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Yeah as Casey said, I do still pop in here from time to time. I do still keep them. Feel free to drop me a message at j1t84@live.com

Drop me an email with a rough idea of what you’re after and I can put you in touch with the right guys

I never forget a face! If I remember rightly you had a silver FD. Good to see you’re back in the market. Importing is definitely an option but I’ve seen the prices in japan are steadily rising so perhaps it may be worth looking at ones over here too. Granted there doesn’t seem to be a massive selection but if you scratch the surface a bit you’ll find there are some decent examples for sale. What exactly are you after and what is your rough budget. I may be able to point you in the right direction.

Hi Chris, you wouldn’t be the same Chris Draco from over Staines way would you?

I think that generally speaking you will be safe with a performance downpipe and a rear section as long as you keep the stock catalytic converter in place. If you want to be doubly safe, perhaps you could pick up one of those aftermarket chipped stock ECUs from the likes of Re-a or Knightsports. If you don’t fit an aftermarket ECU That can be mapped for those modifications then you likely won’t see the full benefits. That said I still think it’s worthwhile doing as the stock downpipe is a massive restriction right next to the engine and causes a lot of heat build up in that area so it’ll end up as a decent reliability modification.

Interesting observations.

1. Gearknob. Few trains of thought here. One is indeed as you say, they’ve deliberately changed it to make it appear like a Bathurst R. Even though it looks nothing like the Bathurst R one!! Other possible train of thought is that the original one got stolen during shipping and this was all they had to replace it? That said, stock gearknobs usually get left well alone so I doubt it’s that. Finally, maybe that stock knob was too ttty so they felt like replacing it to improve the interior.

2. Front splitter is plastic and as you said looks ruined in those pics. I’d say they replaced it.

4. Device on side of dash looks like a Japanese roll card holder or reader or something similar. Wouldn’t be too concerned by that

5. Not a clue what that thing is on the passenger vent. Looks like a wierd cup holder but it’s definitely odd.

In my honest opinion it’s a touch too much for a Type R Bathurst. I, like you, would expect a Bathurst R for that money. Bits I can see from the photo that you want to pay attention to/ask about:
1. Intercooler hose (s shaped one) isn’t correct for the year. The one that is fitted is from a 92-95 car. Ask why. If you get told that the old one was split then you’re probably being lied to. I’ve not seen a 96-02 kne split as it’s plastic.
2. Panel gaps on the front end don’t look that great. Check them carefully and look for any signs of damage. Sometimes this isn’t easy to spot in RX7s.
3. Missing button on the Heater control panel
4. Random wiring in engine bay

Also I’m fairly certain that the Type R Bathurst had front fog lights. The Type R Bathurst R did not have front fog lights.

No worries I’ll try and clear up the confusion. From mid 2002 (possibly March), the only FDs sold were one of the following three designations.
1. spirit R (type A, B and C)
2. Type R Bathurst R (only approx 500 made)
3. Type R Bathurst

The Type R Bathurst is the most common model. It’s not a particularly special edition as such. It’s effectively the base model for that year. The Type R Bathurst came with height adjustable showa suspension and 280ps (n3g1 turbos).

The Type R Bathurst R was a limited run. They are easily identified by the sticker on the c pillar. Came with height adjustable showa suspension, 280ps, mazdaspeed carbon effect gear knob, handbrake handle, gearstick surround, heater control surround and speedo surround. These are fairly hard to find and don’t pop up for sale all that often. I’m only aware of two of these cars in the U.K.

The car in that advert is the more common Type R Bathurst.

In fact I’m almost positive it’s not a Bathurst R. A genuine Bathurst R would have stickers on the c pillar. It would also have a different gear knob. The Bathurst R also has a carbon effect handbrake gaitor and carbon effect dash panels. In late 2002, the only models available were Type R Bathurst, Type R Bathurst R and Spirit R. So this is effectively the base model for late 2002

That doesn’t look like a Bathurst R. It’s just a Type R Bathurst from those pics. If you have the chassis number I can check for sure

Sounds like the one I mentioned earlier for £32000 FOB (circa £43000 inc shipping and taxes RORO or £45000 by container). Is it the 99 car with 146k KMs?

I actually feel like the most cost effective way might actually be to build one!

What you’re looking for isn’t all that common. Last time I checked there was only one for sale in Japan. If memory serves me correctly it was based on a 99 spec FD, in the original fortune colours of orange and black. The price was an eye watering £33000 in Japan. So by the time you’ve got that here (even if you ship it RORO), I wouldn’t expect any change from £43K. And quite frankly that’s not a car I would ever consider shipping RORO, I’d want to container it.

I've heard of new boxes not working properly from more than one source. The main problem I heard was stuck solenoids.