How Good is the 3rd Gen RX-7? A must read!!
11-10-02 | 08:49 PM
#1
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Garaged
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 650
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From: Central Jersey
How Good is the 3rd Gen RX-7? A must read!!
This was taken off of the PFsupercars.com web site. I found this to be a must read:
The editors at Automobile Magazine were so impressed with the all-new 1993 RX-7 at the recent long-lead press preview that they asked Mazda if they could race one at the $100,000 Consulier Challenge last month. When the dust cleared, the new RX-7's launch got a boost as the potent sports car showed its heels to some of the world's most exotic-and expensive-street machinery.
Consulier, a small south Florida car builder of race cars modified for street use, invited auto enthusiast publications to bring any stock production car of their choice to the historic Sebring (Florida) race track. The challenge: match or beat the lap time of the Consulier's prototype fiberglass race. Automobile editor David E. Davis, Jr. called MMA public relations, who arranged the loan of a pre-production RX-7 model for the event. Along with it came the services of Peter Farrell, the current international Motor Sports Association Firehawk Series driving champion, who had helped MMA organize the RX-7 long-lead press preview.
Other challengers couldn't beat the Consulier - or the RX-7.
"At the long-lead I'd had a lot of chances to drive the RX-7, both on the road and the race track," said Farrell, a former rally racing champion his native New Zealand. "It was an impressive performer, and probably the best-handling car I've ever driven on the street."
"The new RX-7 is lighter, stronger and more powerful than the old one, which was no slouch around the track. It achieves true supercar performance. While I didn't think we could match the
speed of a disguised racecar like the Consulier, I was confident that we'd do well in any match-up with a bonafide street car."
That they did. With Automobile technical editor Barry Winfield supervising and writers from Car and Driver, Motor Trend and AutoWeek looking on during the two-day event, the RX-7 Agile handling and a sequentially twin turbocharged, two-rotor engine helped the RX-7 to record the best lap time among production cars.
Farrell behind the wheel - - bettered the times of a Porsche 911 Turbo, a new Lamborghini Diablo, an Acura NSX, and a host of "unofficial" entries, including a race-modified Corvette and a Ferrari F-40 - - cars that cost two to 10 times as much as the RX-7.
Winfield says he was impressed with the demonstration drive that Farrell gave him around the racetrack, and took a few laps himself to get the feeling of the RX-7's track performance. Farrell also gave demonstration rides to the other writers who attended.
With speed of a disguised racecar like the Consulier, I was confident that we'd do well in any match-up with a bonafide street car."
RX-7 driver Peter Farrell fields questions from Automobile technical editor Barry Winfield.
"Now they really have a sense of just how good this car really is," Farrell said. "It's so easy and undemanding a car to drive on the street that it may be hard at first to grasp just how incredible the car performs. But these writers are fully aware now."
AutoWeek's coverage of the event ran in January on ESPN, while Winfield's story in Automobile and John Phillips' in Car and Driver are expected in March issues, just in time for the 1993 RX-7's appearance in Mazda dealer showrooms across the U.S.
The editors at Automobile Magazine were so impressed with the all-new 1993 RX-7 at the recent long-lead press preview that they asked Mazda if they could race one at the $100,000 Consulier Challenge last month. When the dust cleared, the new RX-7's launch got a boost as the potent sports car showed its heels to some of the world's most exotic-and expensive-street machinery.
Consulier, a small south Florida car builder of race cars modified for street use, invited auto enthusiast publications to bring any stock production car of their choice to the historic Sebring (Florida) race track. The challenge: match or beat the lap time of the Consulier's prototype fiberglass race. Automobile editor David E. Davis, Jr. called MMA public relations, who arranged the loan of a pre-production RX-7 model for the event. Along with it came the services of Peter Farrell, the current international Motor Sports Association Firehawk Series driving champion, who had helped MMA organize the RX-7 long-lead press preview.
Other challengers couldn't beat the Consulier - or the RX-7.
"At the long-lead I'd had a lot of chances to drive the RX-7, both on the road and the race track," said Farrell, a former rally racing champion his native New Zealand. "It was an impressive performer, and probably the best-handling car I've ever driven on the street."
"The new RX-7 is lighter, stronger and more powerful than the old one, which was no slouch around the track. It achieves true supercar performance. While I didn't think we could match the
speed of a disguised racecar like the Consulier, I was confident that we'd do well in any match-up with a bonafide street car."
That they did. With Automobile technical editor Barry Winfield supervising and writers from Car and Driver, Motor Trend and AutoWeek looking on during the two-day event, the RX-7 Agile handling and a sequentially twin turbocharged, two-rotor engine helped the RX-7 to record the best lap time among production cars.
Farrell behind the wheel - - bettered the times of a Porsche 911 Turbo, a new Lamborghini Diablo, an Acura NSX, and a host of "unofficial" entries, including a race-modified Corvette and a Ferrari F-40 - - cars that cost two to 10 times as much as the RX-7.
Winfield says he was impressed with the demonstration drive that Farrell gave him around the racetrack, and took a few laps himself to get the feeling of the RX-7's track performance. Farrell also gave demonstration rides to the other writers who attended.
With speed of a disguised racecar like the Consulier, I was confident that we'd do well in any match-up with a bonafide street car."
RX-7 driver Peter Farrell fields questions from Automobile technical editor Barry Winfield.
"Now they really have a sense of just how good this car really is," Farrell said. "It's so easy and undemanding a car to drive on the street that it may be hard at first to grasp just how incredible the car performs. But these writers are fully aware now."
AutoWeek's coverage of the event ran in January on ESPN, while Winfield's story in Automobile and John Phillips' in Car and Driver are expected in March issues, just in time for the 1993 RX-7's appearance in Mazda dealer showrooms across the U.S.
11-10-02 | 08:54 PM
#2
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Garaged
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 650
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From: Central Jersey
Farrell behind the wheel - - bettered the times of a Porsche 911 Turbo, a new Lamborghini Diablo, an Acura NSX, and a host of "unofficial" entries, including a race-modified Corvette and a Ferrari F-40 - - cars that cost two to 10 times as much as the RX-7.
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