Mazda Set to Remanufacture RX-7 FC and FD OEM Parts

Super Street: We've seen the R32 GT-R, NSX and a few others get special treatment from their manufacturers, going as far as producing long-discontinued parts which are vital to keeping some of these Japanese classics running or helping enthusiasts complete restorations and restomod builds. This time around it's the 2nd and 3rd generation rotary poster children that Mazda, after having put forth their Miata resto program, is sinking some dollars into revitalizing. Though the official word on a complete restoration program hasn't been announced, it would only make sense for the brand to put the beloved RX-7 into that mix, as well.

For you and me, the idea of dropping massive dollars into having a manufacturer revitalize our project car probably isn't in the cards, unless you're bringing home big paychecks. No, for us, the more important part of all this is the fact that old, crucial parts that are only becoming increasingly tougher to find, are going to be remade and we get a little help on those often disappointing junkyard visits and endless social media group searches.

Automobile Magazine: Diehard Mazda fans will probably remember the company's high-profile restoration program for first-generation Miatas, announced a few years back. That program will make suitable cars (in Japan only, unfortunately) good as new, for a hefty sum. But to do that, Mazda needed to put a bunch of old parts back into production, and that's arguably a more important thing for most owners. Now the second- and third-generation RX-7, the Miata's rotary-powered big brother, are getting a whole host of new replacement parts, an intriguing bit of news first spotted by Japanese Nostalgic Car.

The FD RX-7 is one of the greatest sportscars of the 1990s, a technological marvel featuring an advanced sequential twin-turbocharged two-rotor Wankel engine. Its predecessor is less of a tour de force but still an interesting Porsche 944 competitor, with available turbo power. Owners of both are really going to appreciate a bevy of new parts, since Mazda focused on a long list of seemingly boring but hard-to-find parts to resurrect first: hoses, seals, sensors, and fasteners, for the most part. Stuff you can't get at Pep Boys.

JNC speculates that this might be the first step towards a full factory restoration program. If so, it'd join the likes of the R32 Skyline GT-R, Honda (Acura) NSX, the fourth-generation Toyota Supra, and even the awesome vintage Toyota 2000GT.

While these restoration and parts programs aren't cheap, they're vital for keeping classics like this on the road. Hopefully the factory parts programs might spur aftermarket suppliers to chip in and produce even more parts (and more cheaply), but that's neither here nor there. This is good news for Japanese car enthusiasts any way you look at it.