Change is inevitable. It’s the only thing you can count on in this world. Twenty years ago, I was becoming increasingly eager to leave for college. I yearned for the big city. And for over a decade, I loved the noise, size, and chaos of it all.
I’m a different person than I was 20 years ago, though. My taste in music changed. I don’t like eating fast food anymore. And I usually want to be in bed by 11 at the latest. My old man was right, and more of his teachings make sense with each passing day. Some things haven’t changed, though.
I’m just as obsessed with fast cars, motorcycles, loudspeakers, and watching movies. To clear things up, if you thought otherwise, I did not sell my 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II. It found a new home because so did I, as I’ve moved away from the big city. Neither of us enjoyed being stuck in traffic for hours in a row. We needed some fresh air, scenic backdrops, and the open road.
I found a little piece of heaven, which is 130 miles (210 km) away from where I had spent the past 15 years of my life. It’s also less than 100 miles (161 km) from my hometown so I can visit my family more often. But there’s more. The village I’m in is only 40 miles (64 km) away from one of the best driving roads in the world: the Transalpina Road (or King’s Road as some refer to it).
It’s a 92-mile-long (148 km) stretch of road across the mountains, reaching altitudes of up to 7,037 feet (2,145 meters). I’ve taken it on on my Suzuki SV650S and the Mazda MX-30 R-EV. And the RX-7 has been patiently waiting for its turn. To make things even better, the other “best driving road in the world,” as one famous journalist called it, the Transfagarasan, is only 60 miles (96 km) away. Aren’t I the lucky one?
Start of the Year Tune-up
Photo: Stefan Pascu
Although I had moved to the countryside a month ago, I had entrusted the RX-7 to my buddy Mike for its start-of-the-year tune-up. The headlights stopped working in December. It turned out that a relay had failed, and now I have an extra switch for my low beams to avoid similar situations. My new driver’s door lock is now in place, so I no longer have to open the passenger door before getting the driver one.
We installed three braided brake lines in December but had issues with the fourth one. Mike took care of that, too. Then, the Intake Manifold air sensor started acting up, confusing the Adaptronic M2000 ECU. We replaced that, too. After a three-hour bus trip, I arrived on the scene to see my rotorhead friend doing additional map adjustments. Idle was a bit rough, and it didn’t help that some lady from across the street called the police on us for making too much noise in the middle of the day.
I limped from the location, discovering the car was running lean. An additional 20-minute session made everything run smoothly. As we drove the FC and FD to the car wash, I didn’t get a chance to go past 5,000 rpm. Once I did, I discovered it wouldn’t rev past 5,500 rpm. I was both mad about restricted power levels but happy that the M2000 is bright enough to protect the engine when something’s wrong.
First Car Meet of the Year
Photo: Dragos Chitulescu
It all clicked perfectly for me. Our local JDM group organized the first Car Meet of the year. This time, they decided to allow non-Japanese cars, too. The location was spectacular, with over a dozen skyscrapers in the background. As we pulled in, over 300 people were onsite, and there were cameras pointed at us everywhere.
It didn’t take long before several RX-8s in our group arrived, and we parked between a Honda Civic EK and a Honda S2000. More and more cars arrived, including a wrapped R35 GT-R, a four-door Skyline R33, a replica of Brian Earl Spilner’s Mitsubishi Eclipse, and even a brand-new Audi RS 6. I’ve invested all my money into performance upgrades, so the FC RX-7 still looks rather rough on the outside. Combine that with the popularity of the FD, and I always feel like I’m walking in its shadows.
But I’m not concerned about that one bit. I often come across one or two hardcore FC fans, either not financially ready for its successor or just a fan of the “Synthwave” vibes it puts out. Either way, I’m getting tired of static meets. It’s nice to catch up with people, but I’d rather do it in the paddock of the racetrack after going out for a hot lap. RX-7s should never reach Garage Queen status.
Drive Back Home
Photo: Dragos Chitulescu
Three hours into the event, I decided to head back home. I had slept for several nights before, thinking of this day. It would be the first time I would drive the FC West and the second time taking it out of the big city since I bought it in 2018. The trip back home was a mix of highway driving and a dangerous touge road locals call “the Black Hill.”
With my wife in the passenger seat, she was probably even more nervous than I was, knowing how easily I get sucked up in hitting the twisties. The FC drank up a full tank of gas (50 liters/) over 130 miles without me ever going past 93 mph (150 kph). With a straight-pipe exhaust, things get rather noisy if you get on the throttle.
But there’s a certain zone when it’s not all that bad. Despite dealing with the 5,500 rpm protection, I still had a blast navigating through the hairpins. With a set of HSD coilovers and the Stoptech/Hawk brake combo, the FC would much rather live on the touge than the highway. Sure, that’s something you’ll hear from someone with less than 300 horsepower. But I’d rather get more seat time than move on to the next level.
Countryside Rolling
Photo: Dragos Chitulescu
Driving for three hours was effortless, and I felt sad about reaching my destination. I wanted to keep going but knew the opportunity would arise the following day. My godfather asked if I’d join him in the nearest city to buy a birthday cake, and I offered to give him a lift.
His 13-year-old son jumped out of bed, screaming to tag along, when he heard me starting the 13B. They both had a big grin on their faces for the whole trip. My godfather became fond of the wooshing noises from the HQS SSQV BOV. When I returned home, people started coming out of their houses to see what was happening.
Kids were already with cameras on, while my older neighbors didn’t seem mad but intrigued. The next thing I knew, my nephew was already taking down names for a ride-along list I now needed to fulfill. To my joy, I’ve discovered a smaller touge just a few miles from the house, and it looks like something straight out of Initial D.
2025 Plans
Photo: Dragos Chitulescu
I’ve done the math, and it’s rather scary. I need an extra $25K to turn my car into an epic FC RX-7. That would be the cost of a new turbo, a 1.5-way diff, extra-cooling, a new body kit, tires for my Panasports G7 C5C wheels, a pair of Recaro seats, a wacky-color kind of paint job, and the list goes on and on.
I’m tempted to do more Time Attack events because that’s my cheap way out. But in my heart, I want to go back to drifting with a passion. And that only complicates things. Sure, I could get an RX-8 chassis and build it up. Or I could go down the “on a budget” road and opt for a Bimmer.
But I want to hear that 13B smashing on the rev-limiter at 9K rpm while sending the rear tires to high heaven. I hope to show you the next step in my project car journey soon. It’s a love-hate relationship, but seeing her in the driveaway makes my heart melt every single time.
