FD3s Version V Type RZ

The 2000 year model Fd type RZ was the true 10th anniversary version of the FD. A celebration of the model with loads of extras that really had everyone wanting on of the 175 produced.

Hard core enthusiasts place the real number at 325 as a result of demand.

Names, Names, Names! Bilstein, BBS, Nardi and Recaro are all names that mean style and elegance that are associated with the pinacle of motor vehicle tuning. They had appeared on the Fd before, however not with this flamboyance.

The first thing you notice is the very rare pearl white paint that only adorned half of the Rz Models. A little look near the door shows the RZ logo and it leads you inside. The other colour is Brilliant Black, but rarely seen in advertising.

Bright Red Recaro carbon kevlar bucket seats similar to older RZ models strike your attention. They make a bold statement.

Red stiched leather on the gearknob and handbrake give a tactile experience. This also matches the other contact point. The Nardi steering wheel.

White face dials also differ from your regular Fd. A grey finish to the dash adds real appeal also. These would appear in the next model.

The passenger gets a footrest to push more firmly in the seat and the driver gets small bolsters on the drivers door and center console.

These items really aid the driver to get positive input to the all alloy pedals.

One of the few japanese models to be considered as 2 seat only cars, storage bins are fitted as standard. This is a true sports car.

Cosmetics aside, the car has a complete overhaul. Bilstein C-Clip Suspension returns and exhaust are all typical RZ items. The bilsteins bite hard and work well with the Potenza S-07 tyres and the extra power on tap really hits hard. For a showroom special, the Rz has the few extra touches that will have you taking a second look.

The 17 inch Gun metallic BBS alloys really grab your attention

Retailing at 3,998,000 really places it as an expensive car in Japan, but tuning a regular one to the same level would cost a lot more indeed. Typical RS models are the same price and often had more options.

Although the spec sheet says 280ps, on the dyno most Rz's reveal somewhere more like the equivilant of 320ps.

Russ.

2000/10~
Type RZ GF-FD3S 1308cc 3 5MT FR 2Seat 7.5km/l   3,998,000Yen

FD3s Version VI

The last incarnation of the standard FD3s. Version VI was the refinement of all before it. ABS 16Bit Computer upgrades made this an electronics machine.

A system called EBD was now responsible for distributing effective braking force to the required wheel/s. RS dampers were beefed up in combination to improve handling and they were adjustable coil over units albeit with limited ride height adjustment.

As always the RS gets better 17" wheels. This time matching the RZ's BBS only in Silver not gun metallic.

Type R gets the older design curved spoke in 17" and RB models get the standard flat 16" rims. Somehow they simply don't appeal.

Radiator and intercooler enhancements were carried over from the previous version and all power figures remained the same on paper.

Grade and spec also remained the same, however there were some other more visible changes.

RB Auto Models are usually supplied wingless, but as you know. Everything at Mazda is an option.

The inside got a working over. Sit inside one of these cars and it doesn't really feel like the old FD you know and love. Grey soft touch covering was fitted to the dash and an interior colour change away from black was very noticible.

Dials also changed to white to give a fresh feel to the car and differentiate it from the 90's.

Safety enhancements finally included side impact protection and the Audio Module was also enhanced.

These specs would remain until the final run of 1500 spirit R models in 2002.

Not a bad car for the money. They are almost the same spec but dont hold the high price tags of the Spirits. 2.5Mil vs 4Mil. Food for thought.

Russ.

2000/10~
Type RS GF-FD3S 1308cc 3 5MT FR 7.2km/l  3,848,000円

Type R GF-FD3S 1308cc 3 5MT FR 8.1km/l 3,548,000Yen

Type RB S-Package GF-FD3S 1308cc 3 5MT FR 8.1km/l 3,158,000Yen

Type RB GF-FD3S 1308cc 3 5MT FR 8.1km/l 2,948,000Yen

Type RB GF-FD3S 1308cc 3 4AT FR 7.7km/l 3,148,000Yen

FD Model 1/24 - Hotworks Mazdaspeed Red

Mazda FD3S RX-7
Hotworks Mazdaspeed Rx7
1991 version with Mazdaspeed R-Spec body Kit

Engine bay has boost up engine with IC/brace bar changed from standard

Wheels are standard 17" Early Mazda in a larger 19" design and Mazdaspeed 17" MS01 which are Fitted.

Interior has purple seats and white dials.

As usual, the Hotworks models are almost indestructable (But I broke the wing swapping parts on this one.) They have heaps of spares (except D1 kits) and look great in any collection.

Russ.

Freddy's Circuit FD3s

The third of Freddy's beasts is a pure track raider that started life as a 1995 Type R2. It was given a Border theme with the type II variation by the previous owner who bought the full border Type II body kit. Front bumper, front GT vented & wide arched fenders, side skirts, rear wing and side diffuser spats. This is currently being enhaced with a front under panel. The wheels are the famous Mazdaspeed MS02 that were manufactured by RAYS that are wrapped in Advan 235’s & 255’s tires.

The interior's main items are the Bride bucket seat and custom carbon fiber centre console that houses the switches for fuel controller and ignition start, fan controller, swirl pot switch and water injection. But you cant get past the bright red Border Racing 7 point Roll Cage.
The engine is a ported 13B REW that has a GT35 Single Turbo HKS with GT II wastegate hanging off the side. Custom twin large oil coolers and custom intercooler piping lead to a large Border Racing front mount intercooler blocking the aluminium radiator with electric fans. Exhaust gas is handled by a Border Racing “Burnout” system and there are so many other mods you would need a day to list them.

but the track is where this car will run and to keep it there Freddy has faith in the Ohlins Race coil over adjustable suspension and Grex Alcon big brake kit with Project MU metallic brake pads. Now all he needs is some time off to use this sucker in the way it was intended.

Russ.

Chris' FD

Chris Bird started with a 96 model Fd sourced from Newera and imported it into the UK. After the stock look began to get tired, he decided to Feed it a dose of Fujita. Pardon the pun. A touch of Amemiya, Knight Sports and C-West carry on the theme to create a modern evolution of the Fd shape. A truely stunning machine unspoiled by stickers and show-off attitude. The car would not be out of place beside the latest porsche 911.

Volk GT-C 5 spoke rims were chosen to offset the paintwork. Innocent blue is a perfect match for the car and is simply enhanced by his rim choice and the other small touches that adorn the car are well blended. A small Mazdaspeed GT-C wing and Ganador mirrors nicely match in the same original colour. The result is an awesome looking machine that functions well without the worry of massive underbonnet changes. Power upgrades through functional exhaust changes simply add to the smooth power delivery of the Mazda systems.

Starting to look for reliable power upgrades, Chris will soon find himself at the point where the car will potentially be finished, or face the challenge that comes with going that little bit further.

Looks almost perfect to me.

Russ.

Freddy's FD3s 1&2

Freddy is the owner of a few nice cars. All of which have loads of mods. Being privately imported from Japan, all three are unique exaples of FDs that started life as cars built by Japanese owners before being changed and tweaked by Freddy.

The first is this blue and silver RE-Amemiya equipped car that could be a demo car for that company's products of the Mid '90s. This FD has a few unique options that definately draw attention. The mirrors are from some spaceship and the rear diffuser ( although RE-Amemiya) has been painted in silver which also makes it a standout addition.

Sideskirts and rear fenders are nicely blended and the widebody front fenders go unnoticed in the deep blue paint. The sleek light kit also houses air vents similar to the GT300 cars and The GT wing brings the car into the modern era.

The next car in his awesome Pan Speed equipped road blaster. The T78 attached engine is capable of insane speed but this car is not for the track. Widebody additions include other items from the Pan Speed catalog. 2000 model front bar and side skirts also adorn the car.

The rear wing was originally a wangan spoiler, but this has been changed to a dual flap rear wing. The addition of a Scoot bonnet completes the package on this awesome machine. Down on the ground the Ragermaster rims attack the tarmac and sit nicely under the wide-body home of the FD.

Russ

Ben's FD3s

In his own words, Ben has joined the FD elite and went for the wide-body look! "After seeing the Amemiya SuperGT FD3 I justknew I had to do something with mine to make it a road going GT car." He has done just that.

Wanting it to sound like a race car led to the exhaust being "reconditioned" to suit the largeness of the car. Monster turbo, large porting and wide body appeal certainly are influencing those in the UK. A show car that begged to be driven, Ben has caught the track day bug, which can definately be hard to shake. He is now dreaming of huge Brembo's and tweaking the Zeal coil-overs to get his times down. He says he spent a lot of cash. But just looking at those Gram Lights 57 F-PRO 18" rims with a dish a few inches deep and the stance the Kazama kit creates, he can feel satisfied that when he blasts past, everyone will look.

Not satisfied with the street appeal to get attention, Ben got his car featured on the cover of J-tuner(May06) and enjoyed a seven page feature in Redline (July06).

With a car being enjoyed to this level, who knows what will come next! In Japan? Touge no Mao!

Without a website to point at I am listing a few specs here.

Body: Kazama 8-piece wide-body kit incl. Kazama front canards and original FRP undertray
RE Amemiya Diffuser and C-West GT II Carbon rear wing
Engine: APEXi FMIC and ECU, HKS TA-45 single turbo with HKS 50mm wastegate and Blitz NUR SPEC-R exhaust.
Footwork: Zeal Function Coi-lovers, Gram Lights 57 F-PRO 18", Brakes standard but painted red with Endless CC-X pads
Interior: Recaro carbon kevlar seats, Mazdaspeed carbon dash kit and Feed carbon scuff plates
Etc Etc .... and he is not finshed yet.

Russ.

Fooboy's FD3s

Aaron Foo from www.fooboy.net is an Aussie guy with a similar passion for the rotating keg engine. His experience with his beast has been a long one, shared by his brother. Like most FD owners they know all to well the trappings of fd ownership.

As with most tuned Rx-7s the eventual full rebuild is usually the ideal time to upgrade componentry. Aaron opted to install a free flowing full exhaust, FMIC with custom piping and replaced the twin turbos for higher flowing 99 spec items. I supplied apex seals, Apex-i dual air intake and an Apex-i Power FC for him from Japan to aid the transformation. The only non- mazda external item is a carbon bonnet which still copies the Mazdaspeed design and works well with the Mazdaspeed Touring B-Spec theme.

As with Newwera's car the retention of the original lines are highlighted and not overstated. Gold 17" Mazdaspeed rims developed by RAYS and carbon contrasts on the black paintwork go relatively un-noticed and the sleeper mode definately hides the big power gains of Aaron's car.

The tuning philospy is simple. Keep the car looking normal, but hold on if your in the passenger seat. Aaron's a keen photographer, so visit his site for full images, including his shoot with the lovely Kate.

Russ.

Newera's FD3s

You would be hard pressed to find a better example of an FD3s Rx-7 than Miguel's from Newera imports. This car reflects the design that mazda intended with relatively unspoiled lines free of FRP. There are just enough carbon touches to let you know something is up.

Every aspect of this vehicle has been upgraded to the best possible componets. I wont list them all here, but suffice to say its had a total overhaul. The main recent additions are the red bride carbon backed seats and the knight sports single turbo conversion. Over the years Miguel has spent a fortune and he says he will never sell it. Its just too good.

Frequenting Japans C1, this beast punches above its weight and really is street tuned to perfection. Loads of grip coutesy of Nishiki tuned bilstein suspension allows the S-tyres to hold onto the road. Just when you think your at the limit you have to wait a bit more as your expected limit is breached and a new one is set. Brakes are brembo for the other killer blow of awesome stopping power.

An alround performer with some creature comforts inside. Just dont accept offers to ride for 3 hours in the back. The 2 mini rear seats aren't really meant for that.

RE-Xtreme Model

Russ.