Not A Miata - Driving the RX-7 GTO at Goodwood- 2016 Mazda Miata Convertible Long-Term Road Test

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Not A Miata - Driving the RX-7 GTO at Goodwood- 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata Convertible Long-Term Road Test

We drive Mazda's IMSA GTO championship-winning RX-7 at the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

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desmolicious

Very cool Josh.
Can you explain what this means?

Once moving, the clutch isn't necessary for upshifts, but breathing the throttle at exactly the right instant is.

jjacquot

It means you just unload the drivetrain by lifting a little off the gas then shove the shifter into the next higher gear. Do it right and it goes right in like a conventional sychromesh gearbox. Do it wrong and it won't come out of gear.

subatomic

Fun video to watch. It would be great if Mazda brought back the rotary sports car, but the technical hurdles and Mazda's limited resources make this seem impractical. I think I would be happy with an affordable RWD sports coupe built on a stretched or "supersized" version of the MX-5 Miata chassis and powered by the larger 2.5 liter I-4.

longtimelurker

Rotary is ideal for competition...doesn't need to make power at low rpm and doesn't need to last more than a couple thousand miles before it starts using oil and needs a rebuild.

Only problem is the poor fuel economy on the street is even worse on the track, so not good for endurance racing.