Evan Gui grew up an Initial D and Best Motoring fan since childhood, enamoured with RE Amemiya cars, Keisuke Takahashi’s FD Mazda RX-7 in particular.
The aura. The aesthetic. The grit of his races in the manga and the sense of thrill they conveyed. They coalesced into a desire to attain Keisuke’s car for himself, one way or another.
He had to have it. So, when the opportunity came to finally bring his dream FD from the TV screen onto real-life roads, he grabbed it by the collar and ran. And it’s not just a random amalgamation of look-alike parts grafted onto a USDM car, either. It’s the real deal.
The base car was an operational but crusty red FD from Japan. To recreate the car the way he wanted, he sought a specific kit from RE Amemiya. Unfortunately, the kit was discontinued with no intentions of fulfilling made-to-order requests, but Gui and RE Amemiya compromised.
The solution was an existing Initial D replica, a former drift car-turned-display outside D’z Racing Garage Cafe in Gunma. Rather than restore the far-gone crap-pile beneath the seemingly clean paint, Gui resolved to use it as a donor car and transplant the desired parts onto his red FD with the help of RE Amemiya themselves.
On went the fenders, hood, wing, and anything else they could salvage before respraying the car in anime-accurate Sunburst Yellow. RE Amemiya bridgeported the motor and installed the GReddy V-mount intercooler, while Lucky 7 Racing in Southern California added a Garrett turbo, for well over 400 wheel horsepower.
The car lived a fulfilling life since coming stateside. It’s had its fair share of shows, canyon drives, photoshoots, and even a few track sessions during the annual SevenStock rotary festival.
I took some time off to visit the RX-7, which was transported from Las Vegas to the IAM America tuner show in Anaheim, California. Its prep day was marred by an extended stay at Lucky 7 Racing for a dastardly electrical gremlin that left Gui and a technician stumped. After a brief tinkering by the master tech, however, the car was on its way to a late check-in.
I was supposed to drive the car for a larger story on Hagerty, but an atmospheric river drowned all of SoCal for that entire weekend, trashing any plans of a mountain run. At the very least, I was able to go for a ride-along after its doctor’s visit and later even snag a beautiful roller shot for the single minute that the weather cleared.
Thankfully, Gui got the RX-7 all set for its big day, and as a silver lining to that stormy weekend, I was still able to snag some great shots for us to remember it by. A dream-well realized? Gui would say so. The only question left is where to next for his reborn Red Sun.
This RX7 looks so damn clean it’s like a match to Keisuke’s FD from Initial D the details are spot on
The instant I noticed the Red Sun reference, I HAD to click on this article! Props to the owner of the car to have an actual real life recreation of Keisuke’s FD! THIS is what car culture is about!