Mazda RX-7 FD Spirit R Type A

Position in the RX-7 range

The Spirit R Type A was a Japan-only farewell variant of the third-generation Mazda RX-7 (FD). Announced on 25 March 2002, it went on sale on 22 April. Mazda specified two seats, a five-speed manual and a 13B-REW rotary engine rated at 206 kW (280 PS). Mazda’s launch announcement.

Seats, chassis and appearance

Red Recaro full bucket seats distinguished Type A; Mazda attributed approximately 10 kg of weight reduction to them. Equipment included Bilstein dampers, drilled ventilated discs, stainless-mesh brake hoses and gunmetal 17-inch BBS wheels. Spirit R details included red calipers, special instruments, soft-coated interior panels and red-stitched leather controls. Five colours included the series-exclusive Titanium Gray Metallic. Mazda’s equipment specification.

Body and rotary power

Type A retained the late FD’s coupé body and adjustable rear wing. Its 1,308 cc twin-turbo 13B-REW belonged to the existing FD engine family. Spirit R therefore identifies a final-edition equipment package within the FD generation, rather than a separate generation or engine family. Classic Register also documents storage compartments behind the two seats and a passenger-side aluminium footrest. Classic Register’s Type A identification guide.

Type A, Type B and Type C

Type B combined four seats with a five-speed manual and the same rated output; Type C used four seats, a four-speed automatic and 188 kW (255 PS). Mazda’s announced 1,500-car allocation covered all three Spirit R versions, not Type A alone. Mazda’s range comparison.

Production and historical significance

Classic Register gives April–August 2002 as the manufacturing period and identifies Hiroshima, Japan, as the production location recorded on the Spirit R plaque. These are calendar production dates, distinct from an export-market model-year designation. Its guide does not confirm an exact Type A production total. Classic Register’s production and identification account.

At announcement, Mazda expected FD production to end in August 2002. Contemporary Mazda release.

Within that closing chapter, Type A preserved the two-seat manual configuration and added distinctive seating and chassis equipment. Its historical place is as a farewell specification of the RX-7 model line.

Sources and image credit

• Mazda Motor Corporation — Final Limited Edition of Mazda RX-7 ‘Spirit R’ Unleashed, 25 March 2002.
• Classic Register — 2002 Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A identification guide; supplementary production and equipment information.
• Aos.1905 / Wikimedia Commons — Spirit R Type A at the Mazda Museum; CC BY 4.0.

Browse related records

Search Record type All typesengine (1)

1 records

• Mazda RX-7 FD Spirit R Type A 13B-REW Rotary Engine

  The Spirit R Type A paired Mazda’s 13B-REW rotary with a five-speed manual and a published output of 206 kW (280 PS) in the RX-7’s final production year.

  Engine