Mazda RX-7 FD Type R Bathurst
A late FD special version based on the Type R, combining height-adjustable dampers and fog lamps with the 280 PS rotary engine and five-speed manual transmission.
Overview
The Type R Bathurst was a Japanese-market special version of the third-generation Mazda RX-7, based on the Type R. Sales began on 10 December 2001 through Mazda Anfini and selected Mazda dealers. This is a calendar-date introduction, rather than a separate generation or an independently established model-year designation. Mazda launch announcement.
Engineering and equipment
Its defining additions were height-adjustable dampers, with adjustments performed by a dealer at the customer’s request, and special fog lamps. Mazda specified a 13B-REW rotary engine, five-speed manual transmission and maximum output of 206 kW (280 PS). The Japanese launch price was ¥3,398,000 before tax. Mazda specification.
The underlying FD was a rotary-powered coupé with rear-wheel drive and sequential twin turbocharging. RX-7 assembly was in Hiroshima, Japan; that is model-level production context, not evidence of a separately documented Bathurst production line. RX-7 overview.
Type R Bathurst and Type R Bathurst R
The earlier Type R Bathurst R went on sale on 30 August 2001 with a stated Japanese sales limit of 500 cars. Its announcement listed Bathurst R decals, carbon-look interior panels, special shift and parking-brake controls, and three colours including Sunburst Yellow. Those details belong to that earlier edition and should not automatically be assigned to the December car. The Bathurst name commemorated RX-7 victories in Australia’s Bathurst 12-hour race in 1992, 1993 and 1994. Mazda Bathurst R announcement.
The December Type R Bathurst announcement states no numerical production limit. It should therefore not inherit the earlier edition’s 500-car figure. December announcement.
Place in the final RX-7 range
Mazda’s March 2002 Spirit R announcement explicitly retained the Type R Bathurst in the RX-7 line-up alongside the forthcoming Spirit R series. The Bathurst therefore remained part of the final sales programme rather than simply disappearing when Spirit R was announced.
That release scheduled Spirit R sales for 22 April 2002 and anticipated the end of FD-3S production in August 2002. The latter is a model-wide production forecast, not a documented last-build date for the Type R Bathurst. The cited releases establish its December introduction and continued inclusion in the 2002 range, but do not establish a variant-specific production total or exact manufacturing interval. Mazda’s final-series announcement.
Within this chronology, the Type R Bathurst represents a late equipment-focused development of the FD. Compare the separately catalogued Spirit R Type A, Type B and Type C.