Mods
ZERO\r
https://www.flickr.com/photos/182151616@N07/albums/72157709207097291
https://www.flickr.com/photos/182151616@N07/albums/72157709207097291
Build story
This car was originally purchased from the Canterbury Mazda dealer Amuri in 1983. It was owned and driven by one woman until her husband passed away and she went into a rest-home. The car was then given to her son whose wife drove the car. As it was always kept in a garage\r
under cover, this is evident by the condition of the original paint and interior.\r
This RX7 attracted a lot of attention from local enthusiasts and as a result the owner would get followed home and questioned fervently about the car. For this reason, the family considered the car to be a security\r
risk and decided to sell it at Turners auction in 2013, the car at this point being in the family for 30 Years.\r
The car was then purchased in October 2013 by an Auckland dealership and remained in storage for a further 5 years. The car was brought to my attention by my son whilst while viewing another car which the dealer\r
advertised. The vehicle was sitting with other cars covered in dust.\r
Upon First glance I noticed the car had a black number plate and was missing the front bonnet rear view side mirrors, typical on JDM imports. A quick Car jam confirmed this was a NZ new car.\r
It was not originally for sale, however after several months of pleading and negotiation the car managed to find a new home. The dealer was scarred from the last time he sold a rotary, it had raised exponentially in\r
value. Since owning the car, it has had all mechanical items checked and the exterior and interior have been cleaned and treated to ensure another 35 years of use. The engine has never had to be rebuilt the factory\r
air pump and air-conditioning remain on the car and are in working order along with the Clarion Factory radio and cassette deck.\r
Only the tyre and battery have had to be replaced. The RX7 is driven regularly and still drives like a new car.\r
\r
Driving a 1983 RX7 Today\r
Since the purchase of the car there has been a surge of interest for this model of RX7 Series 1, partly due to the 40 Year anniversary and the demand for both early 1980 and 1990 Japanese sports cars. In New Zealand these are a much-loved car, especially among enthusiasts who could take a relatively cheap car and modify them to provide the rotary experience. This car being both New Zealand new and unmodified is a real head-turner at any car event or when driving on the road. People constantly stop me to ask questions and admire it for is originality and condition. It has been this has been appraised to be one of the best surviving cars worldwide. This is made rarer by its New Zealand-new status and makes it a worthy candidate for the Ellerslie Classic Car Show survivor class. This car is a tribute to the original owner and the care and attention they would have given it as well as never being modifed or restored and still be in this original condition.\r
\r
2020 Valuation report\r
The Mazda RX-7 is commonly known as the SA22C from the first part of the vehicle identification. The car was introduced in Japan in March 1978 to replace the Savanna RX-3 and initially, most production was retained for Japanese domestic sale. This example is a Series 2 car, also referred to as an “FB” which was offered from 1981-1983. This car differed slightly from the original version with changes having been made to areas such as the bumpers, side-moldings, taillights and some engine components. A 5-x speed manual transmission replaced the Series 1s 4-x speed gearbox.\r
These cars have a dedicated following among Japanese Classic enthusiasts and their value is now starting to climb. This particular car impresses mainly due to its outstanding original condition and relatively low kms. After an initial normal use period, the car has barely covered any distance at all and so it remains virtually in showroom condition.\r
The body is painted in an attractive shade of silver and the paint work looks to be in good condition. The body panels all appear to fit well and the gaps and shut lines are all perfectly acceptable. All glass looks to be in good condition as does the correctly placed badging. All the bright works also looks to be correct and in good condition. The car runs on the polished RX-7 13” alloy wheels that were fitted as standard at the time.\r
From what I can see, the interior is very tidy and the light brown colouring compliments the exterior of the car. The seat panels and bolsters all look to be in good condition with no sign of wear or damage. The carpets, door cards and hood lining are also all in excellent condition.\r
The stock dash and dash-top looks to be free of damage and the standard instrumentation appears clear and unmarked. A standard radio remains in place as does the 4-x spoke original steering wheel. The centre console and the 5-x speed gear lever also appear to be very tidy with no visible signs of wear or damage.\r
The car retains the standard 1146cc 12A Rotary engine which I am advised performs well as does the 5-speed manual transmission.\r
The big factor, however, is that the car looks to be absolutely unmolested and having relatively low kms and being a NZ new car, it remains in outstanding original condition. As noted earlier, these early Japanese classics are now starting to climb in value with most Mazda rotary models now reaching new heights.\r
There are usually a number of these cars being offered for sale but few as original as this example.
under cover, this is evident by the condition of the original paint and interior.\r
This RX7 attracted a lot of attention from local enthusiasts and as a result the owner would get followed home and questioned fervently about the car. For this reason, the family considered the car to be a security\r
risk and decided to sell it at Turners auction in 2013, the car at this point being in the family for 30 Years.\r
The car was then purchased in October 2013 by an Auckland dealership and remained in storage for a further 5 years. The car was brought to my attention by my son whilst while viewing another car which the dealer\r
advertised. The vehicle was sitting with other cars covered in dust.\r
Upon First glance I noticed the car had a black number plate and was missing the front bonnet rear view side mirrors, typical on JDM imports. A quick Car jam confirmed this was a NZ new car.\r
It was not originally for sale, however after several months of pleading and negotiation the car managed to find a new home. The dealer was scarred from the last time he sold a rotary, it had raised exponentially in\r
value. Since owning the car, it has had all mechanical items checked and the exterior and interior have been cleaned and treated to ensure another 35 years of use. The engine has never had to be rebuilt the factory\r
air pump and air-conditioning remain on the car and are in working order along with the Clarion Factory radio and cassette deck.\r
Only the tyre and battery have had to be replaced. The RX7 is driven regularly and still drives like a new car.\r
\r
Driving a 1983 RX7 Today\r
Since the purchase of the car there has been a surge of interest for this model of RX7 Series 1, partly due to the 40 Year anniversary and the demand for both early 1980 and 1990 Japanese sports cars. In New Zealand these are a much-loved car, especially among enthusiasts who could take a relatively cheap car and modify them to provide the rotary experience. This car being both New Zealand new and unmodified is a real head-turner at any car event or when driving on the road. People constantly stop me to ask questions and admire it for is originality and condition. It has been this has been appraised to be one of the best surviving cars worldwide. This is made rarer by its New Zealand-new status and makes it a worthy candidate for the Ellerslie Classic Car Show survivor class. This car is a tribute to the original owner and the care and attention they would have given it as well as never being modifed or restored and still be in this original condition.\r
\r
2020 Valuation report\r
The Mazda RX-7 is commonly known as the SA22C from the first part of the vehicle identification. The car was introduced in Japan in March 1978 to replace the Savanna RX-3 and initially, most production was retained for Japanese domestic sale. This example is a Series 2 car, also referred to as an “FB” which was offered from 1981-1983. This car differed slightly from the original version with changes having been made to areas such as the bumpers, side-moldings, taillights and some engine components. A 5-x speed manual transmission replaced the Series 1s 4-x speed gearbox.\r
These cars have a dedicated following among Japanese Classic enthusiasts and their value is now starting to climb. This particular car impresses mainly due to its outstanding original condition and relatively low kms. After an initial normal use period, the car has barely covered any distance at all and so it remains virtually in showroom condition.\r
The body is painted in an attractive shade of silver and the paint work looks to be in good condition. The body panels all appear to fit well and the gaps and shut lines are all perfectly acceptable. All glass looks to be in good condition as does the correctly placed badging. All the bright works also looks to be correct and in good condition. The car runs on the polished RX-7 13” alloy wheels that were fitted as standard at the time.\r
From what I can see, the interior is very tidy and the light brown colouring compliments the exterior of the car. The seat panels and bolsters all look to be in good condition with no sign of wear or damage. The carpets, door cards and hood lining are also all in excellent condition.\r
The stock dash and dash-top looks to be free of damage and the standard instrumentation appears clear and unmarked. A standard radio remains in place as does the 4-x spoke original steering wheel. The centre console and the 5-x speed gear lever also appear to be very tidy with no visible signs of wear or damage.\r
The car retains the standard 1146cc 12A Rotary engine which I am advised performs well as does the 5-speed manual transmission.\r
The big factor, however, is that the car looks to be absolutely unmolested and having relatively low kms and being a NZ new car, it remains in outstanding original condition. As noted earlier, these early Japanese classics are now starting to climb in value with most Mazda rotary models now reaching new heights.\r
There are usually a number of these cars being offered for sale but few as original as this example.