1998 Mazda RX-7 (FD3S) "Hurricane 7" - Oh, Here Go Hell Come

With a lifetime’s worth of experience in pushing the rotary engine to its max, Isami Amemiya has set himself an all-new challenge for 2011. Over the years, his tuning shop, RE Amemiya has dominated nearly every motorsport they’ve competed in, from Super GT to D1, not to mention the blistering fast street machines that we’ve featured many times over. They have shown they are capable of building powerful yet responsive cars while always maintaining overall balance, but now it’s time to step their game up and show the Time Attack crowd what they are truly capable of. It took all of 2010 and many hours of hard work but Amemiya-san got there in the end, unveiling his latest creation at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon. The Hurricane 7 is the most extreme FD3S RX-7 he has ever created and it’s built only for one thing, braking records!

You won’t find the Hurricane 7 lapping circuits like Tsukuba; that’s because they’ve “been there” and “done that”, and what’s more exciting than moving up to more challenging venues? While shooting the car at Amemiya’s Tokyo workshop, we had a quick chat with the man himself, where he explained in his colorful and unmistakable Chiba-ben, or Chiba accent, that this RX-7 has been specifically set up to challenge international circuits within Japan, places like Fuji Speedway, Suzuka and Okayama. Ama-san, as he is know in the JDM world, goes on to explain that these sorts of layouts not only put a car through its paces from a handling point of view, but they also demand power and balance to achieve special times. This is precisely what he is shooting for; he wants the Hurricane 7 to be able to reach Super GT qualifying times. It’s quite the goal, but one we are sure he can achieve. Let’s take a closer look at what makes this widebody RX-7 so special.

Ama-san got to work on the stripped-out shell right after the 2010 Tokyo Auto Salon. He approached the whole build much like he would have with one of his race cars, by reinforcing the weakest areas of the chassis; this meant fabricating a custom rollcage, that braces at A-pillars and countless other strategic points. Air jacks were also fitted, since time attack cars spend a lot of time in the pits having tires changed and suspension settings varied, they would simplify the process while saving precious time. Small stiffening bars in the engine bay add stiffness around the firewall while the front half of the wheel tubs were cut, allowing access to the suspension components. With the chassis prep finished, the shell was sent off to the paint booth to have a few coats of sky-blue sprayed on, a color that we’ve seen used regularly on RE builds—a signature move, if you will.