Mazda RX-7 FD Spirit R Type B

Identity and introduction

The Spirit R Type B combined four seats with a five-speed manual gearbox in the final Spirit R series of the third-generation RX-7. Mazda announced it on 25 March 2002, with Japanese sales beginning on 22 April. These are calendar dates, not a separate model-year designation.

Engine and equipment

Mazda specified the 13B-REW rotary engine at 206 kW (280 PS). Type B equipment included silver 17-inch BBS wheels, red leather seats, Bilstein dampers, drilled disc brakes and stainless-mesh brake hoses.

The Type A instead had two seats and lightweight Recaro buckets. Type C retained four seats but used a four-speed automatic and a lower output rating.

Final-series context

Mazda announced 1,500 Spirit R cars for Japan across all three types; that figure is not a Type B production total. The announcement anticipated FD production ending in August 2002, rather than documenting its eventual completion.

Type B preserved rear seating within the manual Spirit R offering. The release does not establish its individual production dates, assembly location or final build count. See Mazda’s contemporary announcement.

Sources and image credit

• Mazda Motor Corporation, final RX-7 Spirit R announcement, 25 March 2002: introduction, equipment and specification table.
• 先従隗始, Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type B photograph, 27 April 2023. Wikimedia Commons; CC0 1.0.

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

  The four-seat, manual Spirit R Type B used Mazda’s 13B-REW rotary, rated at 206 kW (280 PS).

  Engine