FEATURED CARS
Black Spirit R Type A - located in the UK
This Spirit R was featured in Japanese Performance magazine, in the January 2005 edition. The feature and photos are used here with their kind permission.
Also see the articles page for the full magazine spread.
That's the Spirit - Mazda RX-7 Spirit R
By Dale Spiller Photos by John Colley As the saying goes all good things must come to an end, and for the Mazda RX-7 Series 3 that end came in August 2002 when, after more than ten years in production, it made way for the Mazda RX-8. Despite the long production run the Series 3 was never as big a seller as the first generation of the RX-7, and consequently was only officially available to the Japanese domestic market from 1997 onwards. However during this decade many special editions of the RX-7 were released, with varying modifications offering extra power and luxuries to the consumer, perhaps in an attempt to boost the declining rotary sales. Some of these special editions were to commemorate certain occasions - the 'Bathurst Type R II' was one of these, which was released in 1994 after Mazda had won the Bathurst 12 hour race for the third year in succession. The 'Type RS-R' was another example, released in 1997 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Mazda's rotary engine. Then in March 2002 came the 'Spirit R', which was to be the final salute from Mazda to one of the best looking sports cars to have come out of Japan. There were only 1,500 Spirit R cars produced, making them a rare sight in Japan let alone in the UK import market. This final edition was offered in five colours - Vintage Red, Pure White, Titanium Grey, Innocent Blue and, of course, Brilliant Black. There was also the choice of three models - the Type C with auto transmission, Type B with its two plus two format and the Type A, the purest sports model. This is a true two-seater with a five-speed manual gearbox and, as Andrew Cozens has found out, it's a very enjoyable car to own. Andrew's association with the RX-7 didn't start with the purchase of this car in January 2003. He has long been an enthusiast of the rotary engine, having owned four RX-7s before this one - three Series 2s and a Series 3. Andrew's life was completely taken over by RX-7s in 2000 when he bought the RX-7 parts and servicing business called "Jimmy's", which had been established during the 1980s by the late Jimmy Pinnock. Andrew decided to keep the name as the company had a good reputation amongst RX-7 owners, but he relocated it from Cambridgeshire to Hoveton, just outside of Norwich. The range of the business has been expanded to offer everything from guaranteed used parts to full engine re-builds, as well as a stock of imported RX-7s with warranties. With only 2,500 miles on the clock Andrew's car still looks as good as new, as you would expect. Personally, I have always thought that the sleek lines of the RX-7 were somewhat lost when the car is black in colour, but that does not mean it doesn't look good. The exterior looks are improved with the aid of 17-inch BBS manufactured wheels that came as standard on all Spirit Rs, though the Type A wheels are gun metal grey instead of silver. Red coloured callipers are another nice finishing touch, along with the braided stainless mesh brake hoses. However, to see what I think is the most outstanding feature of this Spirit R Type A you need to look inside - it's the seats. I know this does not sound very exciting but just look at them; they really do look the part. These carbon fibre backed, ultra light, red full bucket seats by Recaro not only look good, they give the interior a race car feel and help this RX-7 in its quest to be as lightweight as possible. Not only that, but they also brighten up what a lot of people consider to be a dark and dull cabin. Under the bonnet of the Spirit R lurks a 13B rotary engine with a sequential twin turbo set-up, which produces 280bhp at 6,500rpm. Although when you drive this car it feels like it has more power than that - this is mainly to do with its weight, which is only 1,260 kg. Having driven many RX-7s in both standard and modified form it is a compliment indeed when Andrew says that his Spirit R handles as well as any of them. Its suspension is classic double wishbone front and rear and, with the aid of rack and pinion power steering, the Spirit R will go where you point it. Dampers exclusively manufactured by Bilstein are fitted to both the Type A and the Type B models. Obviously this helps to give this RX-7 its poise when cornering, especially in the dry. As this is a rear wheel drive car a little more care is needed in damp conditions. Performance in the handling stakes is also helped by the ability to brake late, as with all Series 3 RX-7s you only need to touch the brake pedal and things slow down amazingly quickly. The ventilated discs all round and four piston aluminium brake callipers do their job extremely well. "The Spirit R is a great package," says Andrew, "but of course you can always make improvements". Andrew has not gone down the route of ripping out the twin turbo and replacing it with a huge single one, and of course being in his position it would be an easy thing to do. No, Andrew's Spirit R still has the twin turbo set up, and let's face it, with a top speed of over 160mph and a 0-60mph run complete in under five seconds it performs pretty well. Although, through Andrew's modification there is now a HKS induction kit and a de-cat Racing Beat performance exhaust. This exhaust not only sounds good but adds quite a few horses as well. A HKS sequential dump valve has been fitted, and an Apexi Power FC fully programmable ECU and commander now keep the motor settings in check. Mazdaspeed strut braces have also been fitted at the front and rear. Inside Andrew has replaced the original steering wheel with what surely must be one of the world's best selling as they seem to appear in every car - the Momo type. "When it comes to the exterior I've just made a few small changes," comments Andrew, "like the clear rear bumper and rear marker lights, as well as the side indicators". A Feed headlight cover with an air intake is another personal touch that Andrew has given his car. This is as far as the mods go for now, but whether Andrew will change things in the future is yet unknown. I get the feeling that he is very happy with this car and would not want to venture too far and lose the Spirit R identification. This would certainly be an easy thing to do externally as there are a heck of a lot of kits available for the Series 3 RX-7. Some of these do look good, but they do make the RX-7 look a different car and with the Spirit R being the final edition it could become the most sought after in years to come. Perhaps Andrew's choice to keep it in near standard form could prove to be an investment. With so few miles travelled Andrew's car is barely run-in but I'm sure he will be putting more miles on the clock as soon as he can. The only trouble for Andrew is that this RX-7 does not perform very well as a family car, unless of course he decides to leave them at home. However, being a true Rotarian Andrew owns a Mazda RX-8 as well for those times when he has to be a bit more practical. So the Spirit R took the final bow for the Series 3 RX-7 and, in its Type A form, left as a true sports car. However, it does look like the RX-7 will return, maybe as early as 2006. With the Series 3 being such an outstanding car it will be a hard act to follow but the rumours are sounding good. There is talk of a pure two-seater with 300bhp on tap even without the aid of a turbo or supercharger - now that's the Spirit. Thanks to: Jimmy's RX-7 www.jimmys-rx7.co.uk Mazda RX-7 Owners Club (UK) www.rx-7club.org The RX Seven www.therxseven.com Specification: Engine: 2 x 654cc 13B Rotary (equivalent to 2,616cc) Power Output: 280bhp at 6,500rpm Torque: 231lb ft at 5,000rpm Transmission: 5 speed manual Weight: 1,260kg Length / Width / Height: 4,285 / 1,760 / 1,230mm Max Speed: 163mph 0-60mph: 4.9 seconds Wheels & Tyres: 17" BBS with 235/45 at the front and 255/40 at the rear
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