Rotary Legend: How the Mazda RX-7 FD3S Became a JDM Icon

The 1992 Mazda RX-7—a car so pure, so precise, and so utterly intoxicating that it feels more like a love letter to driving than a machine. Known internally as the FD3S, this third-generation RX-7 wasn’t just Mazda flexing its engineering prowess—it was the brand boldly declaring that the rotary engine was far from dead. And oh, what a declaration it was.

Let’s start with the beating heart of this masterpiece: the 13B-REW rotary engine. At just 1.3 liters in displacement, it churned out an astonishing 255 horsepower. Numbers like that put it toe-to-toe with far larger engines from the same era. But this wasn’t just any rotary. This was the first mass-production engine to feature sequential twin turbochargers. The setup was genius: a smaller turbo delivered instant response at low revs, while at higher RPMs, the second turbo kicked in, creating an intoxicating crescendo of power. It’s no wonder Keiichi Tsuchiya, the legendary "Drift King," praised its high-revving, buttery-smooth delivery, calling it an engine that felt alive. The contrast with snarling V8s from America and fire-breathing inline-sixes from Europe couldn’t have been more striking.

And then there was the chassis. Oh, the chassis. Mazda didn’t just build a sports car—they sculpted one. Under the guidance of Yoichi Sato and his team, the RX-7’s aluminum-intensive construction resulted in a weight of just 1,260 kg. Combine that featherweight figure with near-perfect 50:50 weight distribution, rear-wheel drive, and double-wishbone suspension, and you had a car that felt as nimble as a gymnast on Red Bull. It didn’t just go fast; it danced. Professional racer Takaharu "Nobu" Koyama, who piloted RX-7s in endurance events, described the handling as "so intuitive, it feels like it’s reading your mind."

But the RX-7 didn’t just perform; it looked the part too. Designed by Sato, its sleek, curvaceous bodywork made it one of the most beautiful cars of its time. The low-slung stance, pop-up headlights, and wind-carved silhouette turned it into a poster car for an entire generation. It was the JDM icon that inspired countless doodles in high school notebooks and graced the walls of car enthusiasts worldwide.

And we can’t forget its motorsport pedigree. The RX-7 was a titan in endurance racing, winning its class at Le Mans and dominating the IMSA GTU series for over a decade. If you ever find yourself at Mazda’s headquarters in Hiroshima, you’ll see an RX-7 proudly displayed alongside other rotary legends, a testament to its racing heritage. This wasn’t just a road car; it was a machine born and bred to prove Mazda’s rotary obsession on the world stage.