As for what brought me to this site, I'll share a a bit about myself, which I also shared over at Rx7club.com.
I have a strong affinity for the 1979 Rx7, due to the fact that both of my parents were the original owners of two '79 GS models. My mom had a white automatic, and my dad had a Spark (later, "Corvette") Yellow 5-speed. Each of their cars were from the first shipment of Rx-7s to the US. They owned the cars for about a year before I was born, in November of 1979, and when they found out I was on the way, my dad added rear seats from the Pacific catalog. This meant that, for my childhood, anywhere I went with either or both of my parents was in an Rx-7. This included, of course, the trip home from the hospital, after being born.
The looks, the sounds, the smell... Literally from the birth, I'd been taking it all in. I remember watching my dad's every move as he shifted through the gears. The "song" that the engine sang through the revs served as the benchmark for for what a sports car was supposed to sound like, for me. Every "mod" he did, from louvers to mudflaps, bra, sunroof...I would try to mimic on my Matchbox Rx7, using cut pieces of electrical tape.
Due to someone backing into his front bumper in a parking lot, My dad had to get his car re-painted. The shop he took it to had a hard time spot matching the paint, so my dad looked into the option of re-painting the whole car a more pleasing shade of yellow. He ended up with 1981 "Corvette Yellow". I remember seeing the car for the first time afterward. It was the coolest thing to me.
Needless to say, Rx-7 is in my blood. As we all got older, and I got bigger, we began to out grow the Rx7s. My mom sold hers first. I was 8 years old, and I remember the night it left. She was literally holding me in my bed and we cried together, as if a family member had died, LOL. I remember locking myself in my dad's car in a Caldor parking lot, the day he told me that he would be selling his. The drama....
I became nearly obsessed with having my own one day, and I wanted it to be just like my dad's.
At sixteen, once I'd saved up enough cash bagging groceries, I bought my first car, a 1984 GSL-SE. Red (originally Cream) with brown interior. I couldn't wait to paint it yellow and "dress it up" just like my dad's. I kept that car for 18 years. In that time I also owned a 93 FD, which had become my dream car at the age of 11. I modded the FD and had a lot of fun being one of the fastest cars around. I was living out my car dream. Still, something was always missing.
After 20 years of FB and FD ownership, at age 36, I realized that it was time to go back to my SA roots. That was the car which, both literally and figuratively, started it all for me. I was ready to find and own one EXACTLY like the one I, and my family have such fond memories of.
A few months back, I was just doing some random searching on Google, when I came across this thread from 2 years ago; 1979 Spark Yellow Barn Find!
I showed my wife, and told her that when I found one, I wanted it to be like that one. I'd even forwarded the link to my dad. Keep in mind, I was looking at a thread which was already two years old...
Fast forward to a little over a month ago, I just happened to randomly do a search, just to see what was out there for sale, 1979 - wise.TWO came up on Ebay one red, and one yellow. I click on the yellow one, and lo and behold, it's the same one from the 2 year old thread! The one I'd made my benchmark. the one the owner said he'd never sell! And I found it about SIX MINUTES after he'd listed it!
I immediately messaged him, and shared with him, much of what I've shared here. He called about 10 minutes later and, following our conversation, he took down the ad.
About a week later, he delivered the car, from Ohio to GA, on a trailer. I finally had my '79 yellow Rx-7. It's an early 79 too, just like my dad's, with a 6/78 build date.
After the first wash:
Home with my daily ('15 Mazda6 GT)
Mom's. Taken in 1982:
And Dad's (and me, at age 3
)
That's a great story and introduction..... you're a proper rotorhead!
Stunning. We all covet a nice clean series 1, there are nearly all gone now in the UK..... it's a strange thing, back in the 80's when I had a series 1 I couldn't wait to sell it and buy a series 3 but now I prefer the simple and clean lines of the series 1 cars.
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