This 700-Horsepower Mazda RX7 Is Your Daily Dose of Rotary

For when you just can’t get enough Wankel, there’s this.

byCaleb Jacobs|
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The rotary engine may have a bigger cult following than any other powerplant. All of its unique attributes collectively make it a peaky bit of kit that's capable of producing high horsepower with no cylinders or pistons, setting every one of its fans' heads ablaze. The sound they emit is righteous and screaming, and they gulp fuel more than most V8s you'll find anywhere else. Highly tuned versions like this FC3S RX7 are seen as the epitome of the rotary world, and with different applications like drift, drag, and in this case, hillclimb, it proves to be versatile as well as uncommon.

Oh yeah, and it has 700 HP. You can thank hefty turbocharging for that, the driving force behind every high power rotary build. The swift kick of forced induction helps to spin the engine's multiple rotors around at speeds of around 13,000 RPM, wailing through the Shelsley Walsh Hillclimb. You can see the driver struggle for traction as it builds into its powerband, varying steering and throttle input to even out the car's movement.

While they not be the most practical use for motorsport like this, the rotary certainly helps to set the RX7 apart from its competitors. It's refreshing to see something different in a sea of turbo fours and roaring eight cylinders.

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And if you wanted to, you could swap the tires on this car and take it to a pro-am drift event. That could be the greatest thing about it -- one car to do it all, right?

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