13B RX3 Cruiser

Rod Youssef bought this extended-port 13B RX3 as-is, and he has been enjoying it ever since.

Once a rotor fan, always a rotor fan. That statement is true of 46 year old Victorian Rod Youssef who bought this particular slice of the ’70s as-is.

Rod spent his youth building and racing RX3s so when the opportunity to buy this Bundaberg Orange coupe one came up during his late 30s he just couldn’t pass it up.

The car is an entirely legitimate streeter, not just a car with plates claiming to be. And it doesn’t just get out on the weekends, Rod often picks up his three boys from school in the rotor and it never fails to grab the attention of onlookers, particularly their schoolmates.

The cabin that the boys clamber into is a bit of a retro experience itself, although it’s actually much closer to their era than Rod’s. Capturing the ’90s nicely it’s wearing a black and blue theme on items such as Aerotech seats, a Saas wheel, and custom trim on the door cards.

The engine is a simple extended-port (also known as mild port or street port) 13B rotary which means it will make an eager 180hp and still be perfectly useable for those school runs. It’s based on a Series 4 RX-7 motor, the original carby has been flicked in favour of a Holley, and thanks to a 3in exhaust system it also makes noticeably more noise than the all-but-silenced original 130hp 12A that was offered by the factory in 1974.

Behind the engine is a 5-speed from a Series 5 RX7 and the car also features mildly-lowered suspension and, just for the sake of presentation, the front calipers are painted blue and the rear drums are painted black.

All in all, this RX3 does exactly what it’s supposed to, and that is to remind Rod of his youth while also letting him share his passion for old-school rotors with his three growing boys, and what could be better than that.