1985 Mazda RX-7 GSL-SE
Average asking price*: $7,000
Collector status: Buy and hold
rx7gslse

While the Mazda RX-7 spanned three generations across three decades, it is the first generation, the SA and FB, that is looked upon as the spark. Even before its introduction, its mere anticipation was injecting a pulse into what had become a barely breathing soul. A worldwide fuel shortage in the early 70s, along with federal emissions and safety mandates had killed off the muscle car and was severely suffocating sports and GT cars that had once painted broad grins across the face of many a weekend motoring enthusiast. Porsche’s offering to this set, the 924, had been initially intended to be a sportier Audi. Datsun had bloated the once-sprite 240Z into a sleekish cruiser. The Italians were struggling to stay relevant. There simply was nothing on the late ‘70s automotive landscape that represented the kind of mass-market exhilaration that cars like Alfa Romeo, MG, Triumph and others gave the common man in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Mazda, up to this point, had been a relatively minor player that showed some innovation in being the first to employ Wankel Rotary power in large-scale production. Such notoriety was mostly in the commuter-car category, though the hand-built Cosmos of the late ‘60s/early ‘70s stands out as one of the most alluring designs to ever come out of Japan. With that under its belt, Mazda drew from the Cosmos as well as queues from the Lotus Elite, TVR Griffin, Porsche 924, and Toyota 2000GT to transform its runabout Savanna RX-3 into the car that would not only save Mazda and the rotary engine, but the affordable sports car as we know it.  Pent up demand had made it an instant success and it delivered on all the anticipated hopes.

It was a car that existed purely for joy. Even today, driving a first-gen RX-7 is so far beyond what it is on paper, where everything comes together into a singular experience that transcends definition. It’s not fun because it’s fast. It’s not really all that fast (albeit an 8-second 0-60 time isn’t sluggish); it’s not fun because it’s lightweight and handles well, although it is light and spirited; it’s not fun because of its size and driving position or ergonomics, although those too are well thought out. It’s simply fun because it’s fun. That essence never really left the RX-7 in future generations, despite getting more refined and upscale, but in the SA/FB it is its most pure.

They were immensely popular. In all, over 470,000 first-generation RX-7s were built and by the time of the RX-7’s introduction in 1979, durability and longevity of the rotary had dramatically improved. Thus a good percentage of those 470,000 are still around, though some have been destroyed or abused beyond saving. Many more have been modified beyond a justifiable restoration. That still leaves hundreds of thousands. That typically doesn’t make for a valuable collector car, but with Japanese Nostalgia poised to be the next wave—or one of them anyway—it’s highly unlikely that a well-bought, well-sorted, well-maintained SA/FB RX-7 will lose any money. From there, it’s deciding which model year best meet your wants and needs. The SA (Series 1) from 1979 and 1980 is the original, the trailblazer, and is probably the most honest expression of what Mazda was aiming to do. The FBs got a facelift, along with some creature comforts like leather and air conditioning, while in the last years of 1984 and 1985, there were additional exterior and exterior tweaks. More significantly, a GSL-SE (or what is often called “five-letter”) model joined the lineup. With it came a larger (1.3  vs 1.1 litre) 135-hp motor, beefed-up suspension, bigger brakes, larger wheels and a more useful lugnut-bolt configuration. For the ideal combination of purity and refinement, the five-letters are the most sought after and given the large production numbers, concentrating on a single year will narrow the hunt. Ultimately, they are all worthy and will evoke a simple, honest pleasure that recalls the purest joy of motoring.