Theres something special about a rotary engine that a lot of people glance over. Anyone who has ever owned an RX-7 or any rotary powered car for that matter knows the feeling, a mix of pride, anxiety, excitement and that constant voice in the back of your head telling you that, yes, maybe you should check that oil again. But that’s a part if the rotary charm, isn’t it? Rotary ownership isn’t just a choice; it becomes a personality trait.
My 1993 Mazda FD RX-7 is Montego Blue over Tan interior, which, in the right lights, looks likes it been dipped in green ink but polished with in other light, it looks like midnight blue. It’s the kind of color that makes you stare at your car when you’re supposed to be walking into class. The FD RX-7 design alone feels like a spaceship from the ‘90s. Theres nothing boxy, just smooth curves with a timeless design, and although I am biased, I do believe that it is one of the best-looking cars of all time.
The heart of this special car is even more special. A rotary engine does not behave the way a normal piston engine does. A rotor is not a piston. Piston engines have a lot of moving parts, while a rotary engine has minimal. A rotary engine is a spinning triangle with a lot of commitment issues. It rewards you when you treat it right and will severely punish you if you treat it wrong. I believe this to give the car that much more personality because there is a balance that you forget when driving a more reliable car. Theres this moment, somewhere in the middle of the rev limited, usually around 3-4k RPM where it doesn’t sound like the engines revving, it sounds like it is inhaling a deep breath as the twin turbos spool. The Rotary engine has always sounded amazing and putting a little extra work into the engine (ie; engine porting & turbo blow off valves) will make your car sound even that much more amazing. For context, my FD is bone stock, mostly because I have no funds to dump into the car, but at the same time there is something even that more special about an un-molested icon from the ‘90s that I don’t think I could change, even if I could.
People love to warn you about its reliability, but in reality, it’s just a part of the folklore behind the engine. Most of the problems come from neglect and terrible tunes. Stock, well-maintained rotaries last longer than a lot of the people would lead you to believe. Not to say that I don’t have a fear in the back of my head about the car, but ever rotary owner does, but that’s what makes it a special experience that only rotary owners deal with. You’re driving something rare and misunderstood. Believe me, the car feels alive.
What I love most about the FD is that it doesn’t ask to be modern. Theres no apple car play and there is absolutely no lane correction or backup camera. Its analogue and mechanical, no chance of fake engine noises coming through speaker systems. Just a car, the road, and a spinning Dorito ticking time bomb that’s doing its best to impress you.
Montego Blue seems to be one of the rarer colors today, especially unmodified ones. It feels like I am preserving a piece of automotive history, especially in the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) car culture scene. It feels like a time capsule of what Mazda thought the future would look like. A future where weird engines won, where lightweight chassis mattered, and where driving felt like a balance of man and machine.
Owning an RX-7 is the stupidest thing a person could do, it isn’t logical. Its emotional. Its picking character over any sort of convinces. Uniqueness over practicality, and I am a sucker for that feeling.