A Japanese girl celebrating her eightieth birthday determined to mark the event in a singular means. She not solely surrendered her driver’s license, but in addition gave up the handbook Mazda RX-7 she’s owned for the final 25 years. Don’t fear, although, this can be a heartwarming story
In a now-viral interview on YouTube by Nagasaki Broadcasting, Japanese housewife Naoko Nishimoto mentioned that she was searching for somebody to take over possession of her Mazda RX-7 as a result of she was going to surrender her driver’s license when she turned 80. After the interview Nishimoto was inundated with emails, receiving over 400 with gives to take the RX-7 off her arms. A kind of emails was from Mazda’s PR division.
It seems one among Mazda’s engineers had seen Nishimoto’s interview and advised the PR crew to achieve out to her. Nishimoto recalled seeing the e-mail to CarWatch Japan:
“It was an e mail stuffed with ardour and sincerity, and it appeared to shine to me.” The Mazda one that despatched the e-mail additionally had a powerful attachment to the RX-7.”
Nishimoto owned plenty of distinctive autos earlier than she bought her arms on the RX-7. CarWatch says she bought her license when she was 21. Her possession historical past was largely Toyota, having owned Publicas and Coronas till one thing stunning occurred when she was 55 years previous.
When she was 55, her Corona Coupe, which she had been driving for practically 10 years on the time, began to malfunction and he or she was contemplating shopping for a brand new one. She occurred to be watching the anime “Preliminary D” together with her son and fell in love at first sight with the type of the RX-7 (FD3S). She instantly went to a close-by Mazda supplier and ordered a brand new automotive. The acquisition value on the time was about 3.2 million yen.
She didn’t buy simply any previous RX-7, both — she particularly ordered an RX-7 Sort RB S. This was a “base” mannequin with some mild efficiency goodies like suede seats, rear spoiler, ZR rated tires and fog lights. It had Mazda’s turbocharged 13B-REW Wankel engine making 261 horsepower, mated to a five-speed handbook transmission. Over 25 years, Nishimoto put simply over 48,000 miles on the RX-7.
She says after a decade or so, issues are likely to begin to go unsuitable with vehicles. Not so with the RX-7. She was sadded to be taught when manufacturing of the RX-7 ended, because it meant she couldn’t exit and exchange it with one other one if she wished to. “At first, I assumed that if it began to go unsuitable after about 10 years, I might simply swap to a brand new RX-7, however after I heard that manufacturing was ending and I might not swap to a brand new automotive, it turned much more essential to me,” she advised CarWatch.
The automotive is now within the arms of Mazda, who gave Nishimoto and the RX-7 a handoff ceremony on the native dealership that she bought the automotive from and serviced it at. She was offered with flowers, the license plate from her automotive, and design sketches of the RX-7. Mazda’s President and CEO Moro Masahiro referred to as Nishimoto’s relationship together with her RX-7 a major instance of how vehicles are rather more than simply one thing for us to get us round in. He additionally remarked how the RX-7 was particular to him.
“This was a shifting reminder that you just see a automotive not simply as a method of transportation, however as an essential companion in life. It was additionally the primary mannequin for which I used to be liable for advertising after becoming a member of Mazda, so it’s a automotive that holds very particular reminiscences for me. We are going to treasure this automotive, together with tales of the times once you lived a cheerful, energetic and vibrant life, drawing vitality from the facility of vehicles.”
Nishimoto’s RX-7 will likely be saved at Mazda’s R&D middle in Yokohama, the place the automaker says its public relations will use it for particular occasions.
