The original RX-7 breathed new life into Mazda's sputtering ‘70s sales. Today's 1980 LS edition is all original, but does its price leave you breathless?

Okay, today we're putting the brakes on shooting brakes, but not before noting that yesterday's was shot down in flames to the tune of an 80% Crack Pipe loss. I think it was the wheels that did the trick.

Custom C3 Vette wagons, hell, we can't get enough of them. But, will today's Nice Price or Crack…

Another trick is maintaining a 30-year old car in its original condition. After all, the siren's song of Pep Boys can be hard to ignore. But by somehow managing to eschew cheap seat covers, fiberglass body appendages, and aftermarket rims the size of orphan's eyes, today's seemingly remains the gold standard for originality.

Sporting 61,000 miles and a clean Ohio title, this Solar Gold (claimed 1 of 500) RX-7 sports a 12A that's also clean- if fact enough so you could eat off of its blue plate special air cleaner. The seller claims the 1,146-cc, 100-hp twin rotor runs perfectly, and that its backing 5-speed shifts without complaint. Playing the role of mediator between those two is a clutch that was first put to work in 2003. Also renewed at that time were the brakes and tires, and the car still rides on its special-edition gold basketweaves.

A yank-out sunroof and seats covered in enough leather to pass for a dominatrix's den were additional parts of the LS package. Driving this RX wouldn't be masochistic, however, as the interior is remarkably clean right down to its crack-free dash and lack of cat-o-nine-tails. Even the A/C is claimed to be working.

The outside shows a little more wear, but it remains a damn-fine example of the breed. In the ad the seller does note a ding here, a dent there, and his burning desire to have someone shit on him through the open sunroof a burn mark on the sunroof air deflector. Underneath the car, two things stand out- first the fact that, save for a tired muffler, the chassis is as nice as the rest of the car, and second; this guy appears to have a lift in his garage. Schwing!

Maybe part of the reason this RX-7 has managed – Dorian Gray Like – to escape the ravages of time is due to its historical plates – the AARP membership cards of the car world. People take one look at those and think your car is something special, like the Wright Flyer or U.S.S. Arizona Memorial, and tend to give you a wide berth. And while it may not have the historical significance of Einstein's brain or John Holmes' tube steak, it's still a fairly limited production model. That's despite the fact that it represents only one of a number of RX-7s in this seller's lift-equipped garage. Being Mr. Mazda, it was natural, of course, for him to offer the car for sale on. . . Toyota Nation.

I'm not so sure Camry and Highpantser drivers will kitten to a sweet old Wankel, and the ad has been moldering there for a week or more, so maybe he ought to try a different venue like, oh say a Mazda forum? Either way, he's looking to convert the car into $4,000 so maybe he's trolling for a Toy owner looking for something with intended acceleration? So, what do you think, does that four grand price make this Solar Gold Mazda solid gold? Or, does that make it a golden shower?

You decide!

or go if the ad disappears.

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