In 1988, Dr. Felix Wankel, aka Mr. Rotary Engine, left his mortal coils behind, along with a legacy of estranged fans. An alien shape, the rotary entrances you with its combustion cycle, which seems ultimately destructive and jagged, yet perfectly smooth at the same time. Essentially a triangle spinning around within an outer housing shell, it makes piston engines cry with lack of shapeliness and originality, while causing hordes of automotive enthusiasts to pop question marks over their heads because of its foreign nature. Thinking about it for too long can give you a migraine unless you are a true fan, like the kids who draw Spirographs on paper until their pen rips through to the desk, then migrate to their own skin until they're tattooed with swirling sunbursts. Those are rotary lovers. They grow up to build cars like this '91 Mazda RX-7 and create companies like Aerodyne Industries. They're the most distilled form of rotary worshippers, and they love what they do.
When we met the guys and the gal at Aerodyne Industries, we didn't notice any spiral marks on the backs of their hands, but we're pretty sure they existed at one time. This RX-7 is proof of that. They've inspected, tuned, adjusted, ported, poked, and prodded the 13BT motor until it screamed with over 400hp. Only when they could throttle it drift-style at Willow Springs Raceway were they remotely satisfied with its performance. Even then, the thrill of accomplishment quickly wore off after they realized how much more they had left in the way of development. You see, as innovative creators, Aerodyne makes its own parts, and when it sticks something on its car, you pay attention.
Take for example, the hood. You may be asking yourself, "Why the hell didn't they close that thing before they took pictures?" Well, brace yourself-that's actually not a mistake on our part. Yes, we know it's rare, but trust us, it's functional and the company left it like that on purpose. According to Aerodyne's Quinn Kato, your typical nice-girl type with oil and RX-7 grease under her fingernails, the hood prop may go into production if it catches on. And like everything JDM these days, it probably will. Take a glance at an Option2 video or any drift magazine and you'll run the chance of seeing this adjustable hood bracket at work. As you probably assumed, it allows the notoriously hot rotary engine more air to cool down. It's like choosing between neoprene Speedos and wool boxer shorts-only one should be worn on a hot summer's day. If you don't want it too open, no problem; it's called "adjustable" for a reason. But why did Aerodyne choose to make this part for the RX-7? Well, most cars just require a spacer to prop the hood up a bit, but the RX-7 hood in particular features two hinges, making it that much more difficult to control in high-speed drifts. Taking the guesswork out of the equation, Aerodyne worked out the math, and that's just about all the arithmetic we'd like to get into. The basic idea is that it works, and works well.
Next innovation: The interior. Check out the wad of electronics littering the spot where the glove box should be located. Within a prototype carbon-fiber housing lies a host of tuning devices: HKS boost gauge, exhaust temperature gauge, fuel controller, Graphic Controller Computer (GCC), Additional Injector Controller (AIC), Scramble Boost Controller (SBC), and misfiring system, along with a Knight Sports Fuel Cut Defenser (FCD) and a Kenne Belle Boost-A-Pump. Sure, the nonexistent passenger seat is antisocial, but a passenger would just obstruct your tuning anyway. Need unrestricted access to your engine? This is the way to do it.