1979 (SA)
By Manntis April 23, 2003
Known by enthusiasts as an ‘SA’ type due to its VIN, the 1979 model (released in 1978) was the first of the RX-7 line.
The SA had exposed steel bumpers and a high-mounted license plate located in an indented part of the rear of the car, famously criticized by Werner Buhrer of Road & Track magazine as a “Baroque depression.”
In Japan and Australia the RX-7 was available as a 2+2, but in North America where rear-impact protection standards were higher the rear seats were deleted to make room for additional body bracing.
This was not to be the only difference; North American markets received a lean-burning version of the 12A, whereas European and Japanese RX-7 owners have a slightly different engine.
Mazda aimed to make a true sports car and not repeat the errors of the Rx5 Cosmo. The chassis would be a monocoque with the unbelievably high torsional strength of 6,780lb-ft per degree, a figure wich turned out to be something of a challenge to better in the second generation Rx7.
The RX-7 debuted in the spring of 1978, production started in March and introduced as a 1979 model. Road & Track compared its impact to the instantly successful 1970 introduction of the Datsun 240Z, subtitling it’s initial article on the rotary-powered sports car “A major breakthrough for the enthusiast”. It was, the magazine noted, the first such vehicle since the demise of the original Cosmo Sports and the NSU Prinz. The interior was described as “enthusiast” with a big central tachometer (shades of Alfa Romeo), flanked by a 130mph speedometer on the right and a three-in-one temperature gauge, fuel gauge, and clock to the left. The tach doubled as a voltmeter, showing the state of battery charge before engine start. Warning lights below the gauges monitored the usual functions, including state of charge with the engine running. The RX-7 was praised for ventilation and heating (a Mazda tradition), including the then novel idea of demisting the side glass by separate vents at the A-pillar. Some of the materials used on the RX-7’s interior, however, were not felt to be up to Mazda’s usual standards.
Initial driving impressions were favorable across the board, from the strong feel of acceleration to generally balanced handling. Automotive journalists recorded a standing start quarter mile in 17sec flat, 0-60mph in 9.2sec, and a top speed (in fourth and fifth) of 122mph. Ride was praised as “the best combination of springing and shocking of any Japanese car”, though the rear anti-roll bar was criticized from the outset for causing the inside rear wheel to lift and spin on tight medium-speed corners, causing oversteer characteristics, which changed to understeer when the wheel came back down. The rear suspension would probably become the most commonly mentioned shortcoming of the RX-7.
In contrast to frequently over-decorated Japanese designs, the RX-7 was unpretentious and efficient of line, with a ‘greenhouse’ (glassed area) said to resemble an airplane’s canopy.
Production changed October, 1979. Early 1979 models (those built in 1978) had only a left outside rearview mirror; the prop rod for the hood was on the right instead of the left.
| Models | |
| S | The Sport (S) was not a stripped loss leader. Standard equipment on the $6,395 base model included AM/FM stereo radio with electric actuated antenna, tinted glass, quartz clock, rear defogger, and HR-rated 165-13 steel belted radials from Bridgestone. |
| GS | The Grand Sport (GS) package was $600 more, offered a lot of functional stuff: the 5-speed gearbox, 185/70-13 Bridgestones, the rear anti-roll bar, and a 4-spoke (instead of the base’s 2-spoke) padded steering wheel, as well as an electric hatch release, a day-night mirror, and miscellaneous trim bits including side molding not on the base model. Aluminum alloy wheels were not included in the GS package – the standard wheel was a 5″ wide styled steel rim painted an aluminum/gray color. The optional 5.5″-wide alloys added to the sticker price, and the intricate design added a lot of time to a car wash to get all the road dirt and brake pad dust from all the nooks and crannies. Other freestanding options were the automatic transmission, air conditioning, stereo cassette sound system, a rear spoiler, and California emissions. |
| LE | The Limited Edition, sold in small numbers, had cosmetic differences. |
| General Data | |
| 1978 Production: 1979 Production: Cumulative: |
72,692 71,617 (-1.48%) 144,309 |
| Engine: | 12A (1146 CC displacement) rotary 2 stage 4 barrel carburetor normally aspirated 100 bhp SAE net @ 6000 rpm 105 lb-ft torque @ 4000 rpm 9.4:1 compression ratio 17 mpg city/28 mpg highway (5 speed) |
| Transmission: | 1st 3.674:1 2nd 2.217:1 3rd 1.432:1 4th 1.000:1 5th (GS) 0.825:1 Reverse 3.542:1 Final Drive 3.909:1 |
| Brakes: | 226mm (8.9 in) Disc front 200 x 33mm (7.9 x 1.3 in) Drum rear Vacuum assist front-rear hydraulic split |
| Suspension: | Macpherson strut front w. 23 mm (0.91 in) anti-roll bar Watt linkage live axle rear w. 16 mm anti-roll bar (GS only) |
| Steering: | Recirculating ball type 38mm (1.5 in) offset 33mm shaft diameter 15 degree distortion @ 7.2 lbs-ft torque variable overall ratio 17-20:1 3.7 turns (lock to lock) 31.5 ft turning circle |
| Wheelbase: | 2420mm (95.3 in) |
| Wheels: | 13″ alloy 110 mm bolt pattern |
| Track: | 1420/1400 mm (55.9/55.1 in) front/rear |
| Body: | Unibody (monocoque) 6780 lb-ft torsional rigidity .36 Cd 4285mm (168.7 in)long 1650mm (65.0 in) wide |
| Vehicle Weight: | S (4 speed) 1065kg (2348 lbs) GS (5 speed) 1080kg (2381 lbs) GS (auto) 1097kg (2420 lbs) GS (auto) 1093 kg (2410 lbs) (Calif) |
| Acceleration | 0-30 mph 2.8 sec 0-40 mph 4.3 sec 0-50 mph 6.3 sec 0-60 mph 8.7 sec 0-80 mph 16 sec |
Submitted on April 23, 2003 in Tech & Specs.
D'Arcy (aka 'manntis') has owned several RX-7s over the years, including a 1985 GSL-SE that had once been the daily driver of Pamela Anderson. Named 'Pam' after its former owner, that car met an untimely death outside of Roger's Pass in the Canadian Rockies when the highway turned and, thanks to rain, the car didn't. D'Arcy started Rotorhead as a labour of love in 2002, tired of trying to find information on 1st gen RX-7s scattered throughout the internet.
Manntis has contributed 31 articles to Rotorhead.
