The VeilSide kit is believed to be the most extreme cosmetic makeover of the Mazda RX-7. However, the FD generation has many more secrets to share with the JDM world, such as how it can have four rotors, twin turbochargers, 1200 horsepower, AWD and even some retro looks.
RX-7 production actually began way back in 1978, but as a pure performance car, only the FD generation truly matters, even though it only accounted for about a tenth of the sales. The 1992 to 2002 model has a certain look to it, which this custom project completely changes.
And that’s because it’s been designed to look like the RX-7’s predecessor, the RX-3, known in Japan as the Savanna. This child of the early 1970s had a very retro look to it, flat-faced with a big chrome bumper, a large grille and four round headlights.
But this doesn’t fully explain why this RX-7 ended up looking like a Pontiac GTO. The famed Japanese body kit company Pandem, maker of the widebody GR86, also has some reclusive retro packages. And this is their “Boss RX-7”. But that just provides the design for that front end.
Todd Buddle, the owner of Forcefedfab, has been fabricating amazing rotary projects for over a decade, and this is his baby. It made its debut at the 2019 SEMA Show, was part of SEMA360 the following year, and can now be seen putting down killer power at the strip. And as usual, It’s 1320video taking us on the front lines of the Texas performance battlefield.
Battle of the RX-7 4-rotors
As the title of the story suggests, behind that RX-3 grille sits an amazing 26B. The all-aluminum four-rotor engine is a hand-made custom marvel with thousands of hours going into its fabrication. And with its twin Garrett G42-1200 turbochargers helping it deliver 1200 hp, we can’t help but want to see a drag race against the other famous four-rotor AWD Mazda belonging to Rob Dahm.
Power is sent to all four wheels through a Lamborghini Gallardo transaxle, keeping the famous gated design for the 6-speed manual which is now encased in a custom carbon dash. The car rides on Corvette C7 control arms and uprights with DSC adjustable coilovers. Behind the massive Vossen wheels sit upgraded Wilwood 6-piston brakes.
Todd is immediately obvious when you start to examine some of the details. For example, the RX-7 came with the Boss widebody kit as well, back in 2019. But the bolt-on flairs were replaced with custom-made metal that has a more natural look, somewhat reminiscent of a VW Beetle or E92 BMW M3.
It’s also covered in carbon fiber, from the fender-mounted mirrors to the vents and the trim around the windows. EVO-R taillights at the back have even been changed to mirror the indicator pattern of its Lamborghini transmission donor. Mazdaghiniโฆ LamboRX-7?!