For years Kris Robb campaigned his back-halved RX-7, which was originally built back in the early 2000s. Now he has retired the car that saw him go deep into the eight-second bracket. Its replacement is a full chromoly tube-frame SFI six-second-certified incarnation that Kris has constructed himself over the past two years.
“We were putting a fair bit of power in the old car,” he tells us, “and it wasn’t doing what it should be, it wasn’t efficient. I was looking to make more effective use of the power it was making.”
The new car carries over the 13B block found in the outgoing incarnation, although that’s where any crossover stops. Everything externally is new, a package that Kris is keeping close to his chest — although did tell us that he’s now running a Lenco CS3 transmission along with a MicroTech PDM (Powerhub 16) and a new MicroTech ECU. Down back, the diff is a chromoly housing with Strange head, which is fitted with a Pro 9 four-link kit from Australia. You’ll also find an array of anti-roll bars, Strange shocks, and double beadlock wheels.
With a carbon-fibre front clip, carbon-fibre front and rear bumpers, FRP composite doors and boot, and the body lengthened to 102 inches over the original 94, the car should be 200kg or so lighter than its predecessor and a whole heap safer, according to Kris.
At the time of writing, the car is about to hit the dyno, where Kris expects to see a nice little 600-odd horsepower. The rest of the tuning will be done at the track. The idea is to get rough control of the boost, worry about getting the car going straight down the strip, then start feeding power into it.
A current personal best of 8.03 at 165mph (266kph) stands in the old car, and Kris expects the new car to run straight into the 7s on debut. The ultimate goal would be breaking into the sixes, but anything better than the current PB and Kris’ll be happy.
