Examining the cult car status of the Mazda RX-7 will lead to the inevitable question: can the Japanese sportscar still shine outside of the influence of its rev-fanatic rotary engine? A Florida-based shop has a no-replacement-for-displacement answer to this question, one that involves a Mercedes-Benz V12 rather than the usual LS swap being fitted to its FD-generation RX-7.
Granted, this Mazda, which enthusiasts know under the PistachioFd alias for obvious chromatic reasons, has been the recipient of an LS V8 over the years.
The project went big when it debuted on the SEMA scene back in 2003 and its maker has now announced multiple transformations that will greet us at the 2022 SEMA show—the Vegas event usually takes place in early Novermber.
It all starts with the said heart transplant: south of the hood, we’ll find a Mercedes-Benz M197 V12, the monster that Mercedes-AMG tweaked into the shape of the Zonda’s glorious powerplant. And while this is no Pagani hardware, the motor will be fully built, so you can expect monstrous results.
This tech info comes from an Instagram post delivered by Live to Offend, the widebody kit builder of digital artist Khyzyl Saleem (aka The Khyza).
The company, whose recently-unveiled aero package will obviously find its way onto the PistachioFd, released a set of renderings showcasing the German V12 sporting mighty individual throttle bodies—we can only imagine the kind of naturally aspirated song this thing will deliver as the Mazda slides down a piece of pavement!
Speaking of the widebody treatment, the generously-sized aero channels of the front overfenders, which are echoed by the styling of the rear overfenders, seem to flow with the factory styling of the third-generation RX-7. Then there are certain design bits (e.g., the front fascia) that pay tribute to iconic Japanese custom work involving labels such as RE Amemiya and Feed.
With this year’s edition of the Las Vegas custom car show having closed its gates just a month ago, this is the second 2022 SEMA we’ve discussed, sharing its purist-infuriating nature with the Challenger-faced, BMW platform-riding, classic Mustang we featured a few days ago.
