The Savanna RX-3 is a favorite of gentle old car riders
The dawn of Japanese motorsports was a hot era when cars based on production cars were driven fast on circuits and engaged in fierce battles with rivals. During this era, cars modeled after the machines used on the circuit became very popular, and the number of owners who drove these cars on public roads increased. Mr. Matsuda, the driver of the Mazda “Savanna RX-3” introduced here, grew up under such influence.
He bought a Savanna RX-3 with a rotary engine
Mr. Matsuda was addicted to tinkering with motorcycles and automobiles when he was young, and spent his youth enjoying running and tinkering with them. He spent his youth running and tinkering with motorcycles and four-wheeled vehicles, and it was through these pastimes that he developed and enhanced his skills as a mechanic, without being taught by anyone, and opened the old motorcycle store “Tri-Stars” in Tokyo. Today, Tri-Stars is a well-known store that is not unknown in the 2-stroke old car industry.
Matsuda’s deep-rooted love of 2-stroke motorcycles led him to a fascination with rotary engines, which are very similar in structure. Among other things, he bought a Mazda “Savanna RX-3” that he had been interested in since he was young, relying on his friends who were old car enthusiasts. When he first bought it, the base car was severely damaged, but he restored it while adding light modifications, and after a long period, he says it is now in its current state.
The body and engine restoration was done with the help of a fellow old car rider who helped with the restoration work. The goal was to create a car that intuitively has the racy feel of those days, but without being overdone. Matsuda-san’s Savanna RX-3, which he lovingly tweaked and enjoyed, was set up with many items that reminded him of the nostalgic street tuning of those days.
The chin spoiler is a masterpiece made by the owner himself
Let’s start from the exterior and look at the installed parts, the first thing that catches the eye is the front chin spoiler. This is a rare type of chin spoiler that is a one-piece molding of the front bumper and chin spoiler. The chin spoiler was made of FRP, and Mr. Matsuda himself was particular about the shape, amount of protrusion, and angle of the chin spoiler to achieve this look. The old bumpers are hard to find nowadays, and the Savanna RX-3 riders love this spoiler as a repair part. Although the spoiler was made only half-heartedly as a hobby, he has already sold several of them to other enthusiasts.
The fenders were made to emphasize the wide impression of the car by slapping out the fenders, since installing over fenders or works fenders would give the impression of a modified car. If you look closely, you can see that the front arches are modest, but the rear fender arches were widened and slapped out.
I would also like to draw your attention to the door mirrors. It is unthinkable today, but when the Savanna RX-3 debuted, only fender mirrors were allowed. Door mirrors were illegal, but the style of the time was to insist that they were retrofitted. Mr. Matsuda’s car was equipped with a Jaguar mirror made by Maywa, which was one of the most popular such retrofit mirrors.
As for the rear, a spoiler was installed to cover the trunk, and the taillights were replaced with clear ones. The bumper was in stock shape and painted black like the front, to contrast with the bright red body. A single muffler with a longer tail was also made as a one-off project. The engine itself is stock ported, but the Weber carburetor gives off a pleasant rotary sound. However, in order not to disturb the neighbors, they have made the sub-taiko larger to improve the sound muffling effect at a low RPM range.
translated by DeepL