Low-Key But Still Loud: 7’s Day At Daikoku PA

Apologies if I start this post off on a slightly negative note, but knowing what 7’s Day (7/7) used to be like in Japan, it’s hard not to be concerned at the lack of participants that turned up to the official unofficial Daikoku PA get-together this past weekend.

While it has been a bit quieter in recent years, the low turnout on Sunday late afternoon/early evening could be attributed to the annual 7’s Day event held at Mobara Circuit, which fell on 7/7 this year. Most owners who attended would have skipped dropping by Daikoku PA on the way home, having already got their 7’s Day fix ahead of a new working week.

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But whatever the reason for the smaller affair, what started as a slow and chilled gathering did, thankfully, liven up as the evening turned into night.

July 7 has forever marked the celebration of one of Japan’s most revered performance car models. The Mazda RX-7 in all its generations is loved by enthusiasts across the globe, and for good reason – these are amazing sports cars with unique – and highly tuneable – rotary engines.

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The Mazda rotary engine, and therefore models like the RX-7 might have been out of production for a while now, but as owners keep refining, restoring, and tuning their cars, this scene is only getting better.

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7’s Day is not just for RX-7s; all Mazda rotaries join in the celebrations. The only Cosmo I saw was this pristine 12A-powered HB coupe with iconic early-’80s pop-up lights. I love these things so much, but if I had to choose a favourite Cosmo, it would be the rounder JC variant (1990-1996), available with a 20B three-rotor engine.

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I got to ride in this Veilside Fortune FD3S RX-7, which was a bit of a blast from the past as I shot the movie cars Veilside built for The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift back in the day. If you visit Tokyo, you can rent this car, which is pretty cool.

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As it got darker, more cars arrived, which saved the day for me.

This FD3S, rolling on iconic Mazdaspeed MS-02 wheels (by RAYS), is a 7’s Day regular.

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As is the case every time July 7 rolls around at Daikoku PA, I end up falling for these cars.

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If you don’t come away from a night like this thinking about buying an RX-7 – and envisioning what you’d do to the aesthetics and engine – are you even a real enthusiast?

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That leads me to this question: If you had an RX-7, how would you approach it? Keep it stock or simple? Light mods? Heavy mods? Or perhaps a full RE Amemiya conversion?

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The biggest surprise was seeing Car Shop Glow’s ‘GT race car for the street’ FD3S RX-7, which we first saw at Wekfest Japan 2024 a few months back. This car reminds me of the Revolution time attack FD3S from a decade ago, but designed to be driven on public roads. Toby has shot a feature on this beast, so stay tuned for that.

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As the time came to leave, a variety of other cars began rolling into the parking area, which would have made the many tourists who arrived in tour vans happy I’m sure. There is no better place to taste authentic Japanese car culture than Daikoku PA – even on 7/7 Sunday with an RX-7 turnout smaller than you’d hope for.

Dino Dalle Carbonare
Instagram: dino_dalle_carbonare
dino@speedhunters.com

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19 comments

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1

Nice write up! Thanks Dino!
Blue one on the first picture, White FC 2/34, white FD 9/34 (ooffffff), black FC 29/34 were my absolute favourites!

2

Run them all at Tsukuba. I'll take whichever one has the fastest lap time.

Author3
Dino Dalle Carbonare

They usually have an event at Mobara

4

That’s cool! I will try to find some footage of it. Beautiful group of cars. Daikoku is legendary.

5
SA22旧車Channnel

I would have loved to have been there

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Author6
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Very nice!

7
SA22旧車Channel

Thank you so much!
I would appreciate your support if you don't mind.
https://www.youtube.com/@sa22-channel.sa22c.jdm.racing

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8

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9

I thought I had not been able to comment, so I apologize for repeating the same thing.

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10

LS swap for me. i know its travesty in the eyes of many. but i get 400ish ponies reliably. and reliability is important.

other than that. rolled fenders with wider wheels and proper coilovers with reasonable ride height; its a street car after all.

11

The only people who don’t like LS swaps are imbeciles. Unless it’s hacking up some valuable original car; if your goal is to go fast the aluminum LS is probably the best engine out there.

Anyone who hates on them is an ignorant idiot who has never actually built anything or doesn’t understand what cost benefit is. Lol.

Always some stupid kid with no experience who’s b—-ing about that platform. Everyone else with a brain is enjoying cheap usable power that wins and gets great mpg

12
takumifujiwara13954

No doubt LS are great engines. Compact, light and powerful right out of the box. If you live in the US, it's cheap and has tons of aftermarket support. But personally, any Mazda RX models should remain rotary engine, because that's what makes them unique. However, FDs with LS swap are sort of alright, given how that generation looks a lot like the Corvette C5. Lol!

13

I think if it’s a road car you have a good point in keeping it rotary powered. A lot of people end up LS swapping because they get sick of spending money for less power and less reliability. Maintenance intervals too. But for road cars I agree with you.

14
takumifujiwara13954

Ah yes, I'm referring to street cars.

For RHD cars to do LS swap, it's a bit troublesome due to the placement of the starter motor being in the way of the steering shaft. I know a couple of local drifters here who did LS swaps on their S-chassis and they all voice out the same issue.

15

womp womp

Author16
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Riiiiight....

17

Great point about the LS. Dino and other guy don’t race so it mean nothing. Lol.

18
Vincent Conker Auger

@Dino, to answer your question about the ideal RX-7 :

LHD FC coupe, OEM+ look, genuine japanese light wheels, 20B engine with a very modern turbo to make it as drivable as possible. Basically 300 to 400 hp. This would be my first proper japanese car build if I win the lottery.

19
Vincent Conker Auger

By the way, great article and I always appreciate you keep it honest. It's important for the community to know how things are going from somebody who's been there for as long as you have.

Also love the Youtube content. It took me a while to get hooked on a regular basis, but since Project GTR's return, I have not missed a video.

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