When you cruise any of the freeways in southern California, you see some of the best, modified vehicles on the planet. Usually you'll catch a little glimpse of them as they zoom down the smooth interstate. Then there are times when your eyes just go numb from staring as you follow a vehicle in traffic.
Although it didn't start off a masterpiece show vehicle, twenty-five year old Paul Chen turned it into one; and he feels fortunate to be the proud owner. When Chen purchased his brand new silver Mazda RX-7 back in 1995, never did he realize what it would become. Living in one of the hottest spots on earth for import tuning, it was only a matter of time before aftermarket parts would make their way onto the RX-7. He started going to import shows in 1998 with some friends. After a few events, he decided to enter. At this time, there were only a few modifications made to the vehicle. The basics. In the eyes of the judges, Chen's vehicle wasn't worthy of an award. Judges seemed to just pass him by. Although he had lots of fun at events, Chen got sick and tired of being ignored, and not getting the attention he and his vehicle rightly deserved. There was only one thing to do, and that was to "go crazy" on the vehicle (in a good way).
First came the exterior mods courtesy of a genuine Mazdaspeed GT-C bumper, Type 15 spoiler, GT-C side skirts, and an RE Amemiya hood Type R. The stock suspension was ditched for Mazdaspeed coil-overs and Cusco front and rear strut braces were added. Eighteen-inch Work Equip wheels type VS-MD protected with Pirelli P7000 tires round out the exterior. "These wheels are only available in Japan. Since no one has seen them before, people always ask me what they are and where to get them", states Chen. Under the hood, Chen wanted a cosmetically appealing engine bay; naturally he wanted more speed out of the car as well. He accomplished both. The metamorphosis under the hood started by upgrading the turbo with a street port HKS T51r single turbo. More additions came by way of an HKS blow-off valve; a fabricated custom intercooler (with custom piping); an HKS stack for the turbo; and new 3 mm apex seals. A Blitz exhaust system, noticeable in sound and size helps push out the air properly from the motor. Finally, the piping and the top of the block were chromed to stand out when the hood is propped up. The abundance of chrome under the hood can blind you if the sun hits it right... better wear your sunglasses.
With the new and improved Mazda, Chen entered shows with experienced more successful outcomes. He was thrilled that all of his time and dedication paid off, but he was just beginning. Now he needed some tunes to complement the rest of the vehicle. For this he handed it over to the pros at Creative Car Audio & Motorsports in Santa Fe Springs, California.
Rounded OutStarting in the hatch, installer Ryan Uchida gutted the entire rear portion of the vehicle. After applying Dynamat and taping off the hatch, fiberglass was laid throughout to take advantage of every nook and cranny of space. This step was a necessity since the RX-7's hatch is small to begin with. After that step, the entire hatch was built up using MDF and more Fiberglass was used to form a shape. After sanding the panels smooth, it was painted silver to match the vehicle.