Soooo I have a mystery that I need help solving.

I am a painter who works on some high end places, and some of those high end places have some really cool cars. So I open the garage to the house im at and im greeted by an early 80's (1982 to be exact) rx-7.

The strange thing is that this rx-7 is a convertible? I was under the impression that convertible rx-7's werent available until the second gen's were released in 1988? The homeowner said that only seven of these are in Canada. I didnt have much time to talk with her about it, and beyone the basics she actually doesnt know much about the car.

Is this a limited run of the rx-7? Am i wrong about the convertible thing and they actually released them and i was unaware? Is it a custom job?

Help! I figured this forum would be a good place to start.....

 

No 1st gen came from the factory as a convertible. This was an aftermarket conversion. That's all I know but I'm sure others can provide more info.

 

they did not come like that from the factory. it is a factory conversion ,there was a company out of Florida that did the conversions. I can't remember the name of them right now

 

So she is looking to sell it. What could she expect to get? The car is in great shape, 140,000km. Im sure this conversion drops the price right?

 

The well known conversions were done by Pacific Avatar.

 

that's it ,I couldn't think of the name

 

yup .... aftermarket company ... like Calloway=Vettes ... Saleen-Mustang ... Shelby- al kinds of things over the years

but if the guy were interested in selling there are those that would pony up some
$$

 

Here is a 79 that sold on ebay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/171448387527?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

Theres a chopped and stripped one of these that runs laps at Mid-Ohio quite often. I dont think its occurred to them how rare the rx7 they cut up was.

 

Thanks for all the quick replies guys, now here is where it gets strange.....

I finally got to talk to the homeowner today about it and she is saying that this car came straight from Mazda like this. She says that Mazda produced 7 of them.

Judging by the pictures ive seen of the Pacific Avatar conversions they look different than whats going on here....

 

Pacific Avatar conversions had a trunk. They lifted the trunk lid from the then current Mazda 626 and modified the car so that it had a locking trunk compartment. Thus eliminating the hatch. Ive never seen a convertible first gen like this, the hatch area is still there, its just holding the convertible top. More pics from the rear if possible, and a pic with the top up. See if the top somehow buttons down to the door.

The only way to prove it was a factory built convertible would be any documentation the car might have in the glove box. Ive never heard of Mazda building a convertible first gen, and if they built 7 of them I doubt they would have sold all of them to the public, and its doubtful all of them would have ended up in Canada. Its most likely this was done by a company based in Canada. Also the buttons down the door remind me of the early Miatas equipped with a cockpit cover option. Although they didnt have buttons in the doors sheet metal.

 

Yup, Pacific Avatar were probablly the most well known and celebrated conversion companies, but there were other chops that were done by places with varying amounts of engineering and workmanship. Today, I think only the Avatar's stand a chance of being considered worth more (compared to a normal Rx-7) and thats only if they are still in good condition, which is rare. The factory NEVER released one untill later. The Owner is talking of things they do not correctly know. Someone else probablly told them that and now its gospel.

There probablly is that buyer out there that may be lusting over a 1st Gen converted convertable but he's a needle in a haystack full of buyers who tpyically don't pay a lot for these cars in general. This car looks to me like it has parts from different cars and years sprinkled arounnd the interior not to mention the frankenstein stitching on top of the headrests. Aesthetics aside, how it runs and drives and what problems it may have that need fixing might more than offset the fact that its a drop top.

Everything being equal, I'd base its value off a comparable condition non-converted 82. Maybe factor in a few hundred more if you're really Ga Ga that its topless. This probablly won't be anyones daily driver but another thing one might want to consider is that chassis rigidity and fit & finish will mean a lot when it comes to how well the conversion seals out rain and moisture. Handling would be another area I'd want to look at before plunking down any serious money. Documentation of who performed the conversion might be of some value too.

 

The homeowners are the original owners of the car. It was bought at a Mazda dealership in Toronto in 1982. As far as i know it doesnt actually have a soft top. Moreso a cover that comes across the cabin. I will post more pics soon. Im working right now but when i get a chance ill take more.

Leave a message of certain areas i should take pics of.

 

Look under the leather cover over the hatch area. There should be a frame and top under there. If there isnt then the car is little more than a first gen with the roof chopped off. It would cost a fortune, and/or be an engineering nightmare to build a top frame for this car. If there is no top I wouldnt even consider buying the car myself. I wouldnt pay above whatever acceptable retail is in your area for a nice '82 if it does have a top. Even then as Banzai stated, without knowing who did the conversion I would be concerned over chassis rigidity. See how easy it is to open and close the doors before even making an offer lol

 

Oh i wasnt looking to make an offer haha. Im 6'9" so its just a bit on the small side for me. I was just curious about it since id never seen a 1st gen convertible.

 

So it's not properly a convertible, it's a "roadster with a tonneau."

I would guess it was a conversion done by/for the Mazda dealer they bought it from, not by "Mazda". Dealerships are not generally owned by the manufacturer (in fact, most places in the US they cannot be by law - don't know about Canada) but are franchisees. Some have done very extreme mods in years gone by, either by themselves or in conjunction with a custom shop.

That would explain the owner's insistence that it "came from Mazda" without her having to be misinformed or lying about her one-owner car.

My guess, anyway.