Car Of The Day: November 29, 2011

Today's car of the day is (you tell me)'s 1979 Mazda RX-7.

The Mazda RX-7 is a sports car by the Japanese automaker Mazda. It was produced from 1978 to 2002. The original RX-7 featured a 1146 cc twin-rotor Wankel rotary engine and a sporty front-midship, rear-wheel drive layout. The RX-7 was a direct replacement for the RX-3 (both were sold in Japan as the Savanna) and subsequently replaced all other Mazda rotary cars with the exception of the Cosmo.

The original RX-7 was a sports car. The compact and lightweight Wankel engine (rotary engine) is situated slightly behind the front axle, a configuration marketed by Mazda as "front mid-engine". It was offered as a two-seat coupé, with optional "occasional" rear seats in Japan, Australia, the United States, and other parts of the world. These rear seats were initially marketed as a dealer-installed option for the North American markets.

The RX-7 made Car and Driver magazine's Ten Best list five times. In total, 811,634 RX-7s were produced.

For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Mazda RX-7

A pretty nice casting, but the manufacturer declined to identify themselves on the base.  Any ideas?

Series 1 (1979–1980) is commonly referred to as the "SA22C" from the first alphanumerics of the vehicle identification number. This series of RX-7 had exposed steel bumpers and a high-mounted indentation-located license plate, called by Werner Buhrer of Road & Track magazine a "Baroque depression."

In 1980 Mazda released 2500 special North American models known as the LS (Leather Sport). This package was essentially an uprated "GS" model with added LS badges on each B-pillar, unequal width dual gold pinstripe detail, full special brown leather upholstery, sunroof, AM/FM stereo radio, and LS-only gold center colored alloys. Two GS package options were also available; three speed automatic transmission and air conditioning. This model was only available in three different colors: Aurora White (1000 made), Brilliant Black (1000 made) and Solar Gold (500 made). Production estimates in parenthesis are widely accepted estimations per color, though no official production records are known to exist or to have been released, aside from the total combined production figure of 2500 units.