Today’s Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com is a 1984 Mazda RX-7 GSL-SE located at a dealer in Tampa, Florida.
When most journalists discuss the disruption Japanese manufacturers caused to the affordable sports car market, the two cars that get mentioned are the Datsun 240Z and the Mazda Miata. Both are important cars and together caused people to ignore the offerings from both British and Italian sports car manufacturers. The introduction of these models literally changed the market for cars such as the Alfa Spider and the TR6, making them irrelevant to many people not only as new cars, but also – in the case of the Miata – as collector cars. I mean, after driving a Miata, would you consider an MGB instead? Especially in 1990?
There is a third but equally important car that not only proved the Japanese were in the sports car game for good, but also that they could compete with the British and Italians – and showed Porsche it was time to go back to the drawing board. That car was the Mazda RX-7.
When the RX-7 was introduced in 1979 it, much like the 240Z, took the sports car world by storm. It did everything the Porsche 924 did and did it better, faster and cheaper. It not only did this in the showroom, but also on the racetrack, winning its class in the Daytona 24 in its first outing.
For some reason, likely due to the RX-7 being discontinued, this seems to have been forgotten. This is sad, as the final edition of the RX-7 – the GSL-SE model – performed better, was more reliable, was built as well, and was faster than the base 944. It also offered the same performance as the Porsche 944S, and it did this at a price $10,000 cheaper than the Porsche. The RX-7 GSL-SE specs seem almost laughable today, with its 1.3-liter rotary engine putting out only 135 horsepower and 133 lb-ft of torque, but this was enough to propel the RX-7 from 0-60 in 7.8 seconds and cover the quarter-mile run in 15.9 seconds, which put it in the same league as the more expensive Porsche.
The seller describes this RX-7 as an 80,000-mile example that has had one paint respray in the original color and still has its original interior.
The photos of this RX-7 make me think this is an excellent example of one of these cars. The paint looks fantastic, and even the original alloy wheels look to be in great shape.
The interior looks completely original and is one of the best examples of an RX-7 I have seen in years. The cloth upholstery looks great, the dash shows no cracks, and the door panels have some sun fading on the plastic parts, but this car is one of the few that seems to have been well cared for and preserved. It even still has its stock radio with graphic equalizer.
Under the hood is the same, with a clean engine compartment showing evidence of new cooling lines and such. This car really looks like one someone loved and took good care of – something hard to find in any first-generation RX-7 today.
The best part is the asking price, which – at only $17,500 – puts it on the lower end for a top-specification GSL-SE edition of a first-generation RX-7.
This is a car that would be more than welcome at a RADwood event and also would do well at a concours that features a Japanese sports car class, something we are seeing more and more of these days. It would also be a great car to take on rallies, road trips, and just to drive and enjoy. I guarantee you will see 10 944s for every RX-7 you see, especially in GSL-SE spec, so if you want to stand out at a local show or even a concours, this RX-7 represents an inexpensive way to do so.
So think outside the box and consider this RX-7. It will set you apart from the crowd and attract a lot of attention at the same time, which to me makes the hobby all the more fun and is getting harder and harder to do at this price point.
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