"One man's trash is another
man's treasure." It's true. There are things in life that you will toss
away that someone else will see value in—significant value. With cars,
it couldn't be more apparent. The whole trade, barter, and selling of
parts 'n' cars is driven by personal value. Is it worth giving up
something rare to acquire something possibly less rare, but something
you want more? Value isn't always measured in dollar bills, especially
when it comes to this hobby of ours. Money can buy just about anything
but sentimental value—that's the real game changer and what means the
most to us.
Photo 2/11
| 1993 Mazda Rx 7 C West Side Skirt
Take a look at this '93 Mazda
RX-7. It's beautiful, right? If we were to tell you at one point that
this FD3S was a shell left for dead, would you believe us? Well, it's
true. There was a point in this vehicle's journey where it was a
stripped-down piece of metal left in the back of a tuning shop and there
were no plans to ever complete it. But today, it lives a glorious life
because Matt Harrell saw it as his own personal treasure. After he
acquired it, he dumped so much money into it that he claims to have just
lost count somewhere after $45K worth of parts and labor. In his eyes,
it's priceless; however, let's take a step back to the beginning when
Harrell first laid eyes on his now 2JZ-powered FD.
Photo 3/11
| 1993 Mazda Rx 7 C West Rear Bumper
"I originally built this
2JZ-GTE engine with the idea that it was going to go into my '95 Nissan
240SX. Once I finished putting it together, I just couldn't justify
dropping the 2JZ into my S14. There was so much work into the motor that
I felt the need to put it into something nicer." Harrell explains. "I
have always been a fan of putting different engines into different
vehicles but a part of me actually wanted to find a MKIV (JZA80) Supra. I
like to think outside of the box but it almost seemed fitting that it
would go back into a Supra. The problem was I just simply couldn't find
one. They were all so expensive."
Without a home for his built
Toyota heart, Matt began looking at other alternatives. Finding a Supra
at the right price was almost impossible, so he turned to his buddy Dan
Kang at ZEN Motorsports for some advice.
Photo 4/11
| It's hard to tell this RX-7 started out as a shell with
its flawless exterior consisting of a molded C-West kit, pulled fenders,
and Mercedes paint.
"I told Dan I had this engine
that I built with nothing to put it in and he mentioned that he knew of
an RX-7 shell that may have been available," Matt continued. "This
custom widebody FD RX-7 had been sitting in the back of a body shop for
five years. It was an extensive project that had been left there
neglected over time. Come to find out that I actually knew who the owner
was. It took about a month of haggling but I eventually convinced him
to let me take it off his hands."
Now this sounded like a good
deal, but Matt assured us the car was in complete disarray. It was a
bare shell that was not only missing an engine, but basically everything
else as well. He soon discovered just how expensive, and hard to get,
replacement parts were for an RX-7, but he was left undeterred in his
plight. Harrell had a vision of exactly how he wanted his car to look
and the finished product becoming the face of his own shop was all the
incentive he needed to see it through. Countless hours went into
fabrication and assembly. Anything that closely resembled what most
would call a "budget" was non-existent, but neither was any sign of
regret. When it came to time and money, to Matt and his friends who
helped, it was all well spent.
Photo 8/11
| An 800hp 2JZ-GTE originally built for Matt's 240SX, it
looks and feels more at home in the immaculate bay of this FD!
Under the layer of Mercedes
silver paint was an authentic C-West aero kit that had been carefully
molded onto the body. The smooth body lines with the kit grafted in
helped to flow with the widened body panels. Stuffed underneath the
enlarged wheel arches were staggered 18" forged HRE 545 wheels—a line
that's been discontinued by HRE. Wrapped around the 12.5" wide rears
were a pair of stout 345-series BFGoodrich drag radials. The exterior
came together so well that Matt himself was a little surprised. As he
recalls, "I was amazed at how pretty the car was. I almost didn't want
to race it. One of my goals was to build it to compete at half-mile top
speed events, and that is exactly what I did! Every time I take the car
out now, people ask me about it. It's a real attention-grabber!"
Photo 9/11
| 1993 Mazda Rx 7 C West Front Bumper
The Mazda had come full
circle. Originally left for dead by its owner, it now lived a new life
as a savage of a race car with the looks to match—and it all started
with heart of a Supra. This motor that Harrell had built and deemed too
potent for his own S14 was indeed no joke. The 2JZ engine block was
fortified with CP pistons and Manley connecting rods, while the
valvetrain was fully upgraded using Brian Crower components. The factory
twin turbochargers were removed—now in its place is a single, larger,
Comp Turbo CT6X unit mounted to a custom manifold. Dual Bosch 044 fuel
pumps deliver plenty of race gas to an engine that produces well over
800 hp. Assisting in delivering all that power to the beefy drag radials
is a six-speed manual transmission from a Nissan 370Z that's been
retrofitted to the 2J. A Ford 8.8" rear end and custom aluminum
driveshaft ensure that the power actually makes it there. 684 lb-ft of
torque would likely nuke any type of OEM Mazda drivetrain, so Harrell
knew he needed to bring reinforcements.
Photo 10/11
| 1993 Mazda Rx 7 C West Aero Kit
We asked him what exactly was
needed to create a project of this caliber and he reminded us that it is
no easy, or affordable, task: "Do your research. Make sure you're ready
for such a build both mentally as well as financially. Basically,
everything on this car had to be custom-made and I would say that 90
percent of it was done in-house, which helped to cut the costs down, but
I was still over budget. And one more thing: If you're married, be
prepared to kiss your spouse's ass for the next three years! It's all
totally worth it, though. I swear!"
Photo 11/11
| 1993 Mazda Rx 7 Hre 545 Wheels
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