Mazda's MX-5 Guru Reveals Details On The Next RX-7

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler

Putting an end to the vicious cycle of rumors and conjecture, Mazda’s sports car chief revealed that they will bring back the RX-7 in 2017, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Cosmo sports car.

Nobohiru Yamamoto, who is now head of the MX-5 program, told Australia’s The Motor Report that the RX-7 will use a stretched version of the Miata platform, and weigh roughly as much as the 2775 lb Toyota 86. Japanese market versions will have a small rear seat, while North American versions will be two-seaters.

Power will come from the new 16X rotary engine, a naturally aspirated unit capable of nearly 300 horsepower. Yamamoto said that a large single turbo caused too much lag, and a sequential twin-turbo setup like the previous RX-7 was “not ideal”. But Yamamoto didn’t rule out a turbo either for future production. But even in naturally aspirated form, the power to weight ratio should exceed the last RX-7 sold in North America.

Also absent from the RX-7 will be any kind of KERS or hybrid system. Mazda currently doesn’t have any sort of technology in that space, and according to Yamamoto “”…a pure sports ca…must be internal combustion.” Lightweight aluminum body panels and special catalysts will help the car meet tough emissions and fuel economy standards.

Unfortunately, all that will come at a price. The RX-7 will apparently be more expensive than something like a Nissan 370Z or a Toyota 86. All that engineering comes at a price, and the RX-7 will be positioned to reflect that.

Derek Kreindler
Derek Kreindler

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  • Raph Raph on Oct 31, 2012

    "and according to Yamamoto “”…a pure sports ca…must be internal combustion." Man, I love this guy! A sports car sans silly hybrid powertrain - beautiful.

  • Luvmyv8 Luvmyv8 on Nov 01, 2012

    So.... would this be the FE then? (FC, FD....) Not that I'm in a position to buy one, but this makes me happy. My mom had an '86 FC herself and we LOVED that car. My parents eventually traded it in for a '88 Maxima because my little brother was born and we needed a 4 door. I actually wept like a little girl when it was gone, no joke. So suffice it to say I have a soft spot for rotary engine cars. Plus hearing an 13BREW at fun song at redline is a beautiful thing to hear....

    • Serothis Serothis on Nov 02, 2012

      The rx-8 was FE. So the next rx-7 would be the FF.

  • SqueakyVue SqueakyVue on Nov 01, 2012

    Deadweight nailed it on this one. 275hp with Miata handling is going to make this thing an animal. I would grab this over a Toyobaru in a second and not think twice about the extra cost. "I love the tenacious spirit of Mazda."

  • Akitadog Akitadog on Nov 01, 2012

    I love the idea, but Mazda needs to save itself some money instead of throwing money down this dead-end rotary technology (at least as a primary motivator in automobiles, it holds promise for electricity generation). I'd much prefer to see a Skyactiv turbocharged four in this vehicle, where development costs can be spread between the Mazdaspeed3, RX-7 (and maybe Mazdaspeed6 amd/or MX-5?), and things such as oil consumption and fuel economy would be much improved.

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