Hyper Drive, RX7 Cruiser

27 year old Johl Phillips has taken this classic Series 2 RX-7 and given it all the luxury and power that you’d expect from a current-day sports car.

“It’s a little old school and a little new school” describes Johl. And despite how very neat and clean this sports hatch has become, he is also adamant that it is and always will be a street-driven car.

The car was purchased as a project to replace a WRX which had been stolen. It came with a worn-out 12A bridgeport but that was soon replaced with a freshly-built 13B turbo based on the Series V engine.

As for the bodywork, “She was rough, she was beat-up, but it was love at first sight”. There was plenty of rust to remove and every panel needed work, but three months later it was as good as new again.

Getting an interior this opulent was a separate ordeal. The first shop he left the car at was sold to a new owner and after other customers’ cars were missing engines or missing altogether due to the dodgy previous shop owner, Johl was grateful his was still there, albeit with the interior stripped out.

You’d never know now though with the full beige leather re-trim, WRX front seats and an entertainment package inclusive of a DVD head unit and a 12in subwoofer that it has now.

Issue 251 of Hot4s magazine has a full 8-page feature detailing the complete story behind the creation of Johl’s S2 RX7 as well as several other cars, coverage of two events from the USA and another Hot4s Hottie.