Consumed is the best way to de-scribe Wayne Lin's mindset when it comes to Mazda's pinnacle of rotary performance, the FD3S RX-7. It all started for the Walnut, Calif., native when he was about 12 years old."My dad used to own a dealership in Taiwan before we moved to the U.S.," Wayne says."I remember the day he took delivery of the first FD; he immediately took me out for a ride.From the sound of the twin-turbo rotary, cool flip-up headlights, and stylish interior to the ultra-low center of gravity and amazing handling ability, I was on overload.
"I couldn't afford one while going to school. But as soon as I landed a decent job and had enough saved up, there was no question that I was going to get myself an FD. Friends always argued with me, 'Why not get an M3 or used 911 instead.' My answer is simple; 'You don't see FDs on every street corner.' To me, FDs, if properly built, are more unique and stylish than most cars you see on the street.They truly authenticate a real car enthusiast.
"My dream wasn't to build a 500-plus horsepower drag machine, but rather an all-around balanced RX-7. By balanced, I mean a car that's enjoyable as a daily driver (in front of the cops), eye catching as a show car, a thrill to drive on the track, capable as an occasional drifter, and most importantly, stone reliable under all of the above situations."
The rotary engine is a real physics bender. It's easy to forget that the FD is powered by a scant 1.3 liters or 86 inches of displacement. That's the size of the latest gasoline hybrid engines, never mind a world-renowned motorsports legend. Physics will only bend so far; soon boost addicts and power fiends will find the 13B's breaking point.
The foundation of a successful rotary begins at the seals and rotors and ends with competent tuning and realistic boost levels. Neptune Speed of nearby Huntington Beach assembled fresh apex seals and ported rotors.
Going single turbo is a great way to maximize the 13B's potential plus you get to discard the hundred or so vacuum lines of the sequential twin setup. Wayne tapped A-Spec Tuning of Schaumburg, Ill., to fill the boost gap. The Mazda's thrill generator is an A-Spec GT3574 kit featuring a non-ball bearing Garrett turbo with a responsive 0.84 A/R turbine housing, 74mm turbine wheel, and an 82mm compressor wheel. This turbo shares compressor wheels with the GT35-R but has a bigger turbine wheel compared to the GT35-R's 68mm unit. The rotary isn't a four-cycle engine; combustion happens differently in rotaries and they rev high, making for a good deal of exhaust flow given their diminutive displacement. The A-Spec kit takes full advantage of the engine's flow characteristics and, with its non-ball bearing center section, it's a cost-effective alternative to straight GT series based kits. The remainder of the turbo system consists of a stainless steel A-Spec turbo manifold, A-Spec down pipe, TiAL Sport wastegate, HKS SSQ blow-off valve, and the prerequisite GReddy polished elbow. Neptune Speed arranged the ARC front-mount intercooler and Koyo aluminum radiator in a V-mount configuration.