Back to the '90s! Totally ORIGINAL Mazda RX-7 FD Retro Review | Henry Catchpole - The Driver's Seat

In the latest episode of The Driver’s Seat with Henry Catchpole, we immerse ourselves in the world of the FD (third) generation Mazda RX-7. Henry gets behind the wheel of a very rare, completely original RX-7 that was delivered to the UK 30 years ago. Since then it has done less than 30,000 miles!

To get himself in the ‘90s mood, Catchpole starts at the fabulous Pixel Bunker in Milton Keynes to play some original arcade driving games, such as Ridge Racer. Then it’s a midnight drive to find an even rarer RX-7 - one with a Liberty Walk body kit. The famous Japanese company, founded by Wataru Kato in the mid ’90s, has gained a huge worldwide following, but this is the first Liberty Walk RX-7 in Europe. It looks spectacular with its front end (and livery) that is very reminiscent of a Porsche 935.

Back to the standard car; Catchpole investigates the chassis dynamics and Wankel Rotary engine, both of which prove surprising in their very modern feel. The turbocharged 13B-REW rotary engine is a particular surprise after the much thinner delivery of the more modern but naturally-aspirated RX-8.

The final piece of the jigsaw was to immerse the stock RX-7 in some broader Japanese car culture and there was no better place than at one of Caffeine and Machine’s Daikoku evenings. Held at both The Hill and The Bowl venues they are always well attended and the sheer variety of machinery that turns up is extraordinary. A little bit of a Tokyo parking lot in middle England!

We hope you enjoy this film. Thank you very much to everyone that helped make it happen. If you’d like to support the show then please do share it with friends and think about clicking on this link to learn more about the Hagerty Drivers Club - it would be hugely appreciated: https://www.hagerty.com/drivers-club/

Presented in collaboration with Mobil 1.


The Pixel Bunker: https://www.thepixelbunker.com

Caffeine and Machine: https://caffeineandmachine.com

Liberty Walk EU: https://libertywalk-eu.com

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