This 1992 Mazda Efini RX-7 Type R on Bring a Trailer Is the Holy Grail of Rotary-Powered Mazdas
Photo: Bring A Trailer
As of early Wednesday, a practically new 1992 Mazda Efini RX-7 Type R was on Bring a Trailer with a current bid of $7,777. And as much as I would love for that bid to stick — because that sequence of numbers next to a flawless RX-7 is just satisfying — it’s obvious that the luxury rebadged Mazda is worth more, especially to rotary fans for whom this machine represents the holy grail of the Mazda RX-7. There are still eight days left in the BaT auction, but the price is likely to go up by end of this sentence.
The third-generation of the RX-7 is a legendary car to begin with, but the Efini (or ɛ̃fini, if you insist) took the performance of the Japanese market RX-7 and wrapped it in a layer of luxury. In Japan, Mazda actually preempted Honda and Lexus with the idea of a separate luxury brand, which it named Efini. But the brand was short-lived, having appeared just as Japan’s bubble economy burst.
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Mazda’s JDM luxury project ran from 1991 to 1997, which makes this 1992 Efini RX-7 an early model. That also makes the low miles on this 1992 RX-7 all the more impressive: the 1.3-liter twin-turbo Wankel rotary engine has only 27,004 kilometers (16,780 miles) on the clock.
The seller says they added about 700 miles to the odometer, which is almost as unbelievable as the clean condition of the import RX-7. Who could resist shifting through its five speed manual transmission, wringing this thing out to redline, and spooling the sequential turbochargers in the luxe RX-7 for thousands of miles, at least? Someone who fears the resale value of a rotary, I guess.
Photo: Bring A Trailer
The Efini badge is just a small part of what makes this RX-7 special, however, since the “Type R” is doing some of the lifting — as the lightweight version of the Mazda sports car. When new, this RX-7 made 255 horsepower and 217 lb-ft of torque, but some of its upgrades may have added a few horses: these include engine modifications to fit a beefier intercooler for the turbos, upgraded ignition and an upgraded air intake system. A MazdaSpeed muffler is the cherry on top.
While a baseline of 255 hp might not sound like much, the RX-7 Type-R only weighed about 2,800 pounds. This model has also been tuned to stop and handle better with upgraded front brakes, a coilover suspension and a limited slip differential. There’s also strut brace up front, and a chassis brace below. Those performance upgrades ought to make up for the black cloth upholstery in this luxury sports car. If I’m being honest, I’ll take a cloth bucket seat over leather any day — especially if those seats are fixed to the cabin of a ‘92 RX-7.
Photo: Bring A Trailer
Photo: Bring A Trailer
Photo: Bring A Trailer
