Tpm180x

[Kevralpina]

Would like to know previous history of gen 1 TPM180 X thanks Kev

[codge]

Hi Kev,
It's Silver, No. 92 Series 2 on the 1st Gen Location List for October 2014.

Location on record I'll just say Kent. It was first noted March 2010, having been SORNED, so I noted, for a couple of years before that.
Miles around that time I've got noted as as around 51,000......but that may or may not be true. It's just down as 'Untaxed' and 'No MOT' on DVLA as of now.

A word about road fund......Most of us are taxed at 2300cc for our 12A rotaries. A very few people managed to get the tax authorities to register their cars at swept volume, i.e. 1150cc or thereabouts. I'll just say be very wary with TPM when you tax it. (I think that approach is all closed off now but those cars already rated 1150 might continue to get away with it).

So that's it really, I do know who had it in 2010 but don't want to state anything on here without permission. He also had a Silver S3, bought at the same time as TPM so I believe.

What's the rough area location now Kev?

[Kevralpina]

I bought tpm sight unseen off ebay 3 weeks ago and according to a recipt I found in the boot dated 2013 the previous owner lives around the corner from me in an ex naval town in kent now I know the next bit is going to alienate some people but it is undergoing a mx5 engine transplant as I want reliability and more than 59 k which the odo shows at the moment when completed it will be resprayed yellow and retro modified thanks kev

[DB RX63]

What a shame, a waste of a good RX7.

If Mazda wanted them to have piston engines, that's how they would have built them.

[codge]

Hmmm....I'm not sure it's wrong.

It used to be the aim in my heyday just to keep a motor car rolling between MOT's and just keep legally compliant.....how you did it was up to you.
I still think a bit that way. If Kev wants to produce an MX5 engined version and keep us in the loop, we can all look in.

Discuss.

[ian65]

Seems a bit pointless... Why not just buy a mx5?...... 1st gen rx7's converted to piston engines are seldom better than the original rotary engined car, the finshed car will be worthless and time and money spent doing the conversion will never be recovered.

[codge]

Yes, looking at it from the point of view of buying to convert I have to agree there's not much point.

I suppose I'm thinking if you have a good car already but with a useless engine you might want to do a mod.

[Lucky]

I guess it depends on the guy's motivation. If he's doing it to get a cheap runabout together because he happens to have a spare MX-5 engine then I agree it's an epic fail. If he's doing it to make a unique, one-off custom car to his own taste then I'd applaud it. With a modern two-litre MX-5 engine you could upgrade to locally-robust electronics, ECU controlled fuel injection and all that whizzbangery, should that be your taste. And it'd go alright, too... with that said I really couldn't understand the point if the engine will be one of the early 1.6 MX-5 lumps which (to paraphrase the late great Barry Sheene) couldn't pull the cock off a chocolate mouse. There are a whole host more off-the-shelf upgrades available for MX-5s than our old rotary lumps now, so it'd be arguably easier to change the spec when the desire arose.

In short, I'd be a cautious thumbs up. Better than another Rex going to the scrapper. And I always like reading good build threads, no matter what the subject

[TOOL]

I bought rotary cars cos I like the rotary engine. It's really the only thing that sets the car apart. Without a rotary engine, they're just another 80s car.

Go buy another 80s car.

(No offence intended, Codge said "discuss", so I'm adding my thoughts and feelings on the matter. Your car, so you do what you like).

[Kevralpina]

well that did the trick I bought tpm because I like the early rx7 but that engine no if I hadn't got it the car would be scrap and yes I like 80s cars as I also have a Montrose coupe again with mx5 power and again saved from the crusher (the conversion transformed the car ) and as the rx7 will be a regular user it makes sense but each one to their own thanks