunk (with nothing between) is the design of today (is that the official definition of a coupe??), which to me is a bit too austere. Maybe its an engineering thing (I'll let the more knowledgable people chime in on that) or a marketing thing (in that some people may view a hatchback as an economy car). Regardless, I think a RWD hatchback could be given more power since torque steer wouldn't be a limiting factor (i.e. celica/rsx, etc). Unfortunately, I do not think we will a hatchback design in the next generation RX7.

Originally posted by zoom44
rich,
rumor has it that bwob is no longer at mazda so a rotary miata could be back on the drawing board. and other than the rotary engine it sounds like what you might be looking for is bob lutz's pontiac solstice!

bwob hasn't worked at Mazda for quite a while, I believe. He does still know lots of people there, and seems to have quite a bit of insight into the NC Miata. He's been quite emphatic about that, and I tend to believe him.

I'm not the least bit interested in the Solstice. It's a Pontiac, and they haven't made a car that has decent handling in years, if ever. Also, it's supercharged, and I prefer n/a. It's about 700 lbs. over the weight I mentioned. Last, it doesn't have a rotary. The last two are the real deal breakers, since it's possible that Pontiac could make their first car with great handling and the engine could be fantastic. They won't get it under 2200 lbs. and won't make it with a rotary though.

Originally posted by Rich
...If they can make a 4 banger standard for so many cars and a V6 optional, why not a 4 banger standard with a rotary option? One problem that they would run into with that is that the mounting differences between a rotary and piston engines is significant enough that you would have to have two different chassis designs. I4s and V6s are alot closer to each other in mounting configurations than you would first expect, and within a manufacturer, it's straightforward to setup the two piston engines so that they mount into the same engine bay. But, it's a lot more difficult to do that with a rotary.

One such example is the Toyota Camry. It has had an option between an I4 and V6 for over ten years now. The '91 Toyota MR2 engines basically came from the same family, and as far as engine mounting goes, the V6 and tranny from a recent Camry basically drops right in.

On the other hand, look into what it has taken for people to put Ford 305 V8s in a Miata compared to putting a rotary engine in. It took a bit more work to get the rotary engine in, with all of the changes that had to be made. It makes it unfeasible to have a single chassis handle both types of engines. Not impossible, but difficult enough.

---jps