Mazda RX-7 FD3S - Unstoppable

Fueling is down to four 1,000cc/min injectors fed by two Bosch Motorsport pumps, which have no problem draining the tiny racing fuel tank in five laps of the circuit. On top of the Pan Speed radiator and air separator system, engine cooling is helped by a large core Pan Speed oil cooler located in the passenger side of the front bumper. The OS Giken twin-plate clutch has the job of handling all the power and torque the 13B pushes out, but its use is rather limited as full power upshifts are carried out without disengaging the clutch. This is because Pan Speed fitted a Hewland six-speed sequential gearbox-the same unit used on Super GT cars. This had to be custom fitted into the FD3S chassis and required a lot of modifications. It is then down to the OS Giken two-way limited-slip differential, which apportions torque efficiently to the two rear wheels.

This RX-7 project started off with a fully stripped and bare FD3S chassis. A lot of time went into spot welding, but not as much time as was spent in cutting and boxing off specific areas to increase rigidity. The most visible are the front and rear suspension turrets, which were rebuilt allowing Pan Speed to fine-tune its damper mounting points. A great deal of labor went into modifying the transmission tunnel, which needed to accept the Hewland sequential. Once the tunnel was shaped it was layered with carbon fiber to help stiffen that area of the chassis. This is a process we've seen done on Nismo Z-tune cars. It was then on to the rollcage, again custom built and welded into position with additional bracing into the chassis, just like a race car. In fact, there is very little difference in the preparation of this car to a full-out Super GT racer. Once the chassis was finished it was painted in metallic silver to clean things up.

The driving position was pushed back a little to help balance the weight. Next to him the battery assembly was also relocated to create a better balance. The Tanida full bucket seat is joined by a Tanida steering wheel mounted on an extended steering rack with snap off boss. On the center of the wheel the Pan Speed guys fitted the small Motec LCD display onto a piece of carbon fiber-a true race car look. The stock pedals were eliminated and replaced with an adjustable pedal box, which could be tailored to the driver's preferences. The now redundant stock instrument binnacle has been plated off with carbon while the center console has been custom built (yes, with more carbon fiber) and houses all of the necessary switchgear. A fully molded carbon-fiber transmission tunnel was also created, really giving the interior a Super GT feel. From here, the gear lever of the Hewland has been custom fitted and linked, as well as the smaller lever to engage reverse. The racing fuel tank has been located in the trunk area of the interior and has been carefully positioned for the best possible weight distribution.