Shamblerock

Ya I mentioned earlier that thought it was a phot chop. The design just doesn't flow and I don't think mazda would build a car with the identical roof line from the 350Z/G35.

Macius8

iTrader: (3)

Anyone seen this one? I think its old too.

RX-Hachi

The first one posted by c2k4-8 is quite old, think I saw that one in Autocar about 1.5 to 2 years ago. Have not seen the above one before, but it's obviously a photoshop of the 3rd gen. Not bad though, I really hope if they do a 4th gen that it's an evolution of the 3rd gen, ala the C5 & C6 Vettes.

hornbm

iTrader: (1)

its a fake, its been around for about a year or so

I actually like the one above, me I havent seen it before, but yes its a fake, the FD door handles give it away, looks totally computer rendered too

cas2themoe

Very True

Ike

The real RX-7 prototype

c2k4-8

I'd buy that!

Reactionary

I wouldn't buy any of the renditions. It's already apparent to me that if the RX7 does come out (I think it will because of the HP/performance wars currently going on and proceeding forward), it will have to look very different from the RX8 and Miata. The look of the new Miata photos we've seen in the last week indicate that Mazda realizes this. A new RX7 can not and will not look too similar to an RX8, at least not in the way the 3 photochops above do in the front ends.

rx8wannahave

I think it looks pretty good, but not as a RX7...more like a MX6...but with RWD.

mikeb

I dont like it
I think the 8 looks better

KC_Prelude

See now I would jump all over that in a hearbeat. All I hope for the 7 is that it looks incredible, (pretty much a no brainer that it will compared to most anything on the road) and it has an incredible amount of power. As long as its not underpowered I will be happy. You have to be able to smoke a mustang gt in your 7.

larazaunida

^agreed. I have decided to wait to buy an 8 untill I see what the new 7 will look like. I do not want buyers remorse.(also i do not plan to buy a car untill 3yrs or so)

Ike

I'd love to see an RX-7 that can play with the bigboys... But can Mazda make a renesis that's reliable, can pass emissions, and that can run a low 13 second 1/4 mile while still having great handling? I don't think it's going to happen, but I hope it does.

PoorCollegeKid

:agreed: I'd love to see an RX7 for ~$30,000-$35,000 that can outdo the Z and the Mustang GT in any performance test and at least come close to the Evo and STi in all around performance. If it could at least equal the FD's performance numbers, I think that it'd be a very attractive vehicle to a lot of people looking at sports cars in that price range. For some reason I just don't see this happening, but I really, really hope that I'm wrong.

RX-Hachi

Sure they can. They did it before with the FD RX-7 (except for the reliable part), no reason they couldn't do it again if they wanted to. The trick is keeping costs down.

But there in lies the problem for Mazda. The 3rd gen RX-7 was a 911 & NSX killer at a fraction of the cost, but yet still expensive for the average joe. All the car mags loved it, but it sold in such poor numbers that it became quickly extinct (except in Japan). Mazda made sure history didn't repeat itself and that's why we have the RX-8. They could have easily made another RX-7, but management said "NO".

However, we now find ourselves in yet another era of HP wars and sports cars are back in fashion. It will be hard for Mazda to sit on the sidelines. I believe the diehard rotary skunk works team at Mazda has been burning the midnight oil. My bet (hope?) is that they'll have a nice surprise for us at the Tokyo Auto Show in October.

Reactionary

Why can't Mazda just make a better catalytic converter so the ECU can run things leaner to increase HP as well as gas mileage while maintaining emissions and tack on $500 to the MSRP?

They haven't done it for the RX8 but wouldn't they most probably do it for a new RX7? Isn't that a logical place to start in addition to increasing displacement?

Ike

The FD would not pass todays emissions standards in the US as far as I know, and as you pointed out it was a reliability nightmare in addition to be pretty pricey, especially for a japanese car 10+ years ago.

VikingDJ

I don't see RX8 ending in 2 years. 4-5 years is a possibility though. If by some miracle it did happen in lets say 3 years, it still wouldnt' be all that much of a rarity. It would take many years for the RX8 to be a classic. They made too many 04 models, that it would be less rare then the FD RX7. I think the production of the 04 RX8 alone, far surpasses the production of FD RX7, but i may be wrong. With the amount produced it sure seems like it. That could be a photochop, but if it isn't, there could be a different version of RX made in limited form, to supplement the RX8. We'll see.

DreRX8

FDs will reach collectible status--if the RX8 ever does (which I doubt) I don't think any of us will live to see it. Competition Yellow Mica FDs are already highly desirable.

Rotarian_SC

I'd love to see this, and to do it they would probably have to make it around 2500lbs, which would be great.

jenkins-crew

would not picture that being a 7.

Shadowhawk

As a professional photoshopper, I'll tell you with utmost certainty that the black RX-8-looking one at the top of page 3 is NOT photoshopped. The other two, maybe, but definately not #3. Now, it could very well be a highly customized RX-8, and not a new 7 as it is meant to look, but whatever it is, it exists somewhere that you can touch it. Or at least it did at the time the picture was taken.

himitsu

Sorry to burst your bubble but that picture is photochopped.

This is the original picture.
Its been in so many car wallpaper sites, one of the oldest RX8 wallpaper, I had that as my wallpaper for a few months before I bought the real thing

The top is taken directly off an FD, that is an FD door handle.

Ike

Yep, sorry man, it's a chop, guess I should have made that clear when I posted it. I didn't bother because I've posted it a couple times before.

Napboy

must... not... say... anything