The timeless beauty of the third-gen Mazda RX-7 is instantly visible even today, a full 20 years since the car was last sold in the United States.
See one on the road and you will instantly be in love again. Low, lithe, curvy but sleek, pure and organic — there is a real star quality to this 1.3-liter Wankel twin turbo.
Comparing the car back to back with the Supra Turbo, Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 or Nissan 300ZX in 2015 makes it instantly clear: this Mazda is the future classic of the bunch.
The Supra Turbo might have packed more heat with its 320-horsepower of twin turbo punch, but compared to the flyweight RX-7, it handles like a tank.
Almost zero mass in the nose, 255-horsepower and rear-drive make for one of the most playful supercars in history. Even the cabin has aged gracefully versus the Acura NSX or Porsche 993 — both of which have hideous, jumbo-airbag steering wheels and thoroughly dated dashboard designs.
But what is the cost of this greatness!?
The 1993 to 1995 Mazda RX-7 is one for the ages. Pricing today for used examples is fluid — the main constraint is that very few exist, and even fewer still in stock, unmodified condition.
Assuming you can find one, KBB.com ballparks pricing for the best examples at about $19,000. Rougher cars with big miles can be had for as low as $12,000.
We are surely in the lowest point of the best RX-7’s value curve. They will soon start to appreciate like the Porsche 993 already is. So desirable are sports-cars from this period that the 993 is easily worth almost twice the value of a five-years-newer 996 model.
The RX-7 will be a treasure for decades to come.
So bag one now before it is too late and the cars are too expensive!
Many of the featured cars here are later-model, Japanese-market exclusives like the Bathhurst R and RS. They all have a core quality that makes them spectacular, however.
This Montego Blue car is owned by Petit Racing, which also upgraded the exhaust system of this near-stock, automatic-transmission example.
http://www.pettitracing.com/1994-montego-blue-auto/
1995 Mazda RX-7
Tom Burkart is the founder and managing editor of Car-Revs-Daily.com, an innovative and rapidly-expanding automotive news magazine.
He holds a Journalism JBA degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Tom currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina with his two amazing dogs, Drake and Tank.
Mr. Burkart is available for all questions and concerns by email Tom(at)car-revs-daily.com.