Will Mazda Bring Back the RX7? It looks like Mazda is planning to release the RX7 once again!
The news comes from Mazda’s European design director, Derek Jenkins, who hinted at the possibility of the company bringing back this classic sports car in an interview with Top Gear magazine.
This new generation of the new Mazda RX7 would be based on the same platform as the current Mazda MX-5 Miata and feature a rotary engine.
There’s no word yet on when Mazda will release this model or how much it will cost, but we can’t wait to see what they come up with!
Will Mazda Bring Back the RX7? Rumors Say Yes!
The rumors have been going around for a while. Now they’re starting to get louder, and faster. Could it be true that Mazda is bringing back one of its most iconic sports cars, and will it be an homage to its roots?
Will it be a carbon copy of the much-loved FD RX-7 or will there be some subtle differences? Until official word comes down from on high, all we can do is sit here and ask ourselves:
Will Mazda bring back the RX7? And if so, what might that mean for sports car enthusiasts everywhere, not just those with an affinity for rotary engines and/or compact coupes?
Read also: Is the Mazda RX7 Legal in the US?
Potential Specs
The RX-7 was made by Mazda in Japan from 1978 to 2002. Originally launched as a rotary engine coupe.
It went on to spawn two generations of sports cars: first a front-engine/rear-wheel drive with pop-up headlights and then a rear-engine/front-wheel-drive model with fixed headlights and a flat hood.
The second generation was even better, receiving a more powerful rotary engine and styling that was outlandishly curvaceous, especially for those years.
With so much excitement over the new RX Vision concept unveiled at Tokyo’s 2015 Motor Show last fall.
Some people are wondering if there’s any hope for resurrecting another sports car from Japanese automaker Mazda: its renowned RX-7.
Read more: New Mazda RX9 | Potentially Using AWD Rotary Hybrid Engine
Possible Release Date
Mazda has previously said that it’s working on a new rotary engine, which could be used in a future sports car.
The company announced plans to bring it back in 2015, but nothing more has been said since then. In fact, an official release date for any vehicle hasn’t been announced.
A timeframe for 2020 or 2021 is likely, though, as a rotary-powered sports car would fit nicely into its lineup and capitalize on growing interest from buyers looking for fuel-efficient vehicles.
It’s also possible that Mazda will use its new rotary engine in another vehicle instead of building a full car around it. If so, we may not see it until after 2020—but don’t count out an earlier release either.
Why They May Bring it Back
When it debuted in 1989, and for 10 years after that, the RX-7 was revolutionary. It was a car unlike anything before it: a twin-turbocharged, rear-wheel-drive sports car with more than 200 horsepower per liter.
It’s hard to believe now, but back then turbocharging wasn’t common among production cars—and certainly not among affordable ones.
The only other supercar at that time to include forced induction was Ferrari’s F40 and a handful of Japanese imports from Toyota and Nissan.
But as history often does, it repeated itself again; if you were to look around today you would find tons of turbos cranking out ridiculous amounts of power—at all price points.
What Happened to The Original RX-7
According to car magazine Autocar, it seems as though Mazda is finally interested in bringing back one of its most beloved sports cars.
Dubbed by enthusiasts as the poor man’s Ferrari, the original RX-7 is an enthusiast favorite. Unfortunately, the production of these amazing machines stopped in 2002.
The new model will likely be a major departure from its predecessor, however—it will have to be if it wants to compete with other cars like Porsche and Ferrari.
Read more: New Mazda RX7 2022 | Review Interior, Specs, and Price
Who Should Design The New One
Should It Be A Company Other Than Mazda? One of our readers thinks that a new sports car from Mazda should be more than just another Miata.
Others seem to agree with him, but for many people in our comments section, their love for MX-5 goes beyond all other cars.
To them, it’s not really a sports car if it doesn’t look like an MX-5 and doesn’t handle exactly like one. So, what do you think?
How Much Should It Cost?
For starters, there’s no word on how much—if anything—Mazda will sell its reborn rotary-powered sports car for. There’s been speculation it will cost around $25,000.
But considering that would put it up against cars like the Ford Mustang GT and Chevrolet Camaro SS, both of which start at $24,000 and can be optioned all of the ways to $70K and beyond, we don’t think that’s likely.
Instead, we expect a sticker price somewhere in between what those two pony cars sell for.
What Features Would We Like To See In The New One
If Mazda is serious about bringing back a rotary-powered sports car, it’s only fair that it makes it worthwhile.
The last time around, they made huge performance compromises in order to keep costs down and protect sales of their relatively new MX-5 Miata.
But now that sports car has been refined over a decade and earned its stripes, there’s no reason to hold back on its bigger brother.
We want something with nice, wide fenders; we want a classic two-door layout with a hardtop roof; we want wild body kits and side exhaust; and of course, we want lots of power coming from that little 1.3-liter motor.
Conclusion
The new Mazda MX-5 Miata is fantastic, but it’s also underpowered. Would you spend $50,000 on a car that only has 130 horsepower and puts out 148 pound-feet of torque?
After driving Mazda’s latest sports car, we couldn’t help but ask ourselves: Will Mazda bring back the RX7? All signs point to yes.
It appears our prayers have been answered. The manufacturer has previously hinted at a future return of its supercar, which last hit showrooms in 2002.
And leaked images released by Auto Express UK show a concept version of what could be an RX-8 successor with much more power than its 200 horses suggest. Stay tuned to find out more details soon!
