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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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?

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?

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.

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