Originality is something Isami Amemiya-san knows a thing or two about. Over the years he has used the FD3S Mazda RX-7 as a canvas for his creations, and of these there have been many. But who could have prepared themselves for the Genki 7? Sitting in its low-lit stand at the main entrance of this year's Tokyo Auto Salon, it looked like something out of a sci-fi flick. Within minutes of the show's opening a crowd quickly formed around the RE Amemiya booth, with curious people taking a closer look at the RX-7 turned spaceship. It was then and there we knew we had to feature this car in full detail, as it was like nothing we had ever seen before.
Fast-forward a few days and we found ourselves at RE Amemiya's headquarters, a stone's throw away from Narita airport. The Genki 7 had already been moved outside and was being polished by Ken Amemiya, son of the great man himself. Ken, who's in charge of PR for the company, is always such a pleasure to chat with and is one of the most down to earth and humble people one would ever wish to meet. He told us his father wanted to prove that the RX-7 is not dead, and with this car hints at the future, something Mazda still hasn't done. This is where the name "genki" comes from, meaning "alive and well" in this case but using different characters to make it sound cooler and hinting at a future vision for the "7." Amemiya-san got to work on this project last summer and like all his show cars, went all out. The donor FD3S was completely stripped down to its bare chassis where it was prepared for paint. The same sky-blue pearl was used on the chassis as would be used on the body for that custom car feel. Once the chassis was done the long process of shaping the bespoke body began. First up was the front end, starting with the bumper, which was created into a one-piece part along with the front fenders. The front bumper extends quite visibly into a pointy front section where Amemiya-san formed a very slight center crease, which extends its way up onto the aero bonnet. A very simple yet aggressive central air dam was a necessity as it provides plenty of air for the V-mounted intercooler and radiator assemblies. A pair of rounded off triangular openings have been worked into the side of the bumper and are joined by canards which are said to help keep the nose planted at speed. The front lip protrudes to help further more with aerodynamics and is painted dark gray metallic to offset the blue body.
Complementing the front-end conversion are the custom headlights which are shaped on the very extremities and made up of bright IPF projectors and LED orange repeaters on the top part. From the Lotus headlights the fender section extends slightly over the bonnet line and down creating a thin opening behind the wheel. From these vents a massive widening of the door sections has been used to create a large double-intake on the rear fenders. The side skirts play a big part in highlighting this aggressive profile and are finished off with under skirt panels. The rear fenders widen the rear of the Genki 7 substantially meeting up with the custom rear bumper to form yet another opening, this time a vent that helps expel air when the rear wheel-arch coves are fitted. The rear bumper is quite a lot shorter than the standard item, and features a grilled number plate mount section and a simple under diffuser from which the new 2009-spec dolphin tail silencer pops out from. Twin afterburner-type rear LED lights are used to further enhance the unique look of the rear end, which also sports a custom rear hatch section.