Well, question 1: the Spirit-R. Mazda had been building the RX7 for 24 years, through 3 "generations" and 8 revision models, before it decided to finally sucumb to the ever increasing pressure of enviromental policies, and stop production in August 2002. But the rotary would live on, in the guise of the RX8. It's fair to say that this is not a replacement for the 7, more a re-invention of the rotary concept, bringing together sports capabilities but with a broader market appeal. But to celebrate (or perhaps mourn) the final RX7 production run, Mazda decided to issue the last 7's under the guise of the "Spirit-R". With this final special edition, Mazda bought together all the best ingredients from the previous models, to produce what many regard as the pinnacle of the (unmodified) RX7 driving experience. Only 1500 of these were produced.



And to question 2: there is a wealth of information on the web for RX's of all eras. But this info tends to be directed to the generic RX7 and the modified scene, with little info bought together for the various special editions. If you have ever tried to search for info on the Spirit-R, you will find that information is fragmented and pretty thin on the ground. While this site may not bring anything new, what I would like to achieve, is to bring together as much information as I could find into one coherent site. With the info gathered into one place, material that may otherwise have been lost as web sites close down will hopefully be preserved, to celebrate this revered, end-of-the-road RX7.

To compile this site, there are pictures used that are freely available for public viewing on the web. As far as possible I have linked to the original sites . If the owners of these sites/pictures do not wish their use, then please let me know, and I will remove both the picture and the link!
Thanks!