A YouTuber by the name of Rob Dahm owns one of the most remarkable Mazda RX-7s on earth, and to see what it’s capable of he recently pitted it against Ken Block’s Ford Mustang-based Hoonicorn.
Dahm has been building his dream RX-7 for the better part of five years and in its completed form, it is an absolute beast.
First is the powertrain. Fitted beneath the hood is a four-rotor engine complemented by a massive Garrett turbocharger. This engine delivers 1,240 hp at the rear wheels but is primarily driven in all-wheel drive mode as the RX-7 has been fitted with the AWD system of a Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R. Coupled to the four-rotor engine is a six-speed sequential transmission.
Watch Also: Ken Block And His 1,400 HP Hoonicorn Find 1,100 HP Audi RS3 Is No Pushover
Speaking with the Hoonigan team about the car, Dahm reveals that he was heavily inspired by the Hoonicorn in building it and even opted for an almost-identical inboard suspension setup. He even reveals he tried to order the same Sadev sequential transmission that the Hoonicorn uses, but Sadev refused to sell it to him.
As this was the first time Dahm had driven his car in anger, the first race was from a rolling start. While the Mazda put up a good fight, the 1,400 HP Hoonicorn was too fast. Losing the race was the least of Dahm’s concerns, though, as its hood flew open, split in half, dented the roof and smashed the rear window. Three other races were held between the duo and the Mazda managed to win one of them, which was very impressive considering its rival.