Someone Hid This Mazda RX7 For 43 Years With 1,600 Miles

  • A first-generation Mazda RX-7 with just 1,567 miles on the clock is for sale.
  • The 1982 FB GSL coupe is on the Bring a Trailer auction site with no reserve.
  • Mazda rated the US-spec emissions-choked RX-7 at just 100 hp and 105 lb-ft.

It’s 40 years since Mazda’s first-generation RX-7 bowed out, but you’ll still find plenty for sale with incredibly low mileages. We counted more than half a dozen sub 20k-mile (32,000 km) cars on Bring a Trailer over the past year. But none have seen as little action as this 1,567-mile 2,522 km) beaut.

A 1982 model, it’s what rotary fans know as an FB, meaning its a post-facelift version of the first-generation RX-7 that was sold between 1978 and 1985. And being a GSL it’s the flashiest of the three trims available that year. Standard goodies over the S and GS included four-wheel disc brakes, a limited slip differential, power windows, a Dolby-equipped stereo with an amp, alloy wheels and a steel sunroof.

Related: Mazda Faces One Final Hurdle Before Building A New RX-7

This particular car was delivered new to Dayton, Ohio, and arrived at Eastgate Madza wearing Tornado Silver metallic paint and fitted with air conditioning (a $610 option), bright red leather upholstery ($650) and $355’s worth of three-speed automatic transmission. The total bill came to $13,940, which equates to $46,200 today.

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American-spec RX-7s of this era weren’t exactly musclebound, and the addition of an auto box didn’t help the performance cause. The carb-fed 12A rotary was rated at just 100 hp (101 PS) and 105 lb-ft (142 Nm), and while manual-shift versions could get to 60 mph (97 kmh) in around 9.2 seconds, autos needed another half second. I can’t imagine the LSD gets much of a workout in anything other than black-ice conditions.

But even if isn’t the last word in performance – it was still faster than its Porsche 924 rival in the US – this RX-7 would make going slowly a pleasure. You can imagine cruising to a Radwood show with the air con keeping everything cool as you soak up some admiring glances. The current owner has apparently added 500 miles (805 km) of the 1,567 on the odometer and with some refreshed paint on the bumpers it looks fantastic.

If you want to see all the photos, details, and a few dozen enthusiastic comments, you can check out the full Bring a Trailer listing here.

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Photos Bring a Trailer


The Auto World

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