What’s life without risks? Boring, of course. Just ask Mazda. They took a risk by mass-producing the rotary engine when all other automakers were going the conventional piston route. They dared to be different when everyone was beginning to worry about emissions. They kept at it, nearly perfected their idea and soon Mazda was rewarded. A 1st place finish at the 1991 24 hours of Le Mans helped to cement Mazda’s identity as an innovative brand and the 787B earned legendary status. The FD3S RX7, powered by a rotary engine itself, came along and revolutionized what the world accepted as a true sports car. Its timeless design has won over the hearts of many car enthusiasts and to this day the car holds its value quite well.
Striking in its design and interesting in its engineering. That was the FD3S RX7. Surely a serious automobile, and every example deserved a serious owner. With all the technology that automobiles have to offer these days, it takes a special kind of enthusiast to only focus on speed and outright performance that very little cars can offer. So how coincidental is it that Tristan Alexander chose an FD3S RX7 to use as a base to build his very own “race car”?
Tristan is the sort of character that, just by speaking to him, one could realise how seriously this guy takes cars and motorsports in Saint Lucia. His drive to push the culture forward will be shown through his car as time goes by, as it is one of the cleanest and purest examples of an RX7 presently on island at this time. How Tristan was able to find this gem in the many examples of sports cars on island is more than mind boggling to the average car enthusiast.
We, the Lucian Streets team were more than elated when Tristan agreed to let us feature him and his beautiful machine. Just by the clean, smooth lines and even the placement of the door handles, it’s easily understandable why anyone with a love for cars would choose this dedicated performance vehicle. There’s never a case of mistaken identity with an FD3S RX7. Anyone can tell, by just glancing at the car that it was built by a special team with their minds on one thing and one thing only; a new caliber of sports car.
After we were able to finally settle down, we arranged a series of questions to help get a better insight of Tristan and his exquisite FD3S RX7, and like he frequently says, “Don’t hate, Rot’8.” Enjoy!
Q&A
What made you choose an RX7 over the many options available on island? Why a rotary engine?
I can actually give an answer for both. The car itself actually has a bit of a timeless look. It was never changed from the time it essentially came out in 1992 till up to 2002, unlike many other car manufacturers, for example Mitsubishi and the Lancer Evolution series. In terms of the engine, there’s a general phobia about the high maintenance required for a rotary engine in Saint Lucia, but people tend to forget that a piston engine can give the same amount of trouble if poorly maintained. The rotary engine also puts out generally more power even at the same amount of boost than the piston engines. So that along with the fact that it’s light and has a good suspension, led me to the rotary.
There is a limited quantity of RX7’s on island. How were you able to find this beautiful example?
Basically, I was previously looking at a black one in Vieux Fort, then a friend of mine contacted me and told me of a guy in Grande-Riviere who had an RX7 which was not being driven. I went to the location and at first the owner was a bit hesitant (to sell) but in the end I was able to negotiate with the former owner and got a very reasonable price. The rest is history.
What changes have been made to the car from the time of purchase till now?
From the time I got the car I literally had no engine work to do as the engine was recently rebuilt by the former owner. All seals and gaskets were changed by Kamakie down in bexon. The intake is an aftermarket cold air intake and the bumper is actually a Mazda speed A-spec bumper. The car actually is still quite stock apart from the lights. Everything that currently exists body wise on the car is stock.
What are your future plans for the car?
I’m actually looking at getting an aftermarket ECU for the car. It’s a Link G4 RX ECU, which is specific to the RX7. Which would mean the entire harness would need to change and the ECU would be redone to tune the engine to handle the higher boost level. I’m looking at a target of 350 whp to 400 whp, which should put me in the 11 second quarter mile bracket if not closer to the 10 second bracket. The actual plan for the car is to redo the entire vehicle for racing with the entire interior stripped out. You know? The whole “shebang.”
Have you been able to get a power figure for the car?
I haven’t dyno’d it as yet but the stock 1996 model from japan with all the restrictions should put out a reasonable 265 bhp. The plan is to dyno it but I want to get some stuff done to it first. But to take a wild guess I’d say I’m closer to the 280 bhp to 290 bhp mark, as currently the vehicle is running up to 14 pounds of boost.
Compared to all the vehicles you’ve owned so far, how does the RX7 compare?
In my opinion there is nothing like an RX7. My first vehicle was a lancer 1800cc turbo. It was a GSR engine in a Lancer body. Then I got a Celica GT4 which was an ST185 model. That was significantly faster and having the AWD was a nice experience. In comparison the way the engine of the RX7 puts out power is way more intense than any vehicle I’ve experienced before.
Would you encourage someone to purchase an RX7?
It depends on the person, as the RX7 requires a high level of maintenance. You need frequent checks of oil as the engine purposely burns oil to create a seal in the combustion chamber. So you have to factor in maybe a quart of oil every month. The other factor is the engine generates a lot of heat, so you tend to lose a little bit of coolant. So every now and then you have to top up your coolant levels. However, if you’re low on fluids, the RX7 emits a loud beep alerting you of that.
A timeless Legend. Even to this day the RX7 can stand its ground against most of the modern day sports cars. Despite its high maintenance and other performance oriented drawbacks, just by listening and watching Tristan describe his car, I get the feeling this car must be something really special. The Lucian Streets team salutes you, Tristan!
