Other suspension improvements include M2 Performance toe and trailing links and bushings. Cusco front and rear strut tower braces aid in chassis rigidity. Combined, they allow the Konis to do their work without compensating for chassis flex or squishy bushings.
Blistering acceleration and high-g turning capability is useless without the right set of brakes. After using Wilwood brakes for a number of years, the car's enhanced performance demanded better stopping power. AP brakes from M2 Performance were the answer. The big, lightweight 13-inch Champ Car front rotors are pinched by four-piston AP calipers and feature machined mounts and aluminum hats. Steel brake lines are filled with Motul brake fluid. Not only does the car stop better than just about anything on the street, the lightness of the components keeps unsprung weight down, aiding handling.
Like the muscles rippling under the taut skin of a Doberman, there are only the subtlest of visual clues to the RX-7's awesome performance. The lowered body hunkers over 17-inch Manaray wheels. The tires wrapped around those wheels are serious-looking Bridgestone Potenza S02 Pole Position tires. A fat A'pexi stainless- steel exhaust pipe pokes from under the rear bodywork. Adorning the doors are chrome mirrors only the most astute will recognize as being from BMW's supercar, the Z8.
The interior of Monsen's car is as no-nonsense as the exterior. All the gauges have been replaced with Autometer Ultralites. Knig SK5000 seats hold Monsen in place during hard cornering. A Momo competition wheel, Voodoo aluminum shift knob and emergency brake handle, and CWC aluminum pedal assembly are present for the sake of performance and style, while Wilton wool carpeting and Dynamat sound deadening are in the name of comfort.
With a car so highly tuned, you could say street driving would be unrealistic at best. However, Monsen still drives his RX-7 at least three or four times a week. And as you might expect, it gets plenty of track time. Although it's not set up as a drag car, it manages mid-to-low 11-second times at the strip. More often than not, it's found at road courses such as Virginia International Raceway, embarrassing the Porsche and Ferrari drivers who were foolish enough to ignore this RX-7's growl.
RD Rotary RX-7
| Engine | | |
| Engine Code | : | 13B |
| Type | : | Turbocharged rotary |
| Internal Modifications | : | Street port, mechanical |
| | | oiling system, |
| External Modifications | : | Mitsubishi T78 single turbo |
| | | w/Garrett TV-series compressor, |
| | | Tial 46mm wastegate, custom |
| | | airbox, Mitch Piper intercooler, |
| | | GReddy blow-off valve |
| Engine Management Mods | : | Haltech engine management, |
| | | Bosch fuel pump, Bell rising rate |
| | | FPR, 2 Bosch 550cc primary |
| | | injectors, 2 Bosch 1600cc |
| | | secondary injectors, MSD ignition |
| | | Digital 6 Plus and DIS-2 ignition |
| | | systems, |