UK Scene

The UK Scene is still in its infacy but its begining to thrive on low priced imports that are flooding the market free of restriction. Not uncommon for a 2500 pound car to be found screaming for the attention of a HUGE turbo addition.

Breaking free from the Super touring 2.0litre phenomenon that previously embraced Brittan, the abundance of horsepower is becomming addictive. The move to host the rotorstock event is also increasing the profile of the rotary which has really grown in the last three years. Add D1UK to the mix and we are beginning to see a really good mix of street, show, drag, drift and race cars that all get driven.

Regular london runs, track days and heaps of "pub" meets all see these cars being used and abused. I cannot write from in country experience, but through regular appearance on www.mazdarotaryclub.com you can really gain a fantastic insight into the owners and the things they get up to in the UK. A great bunch of guys that all enjoy the technical challenge and enjoyment of Fd ownership.

We all came fom the convicts. Does that make me English?

Russ

USA Scene

Carbon and Chrome, this is the USA. Big power and bling, silicon valley and silicon implants. the tuning world of steriods and surgery where anything goes and freedom of expression rules.

3rotors on the road. Options by Pettit racing produce probably the ultimate road going seven. with 500hp and bags of torque on tap you can take on any corvette you like. As long as you can put up with the ugly rear fenders it could be a real option. Peter farrel has also been around for a while and his accomplishments on the Pikes Peak hill climb take the FD to new territory. I guess for a while now the Americans have been shoving small V8's and adding Cubic inches to the rotary. I guess its in their blood.

The tuning scene throws fuel costs to the weeds and big power rules the day, any way you can get it. With little Turbo experience, like in Austrlaia with it's v8 heritage, these modifications seemed warranted. But these days as D1 places a heavy influence, as well as the tokyo drift experience. Somehow the Veilside FD will seem right at home in America. Wild custom lines that show no trace of the original machine underneath sits well with the American culture of making the FD their own. As more and more companies provide rip off copies of Japanese originals maybe the scene will change but if bigger is better, you can't get more that a big, fat wide body FD with a boat load of power. I love it.

Russ.

Japan Scene

The Japanese tuning culture is one where the influence of the street cannot be ignored. Little regulation in the early 80's and 90's paved the way for street racing and the creation of more than one Japanese race driver. Couple this with a huge population and many car owners wanting to be original, the Japanese Domestic Market or JDM created small, powerful cars that drivers could enjoy on the streets. When Ama-san transplanted a rotary into a kei car, he started to battle Porsche 930 Turbo's on the tomei expressway, truely the stuff of legends.

When the government imposed its so called 280hp limit, manufacturers produced vehicles that easily achived this limit. These cars, including the FD rx7, formed a great starting point for tuning. With stock vehicles having so much useable power, and without requiring big heavy V8's, the turbo culture became king and the TwinTurbo FD was seen right at the top with the Twin Turbo GTR. Tuning houses simply removed the 180kph limiters and went ballistic.

These days as regulations increase, the new cars of the 00's are a little less exciting. The Rx8 simply doesnt have the punch of a good 15 year old FD. Although chassis technology has improved, the FD is still a weapon in the hands of a good driver. RWD is not a massive disadvantage for the Rx7 that can hold great mid corner speeds.

So from a street tuning culture where Semi-Slick S-tyres for the street are almost mandatory, and a mountain based Drift culture combine with the Mountain monsters of the Touge. you get something quite special.

More and more, its the circuit that's remaining as the only real option for fast driving, so tuning also seems to be heading in that direction. But until they kick em off the streets, I'll see you on the C1 Shutoko.

Russ.

OZ Scene

The Austrlaian tuning scene and the show scene are almost one in the same. With limited numbers of cars on the road and the extremely high price of FD Rx-7s, the rotary scene has merged into a street cruise, drag, show culture with very little emphasis on driving. Finding a JDM style FD in Australia is like looking for a perfect woman. The police are everywhere and it basically means you polish your car and cruise around. Proving you have 400hp is done from a single set of lights to the next. That's it, but it is slowly changing.

So what are the good parts of the OZ scene. Well FD's still have a legendary status since the Bathurst 24hr wins and the SP special editions that conquered there. They are unavailable for cheap import which keeps re-sale high and as we all know an FD is an awesome machine. These cars are quick. Huge Turbonetics turbines and FMIC setups fueled by the mighty Aussie Microtech ECU. Thats about your only option. Choice is something we don't have but what we got aint bad. Exhaust tuning is always custom with most stainless mandrel bend systems reaping huge power gains. You will always find a flexible joint and a cat on an Aussie exhaust system. They just make sense.

The show influence brings 19 and 20inch rims on most examples and suspension is always LoW. Bodywork is usually near stock but perfect paint is a big expense. The cost of importing parts is restrictive with a front bar from Japan costing around $2000aud. Interior re-trimming in tan leather is almost compulsory but does look and feel awesome. Older cars like the Rx3 enjoy monster status down under and they are simply tuned the same way. 9, 10 or 11 seconds over the quarter is not unusual for a rotary streeter. Beware.

If cruising and drag racing is for you, then Australia is the place to be.