The Mazda RX7 is a sports car produced by the Japanese automaker Mazda from 1978 to 2002. The original RX-7 featured a 1146cc twin-rotor Wankel rotary engine and a sporty front-midship, rear-wheel drive layout. The Mazda RX7 has gained a reputation and respect among car enthusiasts for its performance and relaibility and is an extremely popular car in the modification scene particularly when it comes to bodykits.
Mazda's devotion to the Wankel rotary engine is one of the more well-known quirks of the auto industry. Although it is less fuel-efficient than conventional piston engines, the rotary engine has the benefit of being compact and lightweight. These qualities, along with the car's well-tuned chassis and rear-wheel-drive layout and bodykits have made the Mazda RX7 one of the best-handling affordable sports cars ever made which is another reason they are so popular for modification such as bodykits.
Through three generations, Mazda made sure that the RX-7 stayed on the cutting edge of design and performance, completely overhauling the car for each model change. Unfortunately, Mazda probably went too far with the final RX-7. Although it was beautiful to look at, the third generation's overall no-compromise performance concept was too extreme, and the car's high price turned off many potential buyers. Sagging sales forced Mazda to stop importing the RX-7 to the North American market just three years into its product cycle.
Bodykits or body kit is a collection of exterior modifications to a car, typically composed of front and rear bumpers, side skirts, spoilers and sometimes front and rear side guards and roof scoops. There are many companies that offer bodykits or alternatives to the original factory appearance of the vehicle. Bodykits components are designed to compliment each other and work together as a complete design. Despite this, the 'mix and match' approach is often seen on cars, where the front of some bodykits will be matched with the rear of other bodykits for example.
Automotive bodykits are usually constructed of either fiberglass, polyurethane or in some cases carbon fiber - a popular and lightweight material. Polyurethane bodykits are popular with car enthusiasts because it is more resistant to damage and does not crack in cold weather. However, carbon fiber bodykits are not as highly regarded among automotive enthusiasts, because it is very costly for a minimal weight difference.
Factory fitted bodykits are now becoming more common, perhaps in response to the growth of the aftermarket bodykits tuning industry in the late nineties and onwards. Many manufacturers now work in-house with their motor sport divisions to develop styling upgrades like bodykits.
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