Very Nice looking 1st series RX7. If I hadn't Bought my Solstice I would be very interested in this car. Reminds me of what I wanted my Beat up 1980 base Model to be the couple of months I owned it before it got rear ended. 5-speed, A/C, Alloys, it even has the rear jump seats. And Power Brakes. My car only had A/C and it didn't work. http://madison.craigslist.org/cto/5951210550.html
Yes they were available, but if you are 10 years old (or even tall for your age and 8 years old) there is not much head room back there! I just noticed I almost posted this in the Car/Truck Section. Oops, Moderators feel free to move it.
That's for sure! Looks worse than the rear seats in a '77 Datsun 280Z 2+2 that I had to sit in on a 2-hour ride once....and then the return trip as well.
I did the same thing in a '78 Trans Am. 6'4" at the time, luckily i wasn't obese yet, as my knees were up around my ears. That trip sucked, and it was only 40 minutes.
The trip I took was in 1978 or 1979, courtesy of a realtor, who was showing us a mobile home for a potential purchase way out in the boonies on the way to Lancaster / Palmdale, off the 14 hwy in So Cal. All the way out there, then all the way back in that tiny seat. It was a 'no sale', too.
I think it was January or February, so no A/C needed. In fact, when we arrived at the location (Agua Dulce, to be specific), there was snow on the ground.
I never understood these. What is the deal with the rotary?? Apparently it's alright, because didnt they keep making these up into 2000?
They continued to make them thru the 2012 Model year (RX8's they have just announced 2020 RX9 plans but who knows if they will actually make them) the main issue with the modern ones is emissions and MPG. They get the same gas mileage as a large V-8. They had some advantages in Japan and Europe that did not apply to the US, in places that taxed both the purchase price and yearly registration to the displacement of the engine, the small displacement of the rotaries keep them below the tax rates but make mush more power than same displacement piston engines. Most Mazda Rotaries are 1.3 Liter engine and could make up to 300 hp, and had a redline around 10,000 rpm. Very smooth engines, and a very different driving experience, they do not have the low end torque of a piston engine.
Jeff describes the rotary very accurately. Back in the mid 70's, I owned two rotary Mazda RX-4's, and today, my younger daughter drives a RX-8. The rotary is very smooth, revs freely, but does not produce all that much torque. The engine is very light and compact, so most rotary cars have a lot of extra room in the engine bay (except for the RX-8, which seem to be cluttered up with a lot of plastic - can't even see the engine when I open my daughter's car hood. They do have their downsides. Biggest one it longevity. Because of their design, each of the 3 corners of the rotors (2 in each engine) has a seal on it that goes against the rotor housing white the rotor goes round and round. The seals wear out over time, necessitating a complete rebuild. You're fortunate if you get one past 100k. Because of the simple design, supposedly a rebuild SHOULD be cheaper, but I didn't find that to be the case when my daughter's car came due - $5,000. (That was at a dealer, though)
