How Mazda Took on Porsche... The Weird Way

#RX-7 #Mazda #JDM

This is the story of how a Japanese company took a chance,
And how they proved that bold risk is the only way to reap bold rewards.

This is the story of the RX-7.

This is THE SQUIDD, a channel devoted to telling boring stories BOLDLY. Automotive icons, car company calamities, supercar legends and underdog heroes. All told through the lens of The Squidd, automotive content creator famous for being a dude with bad hair.

Follow us everywhere!

Credits:
Writer: Ken Steinberger
Editor: Alex Anastasakis

Music used in order of appearance:
Just Get It Done by Hampus Naeselius
Speak Easy by Alexandra Woodward
Progressive Progress by Howard Harper-Barnes
Feel My Swagger by The New Fools
We Will Never Die by Pär Hagström
Zombies From Outer Space by Wave Saver
Landwinning by Power Druid
Forever in Love With a Ghost by pär
Deep Space Samurai by Forever Sunset
Forever Sunset by The Laser Grid
Apparent Solution by Brendon Moeller
Signal to Noise by Hampus Naeselius
Our Last Stand by FormantX

0:00 - Rolling the Dice
2:21 - The German
4:16 - Revolutionary Revolutions
6:17 - The Desperate Gamble
7:09 - The 47 Ronin
9:12 - Devil's Nail Marks
10:45 - Space Cadet
14:14 - Cars Begin to Suck
15:11 - Savannah
16:56 - What Did We Dream Of Owning?
19:27 - A Different Idea...
20:36 - A Global Effort
23:04 - Lost Among the Noise
27:24 - The Hardened Few

[MustardChannel]

Fantastic vids - this channel is going places 👍

[doomdimensiondweller]

In Mazda's slight defense. Part of the reason the Rotary failed is because they were near impossible to make comply with emissions and fuel economy regulations.

[bhp]

In 1978 I bought an RX-7 GS and drove it for a touch over 200k. The weak link for me was the water pump. During that time I replaced three of them for about $30 each and 20 minutes with a wrench. In 1992 I sold it and bought a '93 FD. It's in my garage right now. The sun's shining, I think I'll go for a drive!

[sergiocoto]

For me, the RX7 was kind of the MONA LISA of the automotive industry… a great invaluable and incredible time-changing piece of art.

[spencerh]

I've been watching car shows for nearly 20 years. You guys are capturing the passion that moments of the old Top Gear did so well. It's not really about the cars at the end of the day. It's about the passion and the emotional connection you have when you think back to the first cool car you got to own or drive. That's what keeps the car passion alive! Excellent work!

[odesangel]

My first car was a 93 RX-7, purchased for $15K in 2003. I was 21, reckless, irresponsible, and had more brushes with death that I'd like to remember while driving that thing. But man was it fun!

[Ligerzeronz]

For a "YouTube" series, this is just out there. The design, the voiceovers, and yes the information gathered, researched, and stripped bare to be presented. Its mind boggling that shows with millions of dollars cannot get it right, but you guys just do it.

Keep it going! It's raw, gripping, and emotionally addictive to watch!

[lukeskywalket]

Let's be honest, Keisuke Takahashi did a hell of a lot for the RX-7's rep

[samb]

I owned a FD more than 20 years ago and absolutely loved it. When it ran of course. It was my first car, that I saved for two years. Since then, I have owned faster cars but every time I see one on the road I feel an emptiness inside, a longing for a car I sold decades ago. Like a lost lover. I loved driving that FD, loved tearing a turn at a speed I knew was unsafe and somehow it stayed glued to the line in my head. I miss that distinct purr that turned into roar that I haven’t experienced since. Thanks for the video for stirring that long lost feeling!

[ToddKing]

I worked for Mazda during the FD years. It is such a shame that car didn't take off like it should have in the US market. It was a fantastic piece of engineering and a great all around car. Customer satisfaction with with cars was very high so those that bought one liked it, it was just a issue of getting people into the cars. At the time I had the pleasure of driving a number of examples and a lot of the competition and like the video said the RX-7 was a more basic car, lacking all the latest tech gadgets but it was a real drivers car. And it will be a classic forever.

[FrankFitzpatrick-rhdh]

Being a Mazda Dealer for many years .
I can tell you that they are an AWESOME COMPANY to be involved with ❤

[cooliomo]

You LITERALLY gave me goosebumps and brought tears to my eyes. When I was 16 (I’m 34 now) I’ve owned 6 RX7s, 86 fc being my first car, and currently still own a 88 fc turbo, 93 FD. I genuinely love these cars!

Excellent video. The amount of time, effort and research is PHENOMENAL! Thank you.

[Hazzard_Genji]

You speak with such a calm, and yet passionate voice.
A true sign of Cars not only in your head - but also in your heart and soul.
I hope to see this channel take off to the moon, and I am honored to be a part of this journey.

Godspeed Squid, Godspeed!

[ismailsancak]

This channel is not only about cars. It is also about attitude. A big difference to all the other car channels. Really inspiring. It makes me realize, why I am such a car enthusiast. It is about challenge. Achievement. I am so glad, that I found this channel. Best ever. Congratulations

[giosimfra]

Great video, much appreciated.
I have owned a 1993 FD Mazda RX-7 from 2006 to 2020. I sold it during COVID because I got a bit stupid with things. Made 20K over the original price I paid for it.
As a car enthusiast and one who's driven a large variety of sports cars and owns one now, I have to say that no amount of words can be redundant to describe how incredibly fantastic the FD is.
It looks absolutely gorgeous, a timeless design that is rivalled by very, very few vehicles over the course of car design history.
Its dynamics are incredible, the experience at the wheel is memorable. I went to test drive one before I bought the one I owned. It will be likely the most car related intoxicating experience I will ever have. Getting on the highway, stepping on the gas, the roar of the engine climbing up the revs, the turbos whining, the sound changing to screaming menacing banshee once the second turbo kicked in is something you can't make people understand. I was sold. There was no way I was going to live the rest of my life without owning one at some point.
The car handles like it's nobody's business. I purchased a 2009 Porsche Cayman S shortly after I sold the RX-7 and as much as I love it, the RX-7 was more agile, a bit quicker and, I'll say it again, intoxicating in ways the Cayman can't be. The 7 is a race car with a licence plate. It is extremely well-behaved, perhaps too well behaved, it is incredibly fast and yet easy to put through its paces, you get in and you wear it like a tight-fitting body suit. It is a visceral experience you can't have in the Cayman. The 7 is that friend of yours whose response to your most insane ideas will always be: "do it. And I'll do it with you". The 7 gets in your head and is constantly inviting you to push and go quicker. No electronics, not even traction control. It is bliss. The Porsche is an amazing car in itself, it has the mystique of the decades of racing success, it is a mid-engine car, it is more mature, practical, reliable, but it's a bit aseptic for my taste. It is an amazing car, but it isn't a crazy one.
To conclude: a car that came out in 1993 is every bit as good if not better than one that came out 16 years later and cost significantly more. And it's a Porsche.

[verdict]

Small correction: the FD was one of the first sequential twin turbo production cars, but not the first. The Porsche 959 and Eunos Cosmo both had them before.

[the-mailmann]

SQUIDD, you're an absolute legend. The work you put into these videos, while still being able to pump them out is so impressive. Love your stuff man!

[joemigo]

When you visit Mazda dealership you can feel they are still proud of their rotary engine legends: the model cars displayed on the walls are 787B and RX7 rather than current lineup.

[alrichnolte]

I am in awe of how well written this video is. You absolutely deserve all the subscribers that come your way, considering the amount of thought put into this.

[alejandrolara]

I had a 2004 RX-8. It had a 6-speed manual transmission, with a dual muffler Greddy exhaust, lightweight flywheel upgrade, K&N cold air intake, and the car was in the color "Winning Blue" from the factory. Besides that, the rest of the car was stock. It sounded sooo good for a non-turbo engine. And crusing in first gear in parking lots it made a subtle jet engine like hum. People always turned to see what was passing by. From behind, the tires looked aftermarket, they were stock though. I fit 245/40R18's tires on it, giving that racecar look to anyone that noticed. It wasn't super fast but it was so much fun to drive in curvy roads. I really liked this video of Mazda's rotory history but in my very bias opinion, the RX-8 was awesome. Yes, it sucked in MPG's, yes it was very unreliable, and torque was non-existent...but all Rotory engines had the same problems. But, when the car let's you Rev up to 9k RPM's and you are driving just for having fun, this car was it.