The RX-7 was one of the coolest sports cars produced by Mazda from 1978 to 2002. It was then replaced by the RX-8 - a model that did not experience the same kind of love as did the RX-7.
Skipping right past the one that may have been better left on the drawing board, Mazda has decided to bring back the RX-7 in 2017, marking 50 years since the introduction of Mazda’s first rotary-engined car, the Cosmo Sport. This same year will also mark 15 years since the RX-7 was dropped from the line.
According to Mazda Motor Corporation’s Sports Car Chief Nobuhiro Yamamoto, the new generation RX-7 will be lighter, less complex, and will deliver a greater emphasis on driver involvement. However, he also said that the new RX-7 won’t exactly follow the lead of the previous RX-7. It will be built on the same platform as the next-generation MX-5, but will feature a a stretched wheelbase to accommodate a pair of small rear seats.
The new RX-7 will most likely be powered by a naturally-aspirated version of the new 16X rotary engine with an output of about 300 HP. A turbo version is also a possibility, but will occur later in the RX-7’s life.
As for the price tag, Mazda hopes to keep it somewhere in the same area of the Nissan 370Z, which starts off at about $33,000.
