Get to Know a Spa 24 Hours-winning Mazda RX-7

In this video, the guys at EVO take the Mazda RX-7 that won the 1981 Spa 24 Hours for a spin and share with the world just what it’s like to drive.

Mazda’s mighty Le Mans-winning 787B scores the lion’s share of the marque’s racing limelight, and for good reason, but there’s another, more prolific, weapon in their arsenal – the RX-7.

The RX-7 utterly monstered the IMSA GTU series. In 1979 RX-7s took the top two steps of the 24 Hours of Daytona podium and eventually won the GTU series championship. They clearly enjoyed that, because they won the GTU championship for seven years on the trot. RX-7s also went on to claim a full decade of GTO championship victories from 1982. No other model has been as successful in the IMSA series.

The cars weren’t just successful in the States – RX-7s won the British Touring Car Championship twice. Here in Australia Allan Moffat won the ’83 Australian Touring Car Championship in one and made three trips to the Bathurst podium. He’d also win the ’84 Australian Endurance Championship, while Peter McLeod had won it in ’83 with his own RX-7.

The car from today’s video earned its fame in 1981, as one of three Tom Walkinshaw Racing RX-7s entered into the Spa 24 Hours. They emerged victorious from a fierce battle with a set of BMW 530is and Ford Capris, with this car, driven by Pierre Dieudonné and Tom Walkinshaw, winning outright.

EVO’s video is exactly what it needs to be. A wonderful old racecar, revving happily while Richard Meaden gives some interesting and enlightening impressions on what it’s like and where it fits in the pantheon of motorsport. Great stuff!