This four-rotor RX-7 sounds incredible on the Dyno with 35 pounds of boost

It’s an all-wheel-drive monster that produces over 1,145 horsepower and 924 ft-lbs of torque.

The third-generation Mazda RX-7 FD is one of the last sports cars of the 1990s. The styling seems pared down around a lightweight platform. Its 13B engine produced 252 horsepower from a 1.3-liter engine thanks to twin sequential turbos. But while the rotary engine promised a lot, torque was one thing it failed to deliver. That’s what makes the power output of this RX-7 so incredible.

Using a four-rotor motor instead of the stock two-rotor one gives this RX-7 a sound that’s a cross between a superbike and an electric drill. If you’ve ever heard the Le Mans-winning Mazda 787B, it’s virtually identical, and you’ll wonder if the two cars share the same R26B four-rotor engine.

The power numbers are certainly close. At the Le Mans finish, the 787B produced between 600 and 700 horsepower. During its first run on the dyno, this RX-7 made 674 horsepower and 600 ft-lbs of torque at 6,000 rpm while making a modest 10 psi of boost.

Gradually, the boost ticks up to 15, 20, and finally 25 psi. Flames shoot out of the RX-7’s fender exhaust ports as the four-rotor engine produces 1,000 horsepower and 847 ft-lbs of torque. The sound is from another world. Even with ear protection, it has to rattle the stuffing and threaten to burst your eardrums.

Finally, they go to 30 psi. Horsepower tops out at 1,124, while torque drops to 841 ft-lbs. Then a final run to 35 psi, which is 2.5 times the atmosphere at sea level. The pressure-reducing four-rotor seems to be fully in its element, producing 1,145 horsepower and 925 ft-lbs of torque. The car seems to have more to give, but Rob Dahm says he’s too scared to push harder.

Before loading the RX-7 back into the covered trailer, Dahm takes a couple of laps down the deserted street. Unlike a stock RX-7, this car has four-wheel drive and runs on drag radials. Even then, it wants to go sideways, spinning all four wheels as the unearthly whine of the four-rotor engine fills the twilight.