So, by some chance encounters and a few long trips up and down the country. I’ve somehow managed to be (extremely) lucky enough to pick up to pick up a Mazda RX4.... :D
(http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i89/terrirx7/IMG_1079.jpg) (http://s70.photobucket.com/user/terrirx7/media/IMG_1079.jpg.html)
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Well, a bit of background about me. I was born into a rotary family, when I was a kid all I ever knew of cars was rotaries. We had an RX4 road car, Dad’s RX3 PP racer, my Mum’s RX3 road car, an R100 that was stored, my cousin’s RX3 racer and my godfather’s RX3 rally car used to swap places in the garage a fair bit too. Dad used to run his business “Terry Mayne Racing†so we’d have customer’s road and race Mazdas around all the time. I was pretty lucky to grow up in an environment like that.
(http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i89/terrirx7/TerryMayneRacing.jpg) (http://s70.photobucket.com/user/terrirx7/media/TerryMayneRacing.jpg.html)
I bought my first rotary when I was about 17, I hadn’t even passed my driving test! It was a red RX7 FB Mark 3 that we got from a scrap yard. It was mechanically very good, it’d just been in a bit of a front end smash. Dad and I got it home and he repaired the body work, we took the engine out, cleaned up a few bits and Dad also built a nice-straight through pipe for it. That sounded very sweet! Wasn’t long before I took the FB out on track at Silverstone (still hadn’t got round to doing my driving test at this point), one spin but came back in in one piece.
(http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i89/terrirx7/RX72.jpg) (http://s70.photobucket.com/user/terrirx7/media/RX72.jpg.html)
Then one day, was driving home minding my own business and the RX7 just started running like a tractor, then I heard this chunk of something go tinkling off down the exhaust pipe.... So, the car went to RX Motors for a rebuild. We decided to put a 13B in it.... for various reasons it ended up being about 7 years later that I finally picked the car up! I sold the car a little while later to a mate at work and I get to borrow it on occasion.
But the moment you sell a rotary, the first thing that happens is that you immediately want another one! Both my mum and dad had sadly passed on now and I guess for a few reasons I really wanted to go back to my history and pick up something old school. I started out looking for an RX3 when someone pointed out an RX4 that had been for sale for a while.
I emailed the chap to find out some info and sent a photo of the old RX4 that my Dad had had just for interest, and it turned out that this wasn’t just an RX4, it was the very same one! The same car that my Dad had back in the day, in fact the same car that I came back from the hospital in after being born so I really had to find a way to get hold of it. This is me, as a kid, passed out face down in that same car all those years ago...
(http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i89/terrirx7/421224_10151253674806047_1659708931_n.jpg) (http://s70.photobucket.com/user/terrirx7/media/421224_10151253674806047_1659708931_n.jpg.html)
So last weekend, I went up to see it. The chap had restored it a few years ago but turned it into a race car with a 13B streetport engine that had since been made ready for the road. She started up and sounded pretty awesome...
My Dad’s old 1977 RAC Competition Licence Holder was still in the front windscreen...amazing history!
(http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i89/terrirx7/IMG_1055.jpg) (http://s70.photobucket.com/user/terrirx7/media/IMG_1055.jpg.html)
So, the long and short of it is, the car got delivered to me last night, there’s a few minor bits that need doing, probably oil change, plugs and one of those pesky MOT things to get it on the road but i’m pretty chuffed to have found an RX4 and especially this one. I’ll post some updates as they come!
(http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i89/terrirx7/IMG_1081.jpg) (http://s70.photobucket.com/user/terrirx7/media/IMG_1081.jpg.html)
Since my original search was for an RX3, I absolutely couldn’t believe my luck when a blue one came up for sale on eBay! It looked like it needed a lot of work but there it was, not every day that happens! The next day I was going to give the guy a call but the ad had been taken down! Missed out! I decided to phone up anyway and I didn\'t believe my ears when it turned out he also had a rolling shell that he was keeping for spares for his race car (you\'ve probably have worked out who i’m talking about now!). There are few bits missing, and the interior has come from an Alfasud, it’d been stored away for about 15 years untouched but i’m really happy that he decided to part with it so it has become my project number 2 (a long term project, a very long term project;)).
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I know that Rx4:D iv ridden shotgun in it over to WGT. I was offered to drive it but declined as wanted to save that for the first ride in my rx4.
I think rx4s are becoming the new rx3s, everybody has done rx3s(well in australia) to death, and they are rarer than hens teeth.
What\'s the plans? Just drive it and enjoy or a few nice touches too it?
Was the crunchy Grindy 5th gear sorted on it?
Finally.... How much?
That\'s some amazing history you have there> it must feel strange, but at the same time, exciting about having your dad\'s old car back.
I think you need to recreate the picture of you lying on the passenger seat now :)
Good luck with your projects. You\'re lucky to have both a 3 and a 4 in your arsenal
Adam
Quote from: Grant Monkhouse;863065I know that Rx4:D iv ridden shotgun in it over to WGT. I was offered to drive it but declined as wanted to save that for the first ride in my rx4.
What\'s the plans? Just drive it and enjoy or a few nice touches too it?
Finally.... How much?
Ah I guessed a few people might know the car and owner ;) Think I read about your run out in it that some place on here praps, sounded fun.
Plans so far are probably to give it a service and MoT for starters and then get it a little more road friendly, although i\'ll probably keep it fairly stripped out. Will bring it along to a few shows and maybe the odd track day. I\'m just chuffed to have got it atm :) Ah sorry, will be keeping the monies sides of things private :)
Quote from: Ada7;863067That\'s some amazing history you have there> it must feel strange, but at the same time, exciting about having your dad\'s old car back.
I think you need to recreate the picture of you lying on the passenger seat now :)
Good luck with your projects. You\'re lucky to have both a 3 and a 4 in your arsenal
Adam
Yep sure is a bit emotional!
Ha! Not likely!! Too many pies had over the years to fit I expect!!
And cheers, yup def feel lucky.... was meant to be looking at a new house but decided a RX3&4 was a much more sensible idea lol :rollin
Quote from: gixergirl777;863076Ah I guessed a few people might know the car and owner ;) Think I read about your run out in it that some place on here praps, sounded fun.
Plans so far are probably to give it a service and MoT for starters and then get it a little more road friendly, although i\'ll probably keep it fairly stripped out. Will bring it along to a few shows and maybe the odd track day. I\'m just chuffed to have got it atm :) Ah sorry, will be keeping the monies sides of things private :)
Yeh it was real fun, prety damn quick for something with not many HPs:)
Only weighs
960kg iirc but don\'t tell anyone;)
Quote from: Grant Monkhouse;863081Yeh it was real fun, prety damn quick for something with not many HPs:)
Only weighs 960kg iirc but don\'t tell anyone;)
Short diff making it shift pretty well eh! Yup 960kg apparently, not bad for what is meant to be a heavy thing.
Stood it next to my Audi A3 daily and it looked really tiny. Very cool though.
i want to guess the previous owner as Mr Nixon ??
How lucky are you to find that actual car :yes
Glad it\'s got a loving home.
Thanks all :)
Yep Mr. Nixon indeed was the previous owner.
Quote from: gixergirl777;863082Short diff making it shift pretty well eh! Yup 960kg apparently, not bad for what is meant to be a heavy thing.
Stood it next to my Audi A3 daily and it looked really tiny. Very cool though.
Yeh, everyone says they weigh 1100kg and more, Ba hahahaha, they don\'t know anything. What diff has it got? Iv got a 4.672 in mine:D and a massive turbo:evillaugh
Quote from: grinder;863090i want to guess the previous owner as Mr Nixon ??
Yes it\'s Rays. I would have had that car in a heart beat, it\'s all good to race, just needs some bigger wheels and tyres as the ones on there are to meet race class rules Ray used to compete in iirc.
Oh oh oh are you bringing it 2moro?
Did the 3 come from a shed next to where the 4 was?
Nice set up Grant!
Think it\'s running 4.7 LSD, nice and short!
Oh I wish I was bringing it tmw but it\'s not T&Td and I don\'t have a trailer :( Next time though...
Yeah the 3 might have been in a shed only a few miles away ;)
Dave and Ray Nixon are both top blokes. Was nice to meet them.
What a great story! So now you\'ve got the rx4 and the an rx3! Very lucky especially in the uk! The 4 isn\'t heavy... will mine certainly doesn\'t feel it, in fact its very nimble and imho handles very neutrally and exceptional well for an old car with leaf springs... of course that could just be my set up but your with a 13bstreet port should go ok and still make a little brap!
Quote from: SSScoupe;863131What a great story! So now you\'ve got the rx4 and the an rx3! Very lucky especially in the uk! The 4 isn\'t heavy... will mine certainly doesn\'t feel it, in fact its very nimble and imho handles very neutrally and exceptional well for an old car with leaf springs... of course that could just be my set up but your with a 13bstreet port should go ok and still make a little brap!
Yep very chuffed. Gonna be a lean Christmas this year compared to this!! I\'m looking forward to maybe taking her out on track just to see what she\'s all about. Hehe hoping for a little brap, she sounds pretty good so far!
Sorry, the photobucket links have gone squiffy :( I don\'t seem to be able to edit the post.
Here\'s a working link to a mini album instead (fingers crossed for the photobucket!)
http://s70.photobucket.com/user/terrirx7/slideshow/Mazda%20RX4%20Iron%20Man
If anyone\'s interested, Wheeler Dealers are doing an episode tonight on an RX7 FD. My RX4 and a few other rotary specials will be on there too (probably including me making a total ass of myself!) on Discovery @ 9pm 31st March 2014.
watched that episode of wheeler dealers the other day on you tube... was staggered to see an RX4 on it! Then i paused it an realised i\'d seen it before :)
Cool! I was so glad to get it out there. There\'s a whole story behind getting the RX4 up there... i\'ve been meaning to write up some notes and post on here... I will do so shortly!