Sitting wide and low, and polished to some mirror shine, this square-shouldered FD3S is really a prime demonstration of attention to detail. No matter where you appear, you will find the kind of meticulous perfection that can only come from a passion bordering on obsession. Kabe-san of Rapt might not admit it, but he or she is a true RX-7 otaku!

More recently having been prepared exclusively for extreme use on target, though the whole build of his personal FD has spanned close to a decade, in the beginning being tuned for a more street-oriented use. As Kabe-san explained, his company’s main area of expertise is professional detailing-anything from polishing an oxidized and swirled paint finish to dent window and removal tinting. This goes a long waylove for rotary sports cars has additionally allowed him to develop a kind of side business as a tuner, specializing on the RX-7. He only does work for his car and cars of close friends, which is probably why the name Rapt is not a known one. In fact, Kabe-san explains that he is not even known in Japan like a tuner. It was simply a picture, although he had some exposure of the car in an old Option magazine. But by keeping a low profile, Kabe-san has received time to perfect each portion of the car and it is currently quite satisfied with it in both looks and performance. He swears there may be very little he could possibly do in order to it to improve it further, although that’s what they all say.

What attracted Kabe-san to the FD3S as a platform are its capabilities and potential, becoming a true driver’s car with great balance and a more-than-adequate amount of power. He soon got comfortable with it, which can be when the modifying began, first with the suspension, then with a little engine work. Enjoying the RX-7 on the track a lot more called for added tweaks, until the point where he decided to gomeans that he values the looks and finish of any car more than anything, so the idea was to create an eye-catching exterior using a carefully chosen selection of parts. The car needed to be widened to match more aggressively offset wheels, so Kabe-san called Kazama-san at Kazama Auto and had him send a set of his wide front and back fenders over. A C-West front bumper and a set of wider side skirts, also from Kazama, accompanied these. A lot of work went into blending inside the rear fenders with the remainder of the body, making a seamless transition from metal to FRP. Expanding foam was sprayed on the inside of the front and rear fenders to increase their stiffness, while a stock inner arch liner was adapted to get a more complete look.

Everyone knows how well carbon fiber works on a black car, so Kabe-san went DIY crazy, creating a very aggressive series of additions, like the front diffuser-slash-canards, which helps generate high quantities of downforce at speed. The top fenders were then modified with a Super GT-like carbon profile, closing off the more rounded lower section of the fender, creating a slab-sided race car look. The carbon theme is completed in the rear having an RE Amemiya diffuser, carbon-Kevlar vortex generators, as well as a Sard wing, even though the Advan Model T7 17-inch wheels sit flush together with the angular body, further adding to the purposeful and track-oriented look of the car.

2002 mazda RX 7 type RS custom surge tank and pickupThe interest to detail continues underneath the hood together with the side-ported 13B, capable of developing 500 hp at 16 psi of boost pressure. To achieve this level of power, Kabe-san fitted a Trust TD07-25G turbine onto a Reaction Racing exhaust manifold and in addition fabricated all of the aluminum piping and end tanks for the V-mounted Blitz intercooler core. Engine work was outsourced to Reaction Racing, including side porting and fitting the top-performance ceramic apex seals about the FC rotors. And for an additional squirt of power down the straightaways, Kabe-san has also added a nitrous oxide injection system, which employs a wet fogger fitted directly onto the intake pipe, prior to the throttle.

With all of the usual rotary engine cooling and fueling upgrades in place, engine management employed to rely solely on an Apexi PowerFC, but after the latest batch of modifications, Kabe-san installed an HKS F Con V Pro for even finer tuning control. He also seriously fortified the drivetrain, beginning with an OS Giken twin-plate clutch and close-ration 5-speed gearset along withproducts which add an immense amount of feel, not to mention tightening up an aging chassis. The bolt-in Saito Achieve rollcage also increases chassis stiffness immensely, while the Biot 324mm front rotors and Endless CC-R brake pad upgrade improve stopping power.

Now a purpose-built track car, comfort has been sacrificed for performance, hence the Bride Zeta III racing bucket seats. For optimal weight balance, the battery continues to be relocated for the passenger foot well, eliminating pretty much every one of the legroom and ensuring that passenger rides aren’t too high on the agenda. There are several gadgets to keep even the more tech-obsessed otaku out there happy, like the Stack 8130 dash/datalogger unit mounted onto a carbon-fiber instrument panel. The custom carbon center console houses all of the usual race car switches as well as the GReddy boost controller and Multi Switch System, which is used to control the nitrous oxide system.

Kabe-san’s Rapt RX-7 proves that you will need to dig deep to find the best cars out there, as only an obsessed and passionate owner could spend so much time fine-developing and tuning his joy and pride. Despite him assuring us that the car is completed, we need to drop by his shop in the future to find out what other improvements he will think up next-and at the same time maybe check out some of the RX-7s his customers and friendsexhaust and wirescontrols, custom carbon dash panel and center console, Stack 8130 datalogger/dash unit, Innovate A/F meter, custom switchgear, GReddy Profec Type-S boost MSS, boost and controller gauge; HKS Circuit Attack Counter, NOS pressure gauge, Apex PowerFC Commander, passenger foot well battery

Exterior: C-West front bumper, Rapt carbon front diffuser/canards, carbon fender panel, and cable ties for spoiler; Kazama Auto front wide fenders side skirts, and rear wide fenders; Staut carbon hood, RE Amemiya fixed light conversion, FRP rear hatch, and rear diffuser with carbon-Kevlar fins; HPI lexan windows (side and rear), Sard carbon wing.