The Morning Call and Mcall.com's view

Sports cars are not for everybody and the Mazda RX-7 Turbo is verging on the edge of not being a car for anybody. Here is a car strictly for the serious driver – the type of driver who enjoys speed and handling, is willing to pay a good amount of money both for the purchase and insurance, and is prepared to live with a high performance car in a religiously enforced 55 mph speed limit.

For this particular person, personal payback includes a sense of doing something beyond the ordinary, turning a drive from Point A to Point B into an interesting experience, and, if one so desires, acquiring a new personality. And all of this for just a little more than $20,000. Wow, and you also may be the first kid on the block to be a bon vivant. But, on the other hand, you could inevitably end up with a fistful of tickets, a suspension of driving privileges and find yourself riding your Schwinn to work. At any rate, the RX- 7 Turbo is guaranteed to knock your socks off.

For starters, here is a car that can go from 0 to 60 mph in less than 7 seconds, run the quarter mile in a little more than 15 seconds and go all the way up to 140 mph. Where you can do all this stuff is perhaps another story but by now you should be getting the idea that the RX-7 Turbo is a world class sports car.

The RX-7 has enjoyed a good life and plenty of popularity since its introduction in the spring of 1978. The latest version of this two-passenger fastback coupe is, understandably, a lot more sophisticated than the original and it still retains its handsome look and the feature that makes it unique among all cars in the world – its rotary engine. To make things even a little more unique, the RX-7 Turbo model has the first turbocharged rotary offered in the North American market.

Just for a little background on the RX-7’s rotary engine, the first generation engine produced 100 horsepower and provided peppy, though far from startling performance. In the 1985 model year, Mazda introduced a new rotary, the 13B EGI, which was derived from the company’s racing engine. This 80- cubic-inch, two rotor engine featured six-port induction, electronic fuel- injection and a microprocessor-controlled engine management system. The engine (available in all other RX-7 models) produces 146 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 138-foot pounds torque at 3,500 rpm: quite a few horses for a relatively small car.

The turbocharged version, obviously, goes beyond this. This engine develops 182 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 183-foot pounds torque at 3,500 rpm. According to Mazda, the key to the turbocharged engine’s outstanding performance is a new dual-chamber scroll turbocharger design that provides high engine rpm power with excellent torque and quick response at lower engine speeds. To further help things out, an air-to-air intercooler is positioned directly above the engine plenum chamber.

Translated into actual use, the RX-7 Turbo takes off like a rocket sled and doesn’t stop accelerating until the driver chickens out. Things move so fast in fact that Mazda safeguards the high revving engine with a warning buzzer when it approaches the 7,000 rpm redline, and, if for some reason or other, the driver ignores the loud buzzer, the engine will momentarily cutout until the engine reaches a safer, lower rpm. This is not a gimmick but a necessity since the rotary turns up much faster than a piston engine.

By manipulating the five-speed manual transmission properly (the only transmission available with the Turbo model), there is plenty of power on tap throughout all driving ranges. And, fortunately, the engine is docile enough to drive around at slower speeds without acting up, a feature that certainly should appeal to the over-the-hill gang who buy the car as a result of a mid- life crisis.

Fuel mileage on the test car averaged 14 miles per gallon for city driving and 22 m g along the highway. Not bad (considering the power) but certainly not something to write home about.

The RX-7 Turbo (as well as other RX-7 models) has a wheelbase of 95.7 inches, length of 168.9 inches, width of 66.5 inches, height of 49.8 inches and curb weight of 2,850 pounds. The two bucket seats should provide adequate room for most people. Notice, I said most people. As much as I enjoyed the looks, performance and ambience of the test car, I couldn’t comfortably fit into it. With the sliding sunroof (standard equipment), there just isn’t enough head room for tall drivers. I had to assume a pronounced slouch (whatever that may be) and keep my head slightly cocked to the right to fit it under the depression of the sunroof. I sort of looked like five minutes after six. So, if you happen to be tall, try it on for size first.

To go along with its high performance, the RX-7 Turbo has a very sophisticated suspension system. As a matter of fact, more than 100 patents have been applied for on the technically advanced Dynamic Tracking Suspension System (DTSS) independent rear suspension. With this system, the rear wheels become an active component of the steering system, changing from desirable toe-out during low lateral force cornering to toe-in for extra stability during high lateral acceleration cornering situations. For a little more innovation, there is also Mazda’s Triaxial Floating Hub, which manages the hub’s movement relative to the crossmember-mounted trailing arm through bushings and pivots and alignment of those points. Additionally, rear wheel camber angles are maintained at an optimum setting by use of a control arm and control link to maximize tire performance.

Up front, are modified MacPherson struts and forged aluminum A-shaped lower arms and double construction bushings. To further help things along, 16- inch alloy wheels with low-profile 205/55VR16 Goodyear Eagle VR ”Gatorback” unidirectional radial tires are used.

The result of all of this is exceptional handling. The ride, as can be expected, is a bit stiff, but that’s the tradeoff for the handling.

A new feature for 1987 on the Turbo is an anti-lock braking system (ABS) on the car’s four-wheel disc brakes. The test car, an early run model, was not equipped with this feature but I would recommend it to anyone buying a Turbo RX-7. The RX-7’s ABS is electronically controlled using an independent front wheel control, rear axle control, four-sensor, three-channel system. Like other systems, the wheel sensors determine the amount of wheels slippage during sudden braking or during braking on snow-covered or otherwise slippery road surfaces. Signals are then relayed through the computerized control unit which controls brake application, thus maintaining directional stability and steering ability during braking. In other words, you can lay on the brake pedal and the car will keep straight and yo u will be able to steer it.

Even in an age of good-looking cars, the RX-7 Turbo manages to stand out and grab its share of attention. The car’s very low 0.29 coefficient of drag is made possible by aerodynamic styling that features a smoothly rounded nose and low hoodline, retractable headlights (with a ”flash-to-pass” function, sharply raked windshield, slightly flared front and rear fenders, and large rear hatchback. If you don’t get admiring looks while driving this car, you probably have serious problems.

Price for the RX-7 Turbo is $20,399, which could be considered a lot of money for a car but certainly not that much for a toy. Standard equipment includes just about everything you can think of. Full price on the test car came to $21,289. The two options were a compact disc player with six stereo speakers at $710 and a burglar alarm system at $180. If you wanted to order the anti-lock brake system it would cost $1,250.