Mazda News: Rumorpile: Mazda RX-7 To Resurrect... In 2017

[William Maley]

William Maley

Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com

October 31, 2012

Some big news coming out of Australia today. Mazda's sports car chief Nobuhiro Yamamoto told The Motor Report that the RX-7 would be making a comeback in 2017, the 50th anniversary of Mazda’s first Wankel-powered vehicle, the Cosmo Sport.

Yamamoto currently favors a naturally-aspirated version Mazda’s 16X rotary, which was introduced back in 2007. The engine is expected to produce 300 HP out of a 1.6L displacement. When asked about using turbochargers to extract more performance, Yamamoto said, "At this time it has not been determined. Maybe later in life it will be turbo, but to start with maybe not."

Yamamoto cites power delivery of the FD RX-7's (previous generation) sequential twin-turbocharger setup wasn't perfect for a sports car. A single turbo setup would bring lag.

As for the what the next RX-7 will ride on, its expected to use a stretched version of the next-generation MX-5 roadster. Combine with a range of weight-saving technologies, including aluminium body panels will help the RX-7 weigh somewhere around 1,250 kg (about 2,756 lbs).

Source: The Motor Report

William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.

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