jaguargod

First off, where do the terms FC and FD come from? I think I understand it correctly that FC is the second gen. 7 and FD is third gen., but do they have any other meaning? Also, I've heard the term 13B used alot, and I think that is an engine, but not sure. Are RX-7's rare in general, or just the FD's? I have seen threads in which people state that they want to find an FD, and other members respond with comments like "good luck with that". Is there any reason why they are so scarce? I know they didn't sell all that well toward the end, and I think they were only produced for about 3 years (?). Were the leftovers sold at huge discounts, or sent back to Japan or something? How do they handle compared to the RX-8? I know they were much faster because of the twin turbo, but what about handling?

BlueRenesis82

Well, if I recall correctly they weigh about 2700 lbs, so handling is better, assuming same driver skill. 13B is a engine code for a 2 rotor 1.3 L engine. Technically the Renesis is a 13B, just a very advanced design one. FD's are the rare ones, they stopped being imported to the states after '95, and in '95 only about 2k were shipped over. They are faster with the TT setup, but not as much as you might think, most huge power gains with an FD are the result of going to a single turbo setup, and eliminating the rat's nest of vacumn lines in the engine bay. As far as the "good luck" comment, that stems from the fact that if you can find an FD, expect it to be on its second engine at least, plus the people that bought these cars on the whole were not nice to them, just like finding a MKIV Supra that hasnt been destroyed

ZoomZoomH

iTrader: (1)

not firsthand experience, just information i've learned over the past couple years while i owned a FC:

FC3S is the official chassis code for the 2nd gen RX-7
FD3S is the official chassis code for 3rd gen RX-7

13B describes the epitrochoird(?) dimension of the rotor housing of a rotary engine. Earlier rotary engine designations include 12A and 10A.

FDs are the rarest of all 3 gen's. Back in the mid to late 80's, FC's were selling quite well, even better in volume than what the RX-8's are selling right now. first gen and 2nd gen 7's were sold as 'people's sportscar', with very good performance for a great price, and they sold quite a few of them. the high price (due to exchange rate in the early 90's) and superior look/performance of the 3rd gen bumped the RX-7 name into the elite/supercar status.

'good luck with that' is meant to say, 'good luck finding one in near-stock and excellent shape', which there are very few left. many FDs that are on sale today are either highly modified or is sitting somewhere on stands with no engine in it :p. People that have well-maintained FDs aren't selling them, they know how rare their car is :D

I think they only sold like 3000 or so FDs in 1995, the last year they were for sale in NA...

I have never driven a FD before, so I'll let someone that have firsthand experience with both to give their opinions on this :D

DreRX8

I use to own an FD--in terms of the handling characteristics of both cars--I must say--while the FD pulls better skidpad numbers, I feel that I am able to push the RX8 further--probably because it is slower. The power delivery is more linear than the FD in the RX8. The 21st century technological nannies are also a plus in the RX8 for safety reasons. The FD was as close to a street legal racecar this side of an Elise.

himitsu

The reason why RX-7s are rare, its because they were more expensive than your current RX-8 and more troublesome to maintain. Its more of an "enthusiast" car.
Mazda dont want to deal with the troublesome average joe buying the car and then complaining about every single thing and bring their reputation down.

But the main reason you dont see them in the western hemisphere is that they cannot pass the emission tests.

On the contrary, RX-7 sales in Japan has been well, up to the last production.
The last model the limited edition "Spirit-R" is all sold out, its almost impossible to find this model outside Japan.

Oh and they are faster definitely, easier to mod too. Stock performance is almost equal to that of the Supra and Skyline, the maximum spec allowed under Japanese law, 280ps.