Marwan Alameddine bought this Mazda RX-7 in 1999 from an auction. The original owner seemed to have neglected the car. "Dents were everywhere," says Marwan, "and the front lip was scraped up like it was used for a snow plow."
The first transformation addressed the issues of overall appearance and bringing the Mazda to the tip-top shape it was in when it rolled out of the dealer's showroom back in the '90s.
After driving the car for a few months Marwan felt it needed to be a bit more personalized; he had a need for speed. A few thousand dollars later the car was dressed up in a full C-West body kit and a set of 17-inch Enkei wheels. Minor mods to the engine squeezed a few more horses out of it.
About a year later Marwan and his Mazda were due for another transformation. He took the car to Pro-Tech Body Shop in Austin, Texas and the body panels started flying off the car. "I had no particular thing in mind," says Marwan, "but the modification itch was too strong. That's when I started the first wide-body project, which is almost half as wide as the one in the pictures. After I finished the first wide-body project, the car blew minds at every turn. It was sitting on 18-inch SSR GT3s and a single turbo conversion was done to boost the horsepower to about 350. I sold the car shortly after to a friend who kept nagging me to sell it to him all the time."
A year and a half later his friend wanted to sell the car. "Naturally I was the first one to jump on the opportunity and bought the car back," says Marwan. "Believe me, it was a great feeling having her back; thank goodness for the boomerang effect. A few months later I had the itch to transform that car again, and I had way more "severe" ideas than ever before. All the body work done before had to be taken off and the car was stripped again. This time a much wider body was on the horizon, a stronger motor and for the first time, interior work.
A full sound system from MTX with four sub woofers and three amps was installed in a custom pod that filled the trunk area and it also had two nitrous bottle pods molded to it. An eclipse DVD player played the music and broadcasted the scenes. Momo steering, shift knob and e-brake handle were installed and a two-tone leather interior too bring the RX-7 to a higher level."
On the exterior, the car was even wider than before and a new set of 19-inch Kinesis were rolling under it. It should be noted that the bodywork included the legendary RE-Amemiya headlight conversion.
The engine bay received a bigger GReddy T78 turbo and a front-mount GReddy intercooler. The engine itself was rebuilt and street ported, fitted with upgraded injectors, an A'pex-i Power FC, boost controller, and a full GReddy exhaust system which Marwan says pushed power output to 440 hp at low boost and 550 hp at high boost.
Marwan relates that his Mazda has peaked and he finds the daily commute truly intoxicating. He was also quick to point out that a "For Sale" sign is definitely not in the RX-7's future.
Pro-tech Body Shop RX-7
Body
C-West Front/Rear Bumper
C-West Side Skirts
Custom Wide-Body Front Fenders (Protech Body Shop)
Custom Wide-Body Rear Quarter Panels
w/ Door Extensions (Protech Body Shop)
RE-Amemiya Headlight Conversion
19" Kinesis Wheels
Engine
Engine Rebuilt with Street Ports
Greddy 20G Single Turbo Kit
Greddy Front Mount Intercooler
Upgraded Injectors
Greddy Boost Controller
A'pex-i Power FC Controller
Greddy Turbo Timer
Full Greddy Exhaust System
Upgraded Fuel Pump
Greddy Gauges: Boost, Air/Fuel, EGT
ACT 6-Puck Clutch
440 HP @ Low Boost, ~ 550 HP @ High Boost
Suspension
Eibach Springs
Tokico Shocks
Interior
Momo Steering Wheel, Shift Knob and E-Brake Handle
Two-Tone Leather Seats
In-Dash Eclipse DVD Player, Additional Screen in Trunk
Four 15" MTX Subs
Three MTX Amps
Custom Pod for the Subs, Amps and Trunk-Mounted Screen
Custom Pods for Two Nitrous Bottles