Apologies if I begin this publish off on a barely unfavourable word, however figuring out what 7’s Day (7/7) was like in Japan, it’s onerous to not be involved on the lack of members that turned as much as the official unofficial Daikoku PA get-together this previous weekend.
Whereas it has been a bit quieter in recent times, the low turnout on Sunday late afternoon/early night could possibly be attributed to the annual 7’s Day occasion held at Mobara Circuit, which fell on 7/7 this 12 months. Most house owners who attended would have skipped dropping by Daikoku PA on the way in which dwelling, having already obtained their 7’s Day repair forward of a brand new working week.
However regardless of the cause for the smaller affair, what began as a sluggish and chilled gathering did, fortunately, brighten up because the night was evening.
July 7 has without end marked the celebration of one among Japan’s most revered efficiency automobile fashions. The Mazda RX-7 in all its generations is beloved by fans throughout the globe, and for good cause – these are wonderful sports activities vehicles with distinctive – and extremely tuneable – rotary engines.
The Mazda rotary engine, and subsequently fashions just like the RX-7 may need been out of manufacturing for some time now, however as house owners preserve refining, restoring, and tuning their vehicles, this scene is just getting higher.
7’s Day is not only for RX-7s; all Mazda rotaries be a part of within the celebrations. The one Cosmo I noticed was this pristine 12A-powered HB coupe with iconic early-’80s pop-up lights. I like this stuff a lot, but when I had to decide on a favorite Cosmo, it might be the rounder JC variant (1990-1996), accessible with a 20B three-rotor engine.
I obtained to trip on this Veilside Fortune FD3S RX-7, which was a little bit of a blast from the previous as I shot the film vehicles Veilside constructed for The Quick and the Livid: Tokyo Drift again within the day. If you happen to go to Tokyo, you possibly can lease this automobile, which is fairly cool.
Because it obtained darker, extra vehicles arrived, which saved the day for me.
This FD3S, rolling on iconic Mazdaspeed MS-02 wheels (by RAYS), is a 7’s Day common.
As is the case each time July 7 rolls round at Daikoku PA, I find yourself falling for these vehicles.
If you happen to don’t come away from an evening like this excited about shopping for an RX-7 – and envisioning what you’d do to the aesthetics and engine – are you even an actual fanatic?
That leads me to this query: If you happen to had an RX-7, how would you method it? Preserve it inventory or easy? Mild mods? Heavy mods? Or maybe a full RE Amemiya conversion?
The largest shock was seeing Automotive Store Glow’s ‘GT race automobile for the road’ FD3S RX-7, which we first noticed at Wekfest Japan 2024 a number of months again. This automobile jogs my memory of the Revolution time assault FD3S from a decade in the past, however designed to be pushed on public roads. Toby has shot a function on this beast, so keep tuned for that.
Because the time got here to go away, quite a lot of different vehicles started rolling into the parking space, which might have made the numerous vacationers who arrived in tour vans glad I’m positive. There isn’t any higher place to style genuine Japanese automobile tradition than Daikoku PA – even on 7/7 Sunday with an RX-7 turnout smaller than you’d hope for.
Dino Dalle Carbonare
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