I’ve been on a SA22/FB RX-7 kick recently. I think it’s because the styling was so radical for its time, and the rotary engine suited that theme perfectly. It was practically born to race, and began taking checkered flags as soon as it was unleashed at events like the 24 Hours of Daytona, Spa 24 Hours, and various touring car championships in Australia, Great Britain and the US.
That’s why this 1978 RX-7 found on NZ Performance Car caught my eye. It has a 13B turbo running 20 pounds of boost and a list of mods almost as long as Chile. That translates to a terrifying 514 wheel hp and it looks absolutely evil. Actually, I think it’s exactly what a Series 1 RX-7 endurance car would look like if Mazda still made SA22s new.
Mark Burgess built it for New Zealand’s OSCA, or Open Saloon Car Association, series and began winning races with it as soon as he stepped onto the track, just like RX-7 drivers of yore. Remind me, why don’t Americans watch touring cars again?
Just as cool as the old Racing Beat machine that ran at Mosport.
My that looks really cool