7’s Day: Rotaries Invade Umihotaru PA
The Ride Into The Bay

We could have stayed at Daikoku PA all night on 7’s Day if the police didn’t kick everyone out, but the shift to Umihotaru PA is always a welcome change of pace and a highly anticipated second part to one of the most memorable gatherings of the year.

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Knowing that Daikoku had been shut down, many people who got off work late skipped the first destination entirely and headed straight down the Aqua-Line to the man-made island in Tokyo Bay where this parking area sits, and waited.

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This meant that a fresh selection of cars was waiting for us all to see. These guys looked like they were ready to hit the Gunsai cycle course for a round of Hot Version’s Touge Battle.

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The vast selection of rides also included some non-rotary metal, and I have to say it always impresses me how R35 owners don’t seem to be too shy when it comes to going all-out on aesthetic mods or custom colors.

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As I hinted in my initial 7’s Day post, it boggles my mind at how the FD3S RX-7 can be transformed into something absolutely mental thanks to the vast selection of exterior parts and kits out there. But seeing a sedate and almost stock looking FC sitting next to a tuned FD, only emphasises the fact that the simple approach will never get old. Think about it, in 20 or 30 years which cars do you think will be more sought after?

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Then of course there’s the much played out ‘stance’ argument we’ve all seen tossed into pretty much any static-related event coverage anyone posts on the internet. Are lowered cars with tight fitment functional? Of course they’re not. Do they look ridiculously good while parked at a truck stop? They sure as hell do!

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Take that as you will; it’s all part of the greater car culture, and when a car looks as good as this FC3S on Barramundi wheels, you can’t expect me to not take a picture and share it with you guys, right?

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This wild wide-body Toyota Levin served as a timely reminder that ’86 Day’ is coming up quick next month!

Here’s a perfect example of Japanese respect. The older guy that showed up with this 4-door Hakosuka parked it and then had a wander around the carpark to check out a different scene. It was cool to see to say the least.

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On the other side of the PA’s third-level, which the rotary guys pretty much took over, I spotted this bunch of younger kids checking out some cars. In a country where the news keeps reporting that young men are no longer interested in cars, I found this quite a reassuring sight. Oh, and on a side note, is it just me or did VeilSide’s Fortune RX-7 kit come 10 years too early? This blue example and the white one I saw at Daikoku looked curiously contemporary. Maybe that’s why Yokomaku-san at VeilSide is busy building more of these one-off cars. What do you think?

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About 30 minutes after I arrived and had grabbed a quick katsu-sando from the conbini on the fourth floor, the meeting was in full swing.

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So much so in fact that there were no spots left for people to park in.

Riding Down To Level 1
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Not to worry though, as the outside truck parking area on the ground level turned out to a great place for the gathering to spill over to.

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I jumped on the escalators and headed down straight away, only to see the legend himself, Amemiya-san, chilling by a transporter. He’s a incredibly humble person despite his fame and accomplishments with RE Amemiya, and always manages to spot me and say hi, even before I have time to look up from my viewfinder and realise who’s talking to me. He commented on the nice turn out and then left to meet with more people and pose for pictures.

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At that moment, the highlights of the night – at least in my eyes – rolled in with obligatory loud throttle blips.

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This SA22C RX-7 pairing had come all the way from Mito in Ibaraki-ken, a good two-hour drive down to where we were. This was the first time I had seen Kaido Racer-style RX-7s drop in on a 7’s Day meet like this, so I was pretty excited. They both featured rear hatch conversions where the stock glass window is removed and replaced with an FRP piece sporting a small vertical glass screen. This one even had its rear side glass replaced with louvered panels.

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The race-inspired overfenders and louvered bonnet are a must, but this white car was also wearing a pretty cool front bumper with massive projectors at each corner.

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Yes, Japan truly rocks!

Across from the Kaido Racers were a modern selection of FDs, including some RE Amemiya-built beasts as well as the carbon 20B-powered show car from years back. Amemiya-san wasn’t so sure about the owner-added wing on the green car though…

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So there you have it folks, 7’s Day 2016 in all its glory. If you are into rotaries you owe it to yourself to get to Japan and witness this gathering firsthand at least once. Believe me, it’s always worth it!

Now, all of this has left me with the sudden urge to hunt out some more rotary awesomeness from Japan…

Dino Dalle Carbonare
Instagram: speedhunters_dino
dino@speedhunters.com

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1

I think the LevelOne FC runs on Barramundi Design Toman wheels not Works VSXX. Wow 7s day look crazy. Great Work Dino your coverage on things are awesome.

2

Been waiting for new wallpapers

3

I know this is supposed to be a post about RX-7s but holy hell that 86 is gorgeous.

4

Great article Dino and amazing shots, you're an inspirtation of mine. Plus RX7's have always been one of my loves, such a cool car....and the 86!

5
difflocked_mees

great read, and now i'm very envious of you dino. 
strange how well the veilside kit has hold up over the years, makes me wonder if some popular kits today will still look as good 10 years from now as they do today maybe 20 years? 


still not a fan of after-market lambo doors but to each his own, another thing that keeps the car culture diverse.

6

difflocked_mees I feel like most Rocket-Bunny kits will age very badly

7

Dino,  your writing has matured and now matches the quality of your outstanding photography.  I get the vibe that you aren't trying to prove anything, there is a fluidity and an underlying confidence to your tone.  

Seriously, you made my day better by posting this up. Thank you!

8
Slappy_Pistons

Dino mate I'm a bottle of wine deep and I wanna say an acquaintance (?) of yours told me to look at SH a few years ago and in that time I have been consistently back for pieces EXACTLY like this much love fam very on fleek with the pictures and words peace

9
difflocked_mees

Acc difflocked_mees mmm... perhaps for most versions they won't age with too much grace, however i do feel like the v1 brz/frs kit will age quite well as it already compliments the cars lines and curves. the rocket bunny 240sx 'boss' kit will remain an oddity a love it or hate it kind of deal, but no doubts there that it will become legendary.

can't wait for dino's feature of a classic 240sx boss 15+ years from now

10
speedhunters_dino

RayGoodwin Thanks!

11
speedhunters_dino

Slappy_Pistons Haha that's awesome to hear! :)

12
speedhunters_dino

AceAndrew2 :)

13
speedhunters_dino

KRaZyAmmo Well spotted! Correction made :)

14

Its a shame you didnt take a picture to Yuki´s 4rotor RX7.
Maybe 1 day you´ll do a article!?

15

These recent posts have been reminding me of the older SpeedHunters posts, especially the "Meets" section (Hope you don't take that the wrong way, you guys have been doing a job well done either way). What can I say, I love meet up posts especially when they include RX-7's

16

Good lord it is one of my life goals to attend this meet. Awesome coverage as always Dino.

17

Dino, I can only imagine the noise inside there must have been just ridiculous. And I mean that in the BEST possible way.

18
speedhunters_dino

RyanWreyford Come next year! :)

19
speedhunters_dino

@Sev1207 We still cover a lot of meets ;)

20
speedhunters_dino

rmiguelcar Oh I'd love to, but he's afraid his friend might get angry. No joke!

21

Yeah, that guy who write in every single post "fu*****" and "s***".
Its a Shame :/

22

difflocked_mees Acc I think the recent rx7 kit, and that s14 dodge looking creation are gonna turn heads later on.

23

CaptainHat YEP!

24
jbfromsiliconvalley

Brap brap brap brap braaaaaaaaaaaaaa, brap brap brap
Easy Quiz: highlight when the engine was @ idle vs. WOT

25

Ive seemed to have spilled premix on my pants.
More rotary posts please!

26
Gianluca FairladyZ

GREAT! :)

27

speedhunters_dino rmiguelcar *slow clap* Maybe Yuki should find himself better friends, i'd definitely want to see more of his car here hahaha!

28

Splendid coverage as always! Seeing these 7's day articles throughout years of reading SH kept me going till I finally got my hands on an FD myself. Will there be a chance we could see a coverage of Rinku 7's day next time for a change?

29

That first picture in the second chapter (A great picture as is mind) would have been made with an FB, FC, FD 7s and that R3 8 as a sort of timeline!

31

Not quite as awesome as 7's Day in Japan, but we're doing what we can to keep the legend alive...7's Day NYC
https://www.facebook.com/146979528701961/videos/1113397718726799/
Here's to many more years of celebrating one of the greatest cars to come out of Japan! U0001f37b

32

awesome coverage! thank you.

if only we built rotaries like this in australia.

33

Such awesome aftermarket kits. Stock FC is sexy but an RX-7 can never be ugly.

34

The FD in Innocent Blue Mica that leads this...Is my favorite Mazda ever made. I LOVE that color and the car. Like seriously...I'd trade a thousand cars, launch a thousand ships, kill a thousand Trojans for an Innocent Blue Mica twin-turbo FD.

35

Well ! Another year gone. time going so fast. maybe someone turbocharged the time.

36

YES PLEASE. THANKS DINO.

37

I love the variety even amongst one model.

38

Great post, Dino. Really wish I was that good with a DSLR

39

my stepmom got a real cool Acura by part time working online from home... browse around this web-site=====report55­­.ℭomllllllll

40

Crap, completely forgot about 7/7... Oh well, I'll come next year then.

41

my aunty recently purchased an awesome six-month old Lincoln MKC SUV just by some part time working online with a laptop... this website see it here=====daily-salary­­.ℭomllllllll

42

with a driver that is very reliable car that can drive very wellhttp://633cash.com/

43

my Aunty Clara just got an almost new white Volkswagen Golf R
by working parttime from a home computer. Go Here fly38.comᴵᴵᴵᴵ

44

Somewhat I feel doki-doki inside when seeing many Rotary masterpiece in one post.......this engine really caught my attention when the first time learn about it and if only Rotary engine is still in production today I gladly gonna work on Mazda or some special Workshop that only work on Rotaries xD <3

45

my father in-law recently got a twelve month old Cadillac Escalade Hybrid only from working off a home computer. you could try this out..........richway3.comᴵᴵᴵᴵᴵᴵᴵᴵ

46

I do miss my old FEED fd3s U0001f614

47

wujukoruz Nobody on Speedhunters wants Cadillac Escalade Hybrid.

48

How do I download the images on my iphone? I used to be able to do them but not nothing happens when i tap on the images.

49

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