If you went directly to this page when you opened up the magazine, chances are good you were instantaneously seduced by the sinuous beast crouched on the front of this month's issue. In its time on the newsstand, Import Tuner has showcased only the baddest of the baddest imports on its sacred cover space, but whatever it is we put on the cover always tends to draw lines of contention among the import faithful. Leave it to Mazda's third-gen RX-7, though, to stem the flow of bullshit and incite a true eye-popping, jaw-dropping frenzy of appreciation. It's a car that's universally appreciated, and if you're going to shit-talk the RX-7, you may as well be smack-talking your own mother.
This car, a 1993 example powered by the vaunted 13B rotary twin-turbo, is owned by one So Cal resident, Noel Rollon. It reached its current state under the knife at Extreme Dimensions in Irvine, California. In fact, Rollon's friend, Extreme Dimensions' sponsorship and project director George Chen, employed his buddy's pristine sled to develop and test-fit new aero pieces to be marketed under the company's Carbon Creations line of body treatments. As you may guess, Extreme Dimensions' Carbon Creations product line is mainly comprised of body kit components formed fully of hand-laid carbon-fiber.
It's one of the most prominent catch phrases in the auto industry today, but really, do you have a clue as to what carbon fiber really is? We didn't, so we did some quick Internet research and found it's actually a form of graphite--itself a form of pure carbon--arranged as long ribbons woven together in thin sheets reinforced with epoxy resins. These reinforced sheets are often referred to as composites because they incorporate more than one component (carbon plus the epoxy resin). Carbon fiber reinforced composites are known to be extremely strong. They're often stronger than steel, in fact, but much lighter. For this reason they can be used to replace metal components in many uses, from parts for airplanes, race cars and the space shuttle. Nowadays it's used in many areas, from making golf clubs to crafting full body kits for import vehicles.
While your mind digests that interesting little tidbit of information, let's take a closer look at what makes this car better than your average 13B. To start, it wears a complete Carbon Creations C-2 aerodynamics kit. This body kit is available in pieces or as a complete set, depending on the customer's needs and desires. Fully fabricated bumpers for the front and rear, as well as the requisite side skirts, are included. In addition to these standard replacement pieces, the Carbon Creations line of goods also includes replacement fenders--also fully formed from carbon fiber--for the RX-7's front end, as well as an OEM-style hood, also laid in carbon fiber.
Other products used to finish off the exterior include Carbon Creations Type 2 bumper canards, a Rotora GT wing in the rear, Rotary Extreme carbon-fiber headlights up front, and carbon-fiber APR side mirrors. The doors have been altered to swing upward like those of a certain famous Italian automaker, and they've been tarted up slightly more with Rotary Trix (not the cereal) carbon-fiber handles. Since the project collaborators opted for a more finished look in lieu of "the raw look," a final coat of Daytona Blue paint was commission to and laid by Merzees in La Mirada.
Underneath the revised and updated body panels, a combination of Vogtland lowering springs and Tokico five-way adjustable dampers help drop the chassis to the pavement. Cusco U-joints and toe bars, as well as upgraded Cusco anti-sway bars, help bolster the suspension. The brakes have been enhanced with Powerslot rotors and Hawk performance pads, but otherwise retain their O.E. components. ADR M-Sport wheels, sized 19x9.5 up front and 19x8.5 out back, fill the fender wells, and they've been wrapped with BFGoodrich Comp T/A KDWs for all-season road burning fun.
Within the engine bay, a brace of performance equipment, including turbo upgrade equipment from GReddy, has been staged to help enhance the 13B's power output--not that a wholly sane person would necessarily agree it needed help. For the engine bay a full single-turbo upgrade was in order, including GReddy exhaust components and a GReddy dual-air intake to open up the breathing passages, HKS primary and secondary fuel injectors and a Ignitions Solutions Plasma Booster for fuel and spark augmentation, and a GReddy front-mount intercooler and Koyo radiator to assist the 13B with its infamous tendency to overheat. Other engine bay additions include a GReddy strut tower brace, GReddy performance pulleys, Samco radiator hoses and a full compliment of Hose Techniques vacuum lines. Fuel and boost curves are mapped and controlled with A'PEXi electronics, the S-AFC and AVC-R specifically. With the 50-shot NOS injection in effect, Extreme Dimensions unofficially estimates the rotary's power output to be in the range of 390 rear-wheel horsepower.
Finally we come to the cockpit, which includes a Carcraft custom interior comprising new carpets, door panels and a dash fully treated in what else but carbon fiber. Momo GT Cup seats replace the factory buckets, and a Momo steering wheel supplants the factory tiller. In addition, a brace of Autometer gauges have been installed to provide vital information on the volatile rotary's condition; there are meters reading EGT, water temperature, oil pressure, nitrous, and boost. The ICE was designed and installed, believe it or not, by Al & Ed's Autosound in Lakewood. Kenwood components were used exclusively, including a Kenwood DVD/CD unit with navigation capabilities and a 7-in. LCD monitor, Kenwood 6x5-in. door speakers, 10-in. Kenwood subwoofers and a single 1200-watt, five-channel Kenwood amp.
Extreme Dimensions' carbon-fiber trimmed RX-7 was built over the course of eight months and made its industry debut at the SEMA show in Las Vegas last fall. Currently you can probably catch posing for the cameras it at your favorite import event. Incidentally, all the Carbon Creations exterior treatments are available for general consumption on Extreme Dimensions' Web site. If you're truly looking for something to set your own ride apart from the rest, you've got to check out the line of Carbon Creations aero enhancements. The carbon-fiber components aren't particularly cheap, but then again neither are most things worth having, now are they?