The Rotary Revival: Why the FD RX-7 Won’t Die
Dean Okafor · June 10, 2026 · 6 min read
Logic says a 1990s twin-rotor should be a footnote. The board says otherwise. The Veilside Phoenix sits comfortably in the top five, and the rotary tag is one of the most-followed on the entire site.
Part of it is sound. Part of it is the shape — arguably the most timeless silhouette Japan ever exported. And part of it is pure stubbornness: rotary owners are a community defined by the willingness to suffer for the noise.
New builds keep arriving, too. Bridgeport conversions, single-turbo swaps, and the occasional heresy of an LS swap (which the comments section treats as a war crime).
The takeaway: on RateMyRide, character beats spec sheets. The FD has character to spare.
Staff writer, RateMyRide. Lives in the comment section.
Keep reading
More from the paddock
Godzilla Reclaims #1 as R34 Voting Surges Overnight
After three weeks of the Supra holding the crown, a coordinated late-night push from the Yokohama crew sent the Bayside Blue R34 back to the top of the global board.
How RateMyRide Voting Actually Works (The Honest Version)
One vote per ride per day. Momentum matters. Here’s exactly how a car climbs the leaderboard — and how it falls.
Touge Season Opener: The AE86 That Refuses to Be Outgunned
On a damp mountain pass, 168 horsepower somehow embarrassed cars with triple the output. We were there.