I hadn't showered in three weeks. And there I was perched high atop a telephone pole with inch-long splinters in my ass, armed with only a camera and a bad case of B.O. I had been on a mission for Super Street, surviving on canned beans and sewer rats, prowling the streets of Seattle, and sleeping in alleyways and dumpsters-all in the hopes of finding Victor Joe's rare and elusive 1994 Mazda RX-7.
"It's a mythical creature," people said, claiming this snow-white RX-7 with an engine bay that's shinier than Flavor Flav's teeth didn't really exist. But I didn't believe them, instead I set out to find this mythical beast on my own, to locate it in its natural habitat and bring back photographs.
So there I was, strapped to a telephone pole with a belt, just about to give up all hope of catching this mysterious animal, when I heard the sound. At first I thought it was a sunstroke-inspired hallucination, but instead it was the answer to my prayers. It was the throaty call of a twin turbo'd-rotary-the mating call of the RX-7.
I watched in astonishment as Victor Joe's RX-7 shyly nudged itself out of a parking garage and onto the street, stopping to graze 20 feet below me, its Blitz NUR-Spec after-cat exhaust purring contentedly. It was more magnificent than I could have imagined. From the outside, no panels of the factory RX-7 body had been left untouched. The front bumper, side skirts, and rear skirts had been replaced with fiberglass Veilside pieces. A C-West headlight conversion replaced the bulky, wobbly pop-up lights. Look at these photos closely because the circles in the taillights are not painted on-those lights are from Mazda Japan, and are another goodie that we never got with our American-version RX-7. And of course I was dazzled by the creature's beautiful coat, a custom white paint mixed with blue pearl applied by Collision Craft.
Inside the car was a custom white interior so wondrous I was inspired to write poetry, and I would have, too, were I not illiterate. As I quietly snapped pics of the Veilside steering wheel and OMP Eco racing seats, the RX-7 stretched open its doors, allowing me a rare glimpse at a GReddy boost gauge, an EGT gauge, and a Blitz Dual Solenoid Boost Controller.
However, the true beauty of this RX-7 was underneath the hood in the form of its 13B-REW Wankel motor. The 350 hp (at the wheels) that Victor estimates his RX-7 puts out is a far cry from the stock Mazda's 204 rear-wheel horses. To get all this power, the stock turbos were yanked out and a pair of Hitachi H12 turbochargers from Pettit Racing were dropped in. Victor also added a GReddy intercooler upgrade and pulley kit and an HKS downpipe. The finishing touch was the full polish treatment, giving the engine bay such an intense sparkle that I was blinded and cried in pain like a girl.
Here we find the RX-7 exposing itself. The intercooler, pipes, alternator and throttle body have all been polished, while the pipes and intake plenumwere ceramic chromed.
"Eee!" I screamed. The RX-7, startled, peeled away on its 18-inch Sparco NT rims and Bridgestone tires. As it fled into the distance, I couldn't help but notice that this fine creature had a lower center of gravity, thanks to GREX springs and Mazdaspeed shocks. Its stopping power is reinforced with Stillen cross-drilled rotors, Metal Matrix pads, and Goodridge stainless steel lines.
While I did not get to spend as much time as I had originally hoped with Victor's car, I felt thankful for the few precious moments that we did manage to share. As you can tell by the photos, I have once and for all proved the existence of this astounding creature. Now people no longer make fun of me behind my back or pull my pants down in public. Instead, they make fun of me to my face, and after they pull my pants down, they kick me in the groin.
Fast Facts
Owner: Victor Joe
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Ride: 1994 Mazda RX-7