While the rain subsided earlier I managed to take a few glamour shots of the newest love interest in my life.. No I'm not talking about some woman..
It's been well over half a decade since I've felt the freedom to be able to just hop in my automobile and cruise to wherever I feel. Nothing quite like the feeling of cruising down the road with the windows down, wind in your hair and nothing but you and the road ahead approaching at whatever speed you chose. I missed the thrill of driving.
Always been a fan of the Japanese import cars and through sheer luck I managed to pick up a piece of history in the form of an early "FB" 1985 RX-7 GSL with 121,xxx kilometers (75,xxx miles) on the odometer for a hell of a bargain at ~1300 STEEM ($3000 CAD).
The original asking price by the previous owner was $3750 but after going with him on a test drive and giving him a crash course in Bitcoin and STEEM when he made out the bill of sale he only asked for $3000..! I'm going to send him an email a bit later today with more information on getting started with crypto-currency. The guy had to be in his early 50's, a certified general accountant and seemed extremely intent on picking my brain.
Featuring the somewhat unconventional Mazda 12A rotary engine creating roughly 100 HP / 107 ft-lbs torque coupled with a 5 speed manual while boasting a vehicle weight of roughly 1000 Kilograms (~2200lbs) this sporty little 2 seater certainly has a bit of jam in comparison to my last set of wheels! Delivering the power to the rear wheels is a limited slip differential in the back end ensuring the little rotary engines power makes it to the pavement.
A Different Type Of Zoom Zoom
The 12A Wankel Rotary Engine is situated behind the front wheels which helps in handling. Mazda marketed this configuration as a "front mid engine" and carried on this design in later RX-7 models. This early 1985 RX-7 GLS variant is the last of the FB or first generation RX-7's before they switched to the more rounded "FC" second generation.
( a well detailed breakdown of the parts of a rotary engine - www.spannerhead.com )
In most conventional consumer vehicle engines the piston slides up and down in a cylinder jacket within the engine applying force to a main shaft internally harnessing the explosive energy from the fuel air combustion into usable energy. The early 1985 RX-7 GSL sported the Mazda 12A Wankel Rotary Engine, which, fun fact, was the first powerplant built outside of north america to finish the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hour race in 1974.
Below is an illustration showing the cycle the 12A rotary engine follows during operation:
( rotary engine gif stolen from giphy.com )
These engines are a bit different to tune for and require a bit more upkeep than your conventional inline 4 or V6/V8 in regards to oil changes and rebuilding of the triangular pistons seals every 80K-150K to ensure optimal performance.
Over the winter I'll be rebuilding the 12A powerplant on this car as the plan is to pick up my landlord's cheap fix'er-upper 1995 dodge neon that needs an alternator, new rad fan and tires to get that running and road worthy for winter.
Keep it Classic or Create a Drift Monster?
It must be said for what I paid for this vehicle it's a damn beauty..! It's still all original drive train, paint and whatnot. However the body does have a few minor dents on it and the vehicle isn't "mint" so I have an internal debate going on currently.. To tune or keep stock?
From what I read these vehicles have incredible potential for tuning if you swap in a newer 13B rotary powerplant and turbocharge the hell out of it.. I do love the look of this car and how clean it is.. If it was ratty on the inside or in worse condition I'd not bat an eye at turning this thing into a drift / tuner car.. But it's in really good shape for an 1985 RX-7 and I'm not likely to find another in this good of condition for such a price.
Thank You For Helping Me Live My Dream!
I've wanted one of these cars since I was a young teenager growing up... Today my dream is a reality and the sole reason this could happen was STEEM and it's users!
Massive thank you to everyone who has believed in me, supported my posts, sponsored my software development, helped me deal with my emotions, praised my posts, voted my witness campaign and ultimately made the STEEM network a place I'm proud to be a part of.
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