A little bit of rotary history.....pics!!
08-23-06 | 10:20 PM
#1
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From: Kitchener Ontario Canada
A little bit of rotary history.....pics!!
I got talking to a guy a couple months ago about his FB he had....cant really remember what he needed or what he was looking for, but we got talking about rotaries and how cool they are (of course) lol.
He told me he had a small rotary collection and invited me to come check all the stuff he had, so of course I went to visit him soon after with camera in hand.
So it turns out he has one of the best and probably the rarest rotary collections I have ever seen.
1st up he has a very clean and all original 93 FD black on black leather that he doesn't drive too much. No pics of it cause I forgot lol.
He also has an early 80's FB that he completely customized, chopped the top off, welded the doors shut, widebody, rollcage, flat black....it's an awesome looking car and goes like hell too. He said it weighed in at around 1900lbs with him in it!
Now for the crazy rare stuff.
1975 Suzuki RE5 streetbike! 500cc single rotor liquid cooled. He says the bike is very warm to ride just from the heat the engine produces. It actually has a vent on the exhaust to cool it down!
Now as if that wasn't cool enough....he also has an original Mazda Factory Comp 13B PP engine attached to a Hewland trans in his Vintage mid 70's race car that he completely built from scratch!
The car itself is a work of art. 15" wide slicks in the rear
This car/engine hasn't run in nearly 20 years and last raced in 1986. He just got it running this year with the downdraft Webber carb.
He does still have the factory mechanical fuel injection pump and slider throttle body intake that is UBER rare, but he told me its hard to setup correctly.
the motor made 320HP with the mechanical fuel injection and makes 290HP with the Webber carb.
He plans on having the car running and racing it next year in the Vintage class at Mosport and Talladega Speedway in NY.
And just when I thought I had enough rotary goodness in one day, he pulls out a Sachs chainsaw that had a 50cc single rotor engine in it. (no pics cause the camera died
)
He told me he really likes rare and different things and obviously it shows, he really liked the fact that I was driving a RHD FC, one of the things he has never seen before
He told me he had a small rotary collection and invited me to come check all the stuff he had, so of course I went to visit him soon after with camera in hand.
So it turns out he has one of the best and probably the rarest rotary collections I have ever seen.
1st up he has a very clean and all original 93 FD black on black leather that he doesn't drive too much. No pics of it cause I forgot lol.
He also has an early 80's FB that he completely customized, chopped the top off, welded the doors shut, widebody, rollcage, flat black....it's an awesome looking car and goes like hell too. He said it weighed in at around 1900lbs with him in it!
Now for the crazy rare stuff.
1975 Suzuki RE5 streetbike! 500cc single rotor liquid cooled. He says the bike is very warm to ride just from the heat the engine produces. It actually has a vent on the exhaust to cool it down!
Now as if that wasn't cool enough....he also has an original Mazda Factory Comp 13B PP engine attached to a Hewland trans in his Vintage mid 70's race car that he completely built from scratch!
The car itself is a work of art. 15" wide slicks in the rear
This car/engine hasn't run in nearly 20 years and last raced in 1986. He just got it running this year with the downdraft Webber carb.
He does still have the factory mechanical fuel injection pump and slider throttle body intake that is UBER rare, but he told me its hard to setup correctly.
the motor made 320HP with the mechanical fuel injection and makes 290HP with the Webber carb.
He plans on having the car running and racing it next year in the Vintage class at Mosport and Talladega Speedway in NY.
And just when I thought I had enough rotary goodness in one day, he pulls out a Sachs chainsaw that had a 50cc single rotor engine in it. (no pics cause the camera died
)He told me he really likes rare and different things and obviously it shows, he really liked the fact that I was driving a RHD FC, one of the things he has never seen before
08-23-06 | 11:41 PM
#4
Full Member
Joined: May 2005
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From: Alberta, Canada
I saw a couple rotary powered bikes at the Calgary motorcycle show in 2004 or 2005. It was neat. My pictures didn't turn out though. If I recall correctly it only had one spark plug instead of two.
08-24-06 | 03:17 AM
#6
where the hell do you find these people!
the stuff you do always amazes me joe, that's quite a collection.
his FD isn't /quite/ original if it's black on black leather, as that's an impossible-to-order color combination in 1993.
that racecar looks like a goddamn rocket, 290HP and 15" slicks on an obviously VERY light package. Is that thing all aluminum?
the stuff you do always amazes me joe, that's quite a collection.
his FD isn't /quite/ original if it's black on black leather, as that's an impossible-to-order color combination in 1993.
that racecar looks like a goddamn rocket, 290HP and 15" slicks on an obviously VERY light package. Is that thing all aluminum?
08-24-06 | 09:49 AM
#7
Rotary Freak
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,199
Likes: 9
From: Oakville, Ontario
Now I Know I'm Old
The line, the car hasn't run in 20 years really hit me..... I was at the races when Sean ran the car in regionals and the odd Can Am race back in the '80s. I was racing my 1973 Capri in Solo 1 back then. In fact in a stack of pictures I have on my desk, right now, there is a picture of the car at a Can Am race back in 85 (I think).
If I recall correctly, which the advancing Alzhiemers is affecting, the car started as a Formula Atlantic March 79B and Sean converted it to a Can Am car after the collapse of the championship. He finished the Can Am car just in time to have the Can Am series fail and he ended up with a car that had no place to race. The really cool thing was that he used to run the car unmuffled at times and I thought it was ear-splitting then and started my dislike for really load rotaries. Sorta like the line in the song "I'm an adult now", "I really like to play, but I really can't stand the racket".
Oh well, roll out the wheel chair..... LOL.
Eric
If I recall correctly, which the advancing Alzhiemers is affecting, the car started as a Formula Atlantic March 79B and Sean converted it to a Can Am car after the collapse of the championship. He finished the Can Am car just in time to have the Can Am series fail and he ended up with a car that had no place to race. The really cool thing was that he used to run the car unmuffled at times and I thought it was ear-splitting then and started my dislike for really load rotaries. Sorta like the line in the song "I'm an adult now", "I really like to play, but I really can't stand the racket".
Oh well, roll out the wheel chair..... LOL.
Eric
Last edited by 23Racer; 08-24-06 at 09:54 AM.
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08-24-06 | 10:11 AM
#8
damb.....I need a rotary powered bike...and chain saw!!
A friend of my uncle's up north is a HUGE snowmobile freak, he had a single rotor snowmobile engine sitting in his garage....it had a pull start, Im thinking - wicked, when that thing floods I can start my work-out reigment!! haha
Nice stuff.....it makes me feel like not so much of a geek!!
A friend of my uncle's up north is a HUGE snowmobile freak, he had a single rotor snowmobile engine sitting in his garage....it had a pull start, Im thinking - wicked, when that thing floods I can start my work-out reigment!! haha
Nice stuff.....it makes me feel like not so much of a geek!!
08-24-06 | 10:51 AM
#9
Originally Posted by Terrh
his FD isn't /quite/ original if it's black on black leather, as that's an impossible-to-order color combination in 1993.
08-24-06 | 12:45 PM
#11
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From: Kitchener Ontario Canada
LOL yeah....I dont have any idea where you get that info from Terrh ????
I've seen a few 93's that are black on black, including this guys.
pd_day - you must have been the guy he was telling me about, he said someone came up from the GTA just a few days before I was there. He did show me his FB, thats the one I was talking about above^
I cant wait to see the Can Am car at Mosport next year!
I've seen a few 93's that are black on black, including this guys.
pd_day - you must have been the guy he was telling me about, he said someone came up from the GTA just a few days before I was there. He did show me his FB, thats the one I was talking about above^
I cant wait to see the Can Am car at Mosport next year!
08-24-06 | 06:29 PM
#12
Windsor, Ont
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 1,175
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From: Windsor, Ont
according to the 3rd gen RX-7 FAQ black on black leather was not a possible option!
i guess it's wrong.
(I found it here: http://www.k-rad.com/3genfaq)
(terrh posting from compubob's computer)
i guess it's wrong.
(I found it here: http://www.k-rad.com/3genfaq)
(terrh posting from compubob's computer)
08-24-06 | 07:28 PM
#13
Eats, Sleeps, Dreams Rotary
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From: Aurora, Ontario, Canada
that is very odd... must be an American thing.
As far as I know all Canadian 3rd gens that came in black had interiors that were black. Cloth for base models and leather for touring, PEP, etc.
I guess the Americans would always get the black on tan leather as the only option...
Lates,
As far as I know all Canadian 3rd gens that came in black had interiors that were black. Cloth for base models and leather for touring, PEP, etc.
I guess the Americans would always get the black on tan leather as the only option...
Lates,
08-25-06 | 07:22 PM
#14
interesting link to an old ad of some sort for the RE-5
More RE-5 related videos will come up in the list when you click the links in the thread too...
https://www.rx7club.com/rx-7-audio-visual-lounge-143/suzuki-re-5-rotary-motorcyle-571872/
More RE-5 related videos will come up in the list when you click the links in the thread too...
https://www.rx7club.com/rx-7-audio-visual-lounge-143/suzuki-re-5-rotary-motorcyle-571872/
08-26-06 | 01:04 PM
#15
RotorHead
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 182
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From: Guelph
Great Find Joe
Always a bonus to come across rare cars and bikes. More rare to find them in a Rotary flavour. I recently discovered they use even smaller versions of Rotaries in R/C Airplanes. Hope to get my hands on one sometime in the future to try out in one of my Models.
Thanks for sharing Joe.
Ace IIB
Thanks for sharing Joe.
Ace IIB
08-26-06 | 01:35 PM
#16
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From: Alberta, Canada
The model comment reminded me about a project being worked on at U. C. Berkeley to build very tiny rotary engines to produce electrical power. There are some very interesting pictures in the thread https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=366920
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