Makes › Mazda › RX-7 and RX-8 › RX-7 Group B (SA22C) · Factory competition · 1984–1985 Ultra Rare
Mazda
RX-7 Group B (SA22C)
Group B homologation/rally RX-7 built for Mazda Rally Team Europe
Still being researched: full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.
Photo: Aos.1905 · CC BY 4.0
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- 20 Built
- Years
- 1984–1985
- Engine
- Peripheral-ported twin-rotor 13B, front-mid mounted, rear-wheel drive · 2,616 cc / 2.6 LFactory: 2,616 cc
- Power
- 224 kW / 304 PSFactory: 300 hp · converted
- Top speed
- Not yet verified
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Not yet verified
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- Not yet verified
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
The Group B RX-7 was a rear-wheel-drive, rotary-powered rally car run not by the Mazda factory but by Mazda Rally Team Europe. Mazda homologated it in 1984, and it won the 1984 Polish round of the European Rally Championship and took third on the 1985 Acropolis Rally.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
Photos
Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.
_at_Mazda_Museum.jpg){kind=link}
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total model productionhomologation cars created (about seven fully assembled) | 201,2 | Factory production | Factory reported |
Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.
History
The programme was set up in 1984 by Mazda Rally Team Europe under Achim Warmbold in Belgium. Mazda had already homologated the RX-7 in Groups 1, 2 and 4, so it needed only 20 cars for Group B, built as 'Evolution' models under homologation number B-255. Only about seven were fully assembled for competition in 1984-85; the rest were left as spare parts.
Mazda itself preferred a Group A turbo 323 programme, so the RX-7 effort was stopped, and Group B was abandoned at the end of 1986. At least one car, chassis MRTE 019 built in June 1985, was never used in competition.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard RX-7 Group B (SA22C).
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | Peripheral-ported twin-rotor 13B, front-mid mounted, rear-wheel drive3,4 Independently researched |
| Displacement | 2,616 cc / 2.6 LFactory: 2,616 cc4FIA homologation capacity, equal to twice the 1308 cc nominal rotary capacity. |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Fuel system | Weber 51 IDA carburettor (MRT-modified), peripheral intake ports, dry sump3 Independently researched |
| Power | 224 kW / 304 PSFactory: 300 hp · converted3 Independently researchedSource states bhp. |
| Power at | Not yet verified |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Gears | Not yet verified |
| Driven wheels | Rear4 |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Not yet verified |
| Rear suspension | Not yet verified |
| Brakes | Not yet verified |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Steel shell with wide-arched fibreglass panels, fibreglass front cowl and vented fibreglass bonnet3 Independently researched |
| Wheelbase | Not yet verified |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | 1,000 kgFactory: 1,000 kg3 Independently researchedSource says "less than 1,000kg"; upper bound, not a measured figure. |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
Look for wide-arched fibreglass bodywork over a steel shell, a fibreglass front cowl, a vented fibreglass bonnet and a large ducktail rear wing with an oil-cooler core in the wing. The peripheral-ported 13B sits about four inches further back than in the road car, with dry-sump lubrication and a Weber 51 IDA carburettor. Chassis numbers carry the MRTE prefix, for example MRTE 019, and the FIA homologation number is 255.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
Mazda UK heritage display: original 1985 RX-7 Group B rally car Level A Mazda UK (Inside Mazda)
- Mazda created just 20 homologation cars
-
2
Mazda RX-7 Group B – Inside Mazda (Mazda UK) Level A
- 20 homologation cars created (about seven fully assembled)
-
3
This is the Mazda RX-7 Group B rally car Level B Top Gear
- peripheral ported 13B twin-rotor engine
- MRT-modified Weber 51 IDA carburetor
- Wankel that good for 300bhp
- old school wide-arched fibreglass slung over a steel shell
- easily tips the scales at less than 1,000kg
-
4
Mazda Savanna RX-7 FB332 (1308), homologation 255 Level A FIA Historic Database
- Transmission: RWD
- Cylinder capacity: 2616
Keep exploring
More from Mazda
-
Mazda · 1991
787B
3 Built
-
Mazda · 1992
Familia GT-Ae (BG8Z)
300 Built
-
Mazda · 2004
RX-8 Mazdaspeed Version (SE3P)
300 Built
-
Mazda · 2004
Roadster Turbo (NB8C)
350 Built
More from Japan
-
Mitsuoka
Rock Star
Production not yet verified
-
Honda
Civic Jordan (1999-2000)
Production not yet verified
-
Nissan
Skyline Autech Version (HNR32)
Production not yet verified
-
Prince · 1965
R380 (R380A-I)
4 Built
29 other makes from JapanAriaAsparkAutechDaihatsuDatsunDomeHinoHondaInfinitiIsuzuJiottoKuroganeLexusMitsubishiMitsuokaMossMugenNismoNissanOrcaPrinceScionSubaruSuzukiTommykairaToyotaTRDVemacYamaha