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Evo blasts around in a Spa 24H-winning Mazda RX-7

Think of the Mazda RX-7 today, and your thoughts likely turn to the turbocharged third-generation version of the '90s that's an icon among the tuning and drifting communities. Many years before that swoopy coupe was hanging the tail out, the first model of RX-7 was also quite a track star, though. Evo's Richard Meaden has gotten ahold of a race-prepped version that counts a victory in the 1981 Spa 24 Hours to its name – the first Japanese car to claim that honor – for a fantastic video. With 225 horsepower and weighing around 1,984 pounds, this RX-7 doesn't look like a giant killer on paper. However as Meaden illustrates, the coupe puts those rotary-powered ponies to very good use. Driving it requires constantly keeping things on the boil because the muscle is essentially absent below 7,000 rpm. Once in the sweet spot, things start progressing quickly, though. As a wonderful cap to the wall of noise from the engine, little licks of flame also shoot out of the exhaust on downshifts. Thankfully, Evo's video team captures all of the mechanical noises quite well, and the clip is a treat for those with a good pair of headphones. Despite the race-winning pedigree, Meaden has no problem grabbing the little coupe by the scruff of the neck. He chucks it through the corners to get the tail loose, and the little wisps of smoke from the rear tires prove the original RX-7 knows how to drift too. These early cars definitely worth being remembered in the pantheon of Mazda performance.

Bauer Catfish is a Miata-based trackstar in the making [w/videos]

We're not trying to make a joke here. The creation you see above really is called the Bauer Catfish, and while the name is about as attractive as your average bottom feeder, the car itself is built on a sexy notion. Take the mechanical bits of one 1990-2005 Mazda MX-5 Miata, add in a tube chassis for as little weight as possible, complete with some custom body work and go forth. Bauer says the finished product weighs in at just 1,550 pounds, and the company will be happy to pull the stock four-cylinder to drop in a healthy General Motors LS V8.
The pre-production prototype shown above competed in last year's 25 Hours of Thunderhill, finished the race and earned a spot on the podium in the "anything goes for sports racers" ESR class. Very cool.
If you're looking for a dedicated track car, it may not get any better than this for the money. Expect to pay around $13,900 depending on options, plus the cost of your donor Miata. That's a good sight cheaper than a used Chevy Corvette Z06 and likely to be quite a bit more fun. After you're done watching it in action in the brief videos below, check it out over at Bauer Ltd.

Mazda6 diesel to race at Rolex 24, team and drivers announced

Mazda is getting serious about showing off the Skyactiv-D turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine in the Mazda6. The automaker has just announced it will campaign three diesel Mazda6 racers in the Grand-Am GX class of the upcoming 2013 Rolex 24 at Daytona in a quest to walk away with the company's 24th class win. Mazda partnered with SpeedSource to develop the race version of the new sedan, with Japanese and American engineers lending a helping hand where needed. Meanwhile, Freedom Autosport and Visit Florida Racing/SpeedSource/Yellow Dragon Racing will helm teams of their own.
Each car will make use of a five-driver team for the 24-hour race on January 26. In the interim, you can check out the full press release below for more information as well as the full driver roster. Mazda says we can expect to see the No. 70 SpeedSource car under the lights at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show later this month, as well.