Mazda FC RX-7 vs FD RX-7 - Head to Head Review!

Which generation of rotary-powered JDM legend is better to drive? @TheTopher joins me as I compare Erik's 1990 Mazda RX-7 GXL and 1994 Mazda RX-7 Touring!

Mod List:

1994 Touring
Suspension:
-Full bushings refresh (Superpro)
-JRZ RS1
-Racing Beat Front Sway Bar
-Heavy duty front sway bar mounts
-Autoexe front Strut Bar
-Subframe rigid collars
-Bridgestone RE71R
-Hawk HP plus pads
Power:
-Downpipe
-High flow cat
-PWR SMIC Intercooler
-Autoexe Intake
-GarageAlpha Ti Exhaust
-1300 CC secondary injectors and Larger fuel pump
-Stage 1 Exedy clutch
-Lightened flywheel
-HKS Twinpower (Ignition amplifier)
-Power FC
-Rywire Harness
-Added second oil cooler from R1 model
-Koyo radiator
-Stock twin turbos but converted to non sequential (13psi, up from 10psi stock)
Just over 300whp
Exterior:
-99 spec front bumper
-99 spec front rebar
-99 spec front lip
-99 spec rear wing
-Odula Carbon wing blade
-R magic oil cooler ducts
-OG Bronze TE37’s 17x9.5
-Titanium rear tow hook
Interior:
-Removed tan carpet and seats
-Removed Bose acoustic wave system
-Black carpet
-Spirit R Carbon Kevlar Seats
-Flying M Steering wheel
-Garage Alpha Titanium Key and shift knob

1990 S5 GXL
Suspension:
-Feal 441 Coilovers
-Tanabe front Strut bar
-Racing Beat front Sway bar
-Racing Beat rear Camber adjuster
-Hawk HP Plus pads
-Falken RT615K
Power:
-Racing Beat Dual exhaust
-High flow Cat
-High flow air filter
-Koyo Radiator
Exterior:
-Replica FC front lip
-Aluminum hood
-White TE37’s 16x8
Interior:
-Infini Seats
-Old school looking Blaupunkt stereo
-Momo Prototipo steering wheel (Black Edition)
-FD RX-7 Shift Knob

[Samurai]

Heck yeah! So both cars sit at about 2750lbs at the moment. I plan on dropping another 60-70lbs on the FC and that combined with a shorter final drive should definitely make a huge improvement. As for the FD, i’ll get it closer to 2700lbs flat and in another year or two i’ll finally go with a more modern turbo, mainly for reliability and response. Either way, both cars are a constant work in progress. Thanks for the review!

[bjj]

Love both cars but that FD is so beautiful. Thanks for the review.

[wbwayne]

"The Topher, " has been one of my favorite auto review channels from first view as well as "Winding Road, " which just has a cool pov format. Great to just put on the ear buds and pump up the volume to. As long as the review car isn't an EV that is. Found Daily Motor, and now your channel through him also. I really like your review style as well. The FC when introduced was really the poor man's Porsche 944. If I'm not mistaken in 1986, when introduced, the FC had a certain type of rear wheel steering system. Not sure if the 1990 car you drove did as well or not though. DTSS, I believe is what it was called. The FD is among my favorite cars ever produced from any manufacturer. Incredible automobile.

[homesaucemagic]

Those aren’t just any red Recaros they are the Kevlar Spirit R seats! It’s the NSX-R seat equivalent unicorn. Your butt was blessed and you didn’t even know!

[donvo]

Great review, FC in its peak form (Turbo 2) is hard to find especially in stock form due to the slew of NA models and the dominance of convertibles in the market. I think a T2 would have gave you a much better appreciation of the FC when comparing its bargain price compared to the FD. Single turbo, as much power as a BRZ and a classic car design for less than $15, 000.

[Datsunzen]

Getting hp out of a rotary is an art form. There were some very talented kids down the street from us who built a serious FD RX-7. Far less civilized than Erik's. It had a much more aggressive exhaust note that was absolutely gorgeous.

[siddharthsharma]

I prefer the FC looks wise. Also because it was driven by the better brother in initial D

[EdLo.]

you are truly blessed to have access to such beautiful roads😥

[michaelgreco]

Last month I traveled to Japan for Tokyo Auto Salon. During the stay I rented a FD and your comments on the turn in and boost hit confirmed my impressions of the car. One thing that surprised me was how easy and well mannered the FD is around town and at low speeds, the clutch is easy and progressive and the car is fine with being in stop and go traffic much more than a Corvette or 911 from the era. Over all the worst thing about the FD for me was not being able to look at it while driving.

[arrivendrive]

Nice video. The fuel cut is being caused by having low fuel level. The acceleration, plug up hill angle causes the fuel not to be picked up there fuel starving the engine. Many rotary cars blow up because of fuel starvation. Never get on hard boost with anything close to a quarter tank. There is a way to fix it. Install a surge tank or don't let the fuel get that low. Brap on

[Kamukix]

Never clicked on a video so fast in my LIFE lol. I'm so happy to see this, I wanted to see that white FC in the background of one of the other videos and thankfully it's happening haha.

Man I miss having a rotary in my life.

[PS-ckkv]

Parallel turbos really ruin the FD's experience by a ton, it's a proven fact that you lose a ton of torque for minimal power gains at the very very top end which is almost unusable even for spirited driving like on the hills.

Twin turbos are perfect, or simply go for a fast spooling BW single or upgrade the twins. Nothing else.

[hongkong]

call me crazy, but I prefer the FC to the FD

[drive]

Awesome cars, enjoyed this one! But it was a little distracting/concerning seeing how much the seat was moving around on you in the FD. LOL

[verdict]

IT'S HERE. Never clicked so fast in my life. Strap in boys.

[WALTERBROADDUS]

As a Former 1987 Sport Owner I miss it's good days. It's bad days, not so much.... If you can get past its maintenance headaches, and they were headaches. I thought it was a well-balanced good daily driving car. And suited the skills of the average driver. The FD however, is so tight and Spartan. It seems more track oriented. And everything is better than the RX-8. I really wish Mazda had offered the rotary in the Miata? It seems like on such a small car, like a perfect match? Why was it never even an option? 🤔

[strmshadow]

Been loving the content but, when are you going to drive a supercharged Exige/Elise. I've been waiting to see how you it compares to other cars you've driven.

[romero]

Such a cool video man great work! Pleassseee if you could do a comparison of the NA/NB Miata vs FC/FD RX-7 or RX-7 vs RX-8 that would be so cool :) More Mazda content please 😅😳

[dennischen]

The FD is definitely not the car for a beginner in terms of maintenance and learning curve. It my first car in high school (yes I was lucky) On the first day I got the car, I spun out since the ground was a bit wet and I wasn't ready for the boost and torque from 4K. Luckily, I narrowly missed oncoming traffic and only a minor tire bump on a curb. That set the tone on how I drive and handle my sports cars now in my late 30's. Definitely one of the most fun cars I have owned and driven, but also a more difficult car to master.

[CarsandBikes]

I miss my FC and FD (maxed out at 430Rwhp on 91 oct with BNR sequential turbos).... But really like the NC3 PRHT and my 500rwhp 93 NSX