GTP Cool Wall: Gen 3 RX-7

Sub-Zero. Why?

This is one of the cars that defines Japan. Along with the Supra and the Skyline, it represents the peak of Japan's automotive history, and what a peak it is, producing cheap, but very, very potent cars more than capable of taking on what Europe, never mind America, can throw at it. The golden age has faded, leaving only the RX-8, a good car, but not as beautiful as its father, and the GT-R, a supercar too expensive and too fragile to cope with what the old generation could. And that is why the RX-7 is Sub-Zero. An echoing of an age past, and one that may never come again.

Thankfully because FDs are so expensive they've been mostly spared from the ricer scene. The car itself is terribly impractical, but practicality isn't it's goal. It's goal was to use innovative technology for performance, and it did that well. These days people still flock to the few examples out there because they are excellent platforms for tuning and racing.

The people the drive them are usually younger to middle-aged guys with a bit of extra cash laying around to have fun with. They don't set the car in the garage and look at it. In my experience, they either turbo the hell out of a rotary, or put a V8 in it, or track it, or some combination of those things, all of which are cool things to do.

Cool owners, cool car.

Sub-Zero period.

Cool

Petrol heads love it because it's fast and technically sophisticated. Normal people love it because it's a 20 year old design that shames most modern coupés in looks.

And most importantly it will work with the girls because it looks like a proper sports car, it's doesn't look old and cheap, and is fast and loud.

Sub zero

An icon made in the golden age of Japanese sports cars. Need I say anymore? Also, unlike some other cars of the time, it could never look dated.

SUB-ZERO what an engine, 1.3L 276 BHP i mean WTF, great looking iconic car!

I woted meh, but there is one I'd vote cool that drives around near me. Has an LS3 in it .

Sub-Zero. It's different. That's what i like most about this car. It's my favorite car since i learned what it had under the hood. I hope that there'll be a successor to this Legend, that is The Mazda Rx-7.

Definitely sub-zero.

I'm actually hunting around for one, but the owners and dealers are listing them at huge prices that I might as well go for a new car.

The best looking of the RX7's IMO.

Whilst I just can't get excited about them I also can't bring myself to vote less than cool for a nice looking coupe with decent performance.

I read the sub-zero comments, but I still don't get why anyone could vote this higher than a luke warm cool... it's just not special or distinctive enough.

The design of this car NEVER get's old. Timeless design. Definitely Cool.

Cool. Not s-z because of the engine.

Probably the only Japanese car I would like to own one day. Yank the rotory and swap in a GM LSx.

FD3S for the win!

Adamgp

Cool. Not s-z because of the engine.

Probably the only Japanese car I would like to own one day. Yank the rotory and swap in a GM LSx.

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A man called Felix is currently rotating in his grave.... 👎

Admittedly the engine has nothing to do with it's cool factor as it's geeky.

Girls will talk to you because of it, and almost every guy you meet will know exactly what it is and want a ride. Will it help boost your underwear collection? Yeah, but you'll have to deal with the FnF crowd drooling on your car at the same time.

Cool.

Rykon Zero

Sub-Zero. Why?

This is one of the cars that defines Japan. Along with the Supra and the Skyline, it represents the peak of Japan's automotive history, and what a peak it is, producing cheap, but very, very potent cars more than capable of taking on what Europe, never mind America, can throw at it. The golden age has faded, leaving only the RX-8, a good car, but not as beautiful as its father, and the GT-R, a supercar too expensive and too fragile to cope with what the old generation could. And that is why the RX-7 is Sub-Zero. An echoing of an age past, and one that may never come again.

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👍

Adamgp

Yank the rotory and swap in a GM LSx.

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Adamgp

Yank the rotory and swap in a GM LSx.

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And as the result you get a very generic sports coupe from the nineties that has just about nothing really to differentiate it from the rest. It's like equipping a C3 Corvette with a twin turbo V6 - no doubt it'll perform better after the swap but the original soul of the car is completely gone.

Greycap

And as the result you get a very generic sports coupe from the nineties that has just about nothing really to differentiate it from the rest. It's like equipping a C3 Corvette with a twin turbo V6 - no doubt it'll perform better after the swap but the original soul of the car is completely gone.

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Well said.

That RX-7 can get very loud also with after market exhausts. I like the way it shrieks, but in the cities where sounds are condensed and bounced around it can hurt hears.

But at least you can hear the rotary glory in full volume before your ears go.

Never did anything for me, and it looks like it's gonna be one of those cars I'll end up hating because everyone fawns over it. Meh.

Seriously. Quit looking at me like that.

It has an engine called a Wankel, how on earth is that even remotely cool? Plus it's a Mazda, which isn't exactly cool either. Oh and then there are the fanboys of the car! Like any high performance Japanese car you get the people who some how think it's a scaled down version of God. It's not as bad as anything Skyline GT-R related but it's up there.

Then there is the really dark side, it's associated with The Fast & The Furious, one of the most uncool, hated on car movies ever.

However, it does look cool and it has a design of far more expensive cars, especially when you ditch the pop-up headlights for those racecar inspired ones. You can also put a LSx engine in it and make it better it so many ways in my opinion, and any car that can take an engine swap decently well is cool too.

I think everything just cancels each other other in the end and you are left with a car that's pretty meh. I can't hate it because it has redeeming qualities but it has some pretty awful qualities too...come on! Wankel!!! Really? Say you have a Wankel to someone that knows nothing about cars and they'll probably call you a perv.

Joey D

Say you have a Wankel to someone that knows nothing about cars and they'll probably call you a perv.

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Having been involved in "Rotary" clubs in the past, nobody uses that term in my experience. All family/friends/club members I have ever been around call it a Rotary Engine. And Mazda's not cool? 👎 Probably THE coolest Japanese manufacturer at the moment over all the crap Honda and Toyota are making. Nissan only get's props for the GT-R and the 370Z.

You have to try to find a reason to make it uncool.

Cool.

R1600Turbo

Having been involved in "Rotary" clubs in the past, nobody uses that term in my experience. All family/friends/club members I have ever been around call it a Rotary Engine. And Mazda's not cool? 👎 Probably THE coolest Japanese manufacturer at the moment over all the crap Honda and Toyota are making. Nissan only get's props for the GT-R and the 370Z.

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I don't care, it's still a Wankel engine and that sounds like something you'd do in your free time. Just the fact it's associated with that makes it uncool.

And I actually can't think of many cool Japanese manufactures. They all have/had cool cars but the manufacture itself isn't cool. I'm not talking about good v. bad here either. The Mazda3 is an excellent car but it isn't cool. Same goes for an RX-8. Hell even the RX-7 is a good car, it just isn't cool.

It is remarkably cool.

Joey D

The Mazda3 is an excellent car but it isn't cool. Same goes for an RX-8. Hell even the RX-7 is a good car, it just isn't cool.

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And a Mini....is?

R1600Turbo

And a Mini....is?

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Nope, it isn't. It's a retro car and retro cars aren't cool.

Joey D

Nope, it isn't. It's a retro car and retro cars aren't cool.

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Ah well, have it your way.

Joey D

I don't care, it's still a Wankel engine and that sounds like something you'd do in your free time. Just the fact it's associated with that makes it uncool.

And I actually can't think of many cool Japanese manufactures. They all have/had cool cars but the manufacture itself isn't cool. I'm not talking about good v. bad here either. The Mazda3 is an excellent car but it isn't cool. Same goes for an RX-8. Hell even the RX-7 is a good car, it just isn't cool.

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Japanese manufactures can build very cool cars but they choose not to, because they choose to market to the average driver and not to the millionaires. If they were to build expensive cars we would be seeing some very high powered rx8's and maybe some very luxurious Mazdaspeed 3's and so on. If they were to build a high performance Rotary powered car, that would probably sell for a few hundred thousand. That car would be a street legal Furai and you sir would never look down at a rotary ever again. When comparing car's look at their price range and you'll see Japanese cars are well worth it.