Rotary Rebirth: 2017 Mazda RX-7

By: Jake

Sports Car Chief of Mazda Motor Corporation, Nobuhiro Yamamoto, exposes details on the 2017 RX-7 rebirth. The new RX-7 will commemorate 50 years over rotary Mazda sports cars. Yamamoto expressed in an interview with The Motor Report the car will likely start out with a naturally aspirated rotary engine - perhaps a variant of the 16X developed in 2007 - and tip the scales at about 2600 lbs. Despite the lack of forced induction, the larger displacement 1.6 liter wankel would turn out approximately 300 horsepower. Yamamoto - the person responsible for both the FD3S and the 787B engines - insists the new powerplant will be more linear, a trait overlooked on his twin-sequential 13B. Additionally, Yamamoto even mentioned emissions technology advance already engineered that will ensure the compliance of 2017 RX-7. As with all of Mazda's sports cars, he says the development will focus on driver involvement. With more power and 200 lbs lighter curb weight than the last FD3S, the 2017 RX-7 is poised to be a true drivers car. We believe that if Mazda has the passion and "drive" to develop this car, it must deliver a chassis and suspension worthy of a 21st century super-car.