Toward the end of the 70s, faced with increased safety requirements and waning sales, the traditional affordable sports car was facing near extinction. British sports cars were encumbered with grotesque bumpers, Italians were hanging onto whatever marketshare they could, and even the emerging Japanese entries, fueled by the Z Cars, had become bloated and further from the character that defined the segment: light, agile, peppy and fun, whether on a Saturday drive on B roads or a Sunday event at the track. Focus groups seemed to suggest the maturing baby boomer market was no longer interested in these things. Fortunately, Mazda was either too small to hire focus groups or was simply up for flying in the face of convention. In 1978, it introduced a car that not only reversed the trend but captured the Chapman-esque essence of what defined a sports car. This was the RX-7. It was an immediate success with both press and public. Not to ignore market trends however, the third series of the first-gen cars incorporated many of the comfort and luxury elements that appealed to the focus group buyers including leather upholstery, air conditioning and a premium (for the time) sound system. Meanwhile, performance and handling continued to be tweaked with fuel injection and limited slip. These were the GSL-SEs, or five-letter FBs, the ultimate statement of the first generation’s balance of traditional sports car values and modern comfort and convenience. Finding a five-letter RX-7 that hasn’t been abused, whether through mistreatment of its 1.3 litre rotary engine or abomination through bolt-on body kits, roller skate wheels, etc., can be very difficult. Today’s car not has not been abused, but is pristinely original with less than 40,000 miles covered by a single owner. It’s said to have been in climate controlled storage for 20 years, so some careful attention will need to be given to return it to the road, but it is nevertheless a rare opportunity, not only for enthusiasts of the first-gen RX-7, but for anyone who appreciates an ideal when sport was still in sports car. After a global-economy driven slump, they’re now surpassing peak levels around the $10K mark, with investment potential up and to the right. Find it here on Craigslist in Littleton CO with offers being accepted.
