The new Mazda RX-7 is still some way off, but a Japanese motoring publication has had a crack at conceptualizing just how the upcoming, rotary-engined, sportscar will look.
As our grasp of the Japanese language is poor, to say the least, the images show a compact sportscar featuring elements of Mazda’s Kodo design theme; supposedly portraying tension, dynamism and strength.
Whatever the design jargon, the rendering also has hints of Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ about its rear and flanks – something that ties in with the firm’s head of sports cars Nobuhiro Yamamoto’s claim that these are the cars the 2017 Mazda RX-7 will target weight- and packaging-wise.
Yamamoto’s disdain for turbocharging suggests the next-generation of Mazda’s Renesis rotary engine will be a naturally aspirated 1,6-litre unit developing around 224 kW. There is talk, however, of a hybrid set-up that could potentially address the rotary’s lack of low-end torque and high fuel consumption and emissions.
