2 Fast 2 Furious: 1993 Mazda RX-7

Just because there was an RX-7 in the first "The Fast and the Furious" doesn't mean the RX-7 in this second one is the same RX-7. With Vin Diesel opting out of the sequel, the RX-7 seat was opened up to a new character named "Orange Julius" because, we guess, he lives in Florida where they grow oranges and his name is Julius? Remembering the character's name must have been easy for the actor tapped to play him, Amaury Nolasco, because it's plastered all over the car.

Naturally Orange Julius' 1995 RX-7 is orange, in this case House of Kolor's ultra orange pearl. That paint goes over a Versus Motorsports body kit and envelopes a set of 18-inch Ro_Ja wheels inside Toyo T1-S Proxes tires. Inside, they've crammed in a set of Sparco Torino seats, added GReddy boost, EGT and temperature gauges and bolted in some APC fire extinguishers. Surprisingly, the sound system is stock. The steering wheel is a Sparco piece as well, with "N2O" labels at the trigger buttons coming from the incredibly handy Brother P-touch labeler. Since the Nitrous Express system isn't hooked up, pressing those buttons does little more than tell the audience that the system has been fictionally engaged.

In fact, the RX-7 that showed up in Fontana was mechanically stock. Power still came from Mazda's sequentially turbocharged 13B twin rotor engine which, way back in '95 was rated by Mazda at 255 hp. That engine feeds a five-speed manual transmission that in turn sends power back to the rear wheels. The suspension is all independent with double wishbones in the front and a multi-link system in the rear. The entire theory behind the third-generation RX-7 was to reduce mass and the car weighed less than 3,000 pounds. This entire paragraph could have been written in 1993.

With nearly 50,000 miles on its clock, this RX-7 lived a full life before being acquired by the "2F2F" transportation department, and it feels like a car that's loosened with age. The engine hasn't been touched and somehow lived through filming without shattering in shrapnel. But the car's 14.6-second at 93.8 mph quarter-mile performance and 6.4-second 0-to-60 time indicate that it's definitely down on power. Stock third-gen. RX-7s usually run either lower in the 14s or in the high 13s with 0-to-60 times in the low fives. In the fictional "2F2F" world, OJ's RX-7 makes 350 hp, runs to 60 in 4.9 seconds and the quarter goes by in 13.6 seconds.

The car didn't do too well on the skidpad either. "This is the only RX-7 I've ever driven that goes from understeer to oversteer and back to understeer with no provocation whatsoever," says Dave Coleman after a run around the circle. Does that mean there's something bent, disconnected or missing in the suspension system? Probably, but the car still managed .91g, which is a real testament to the chassis of the third-gen. RX-7.

The stock brakes are also in need of attention. From 60 mph, this car stopped in 131 ft. RX-7s are great cars to drive and given a bucketful of TLC, this one could be made whole again. As it sits, however, it's wounded.

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