Michael Skarakis  - 1994 Mazda Rx-7 R2 Rotary Xecret 7 Shop Car

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Michael Skarakis 

1994 Mazda Rx-7 R2 Rotary Xecret 7 Shop Car

Instagram: @michaelllwayne

Photographer David Barnhouse / @shutter.studios.david

Horsepower: 618whp

The Rotary Xecret 7 Shop Car Lives On

Some cars carry a reputation long before you ever see them in the metal, and for Michael Skarakis, this 1994 Mazda RX-7 build was one of them. He first laid eyes on it at the MayDay Garage Rice Bowl Event back in 2015 in Houston, Texas, and he knew exactly what he was looking at. This wasn't just another clean FD. This was the famous Rotary Xecret 7 shop car, a build that had made its name out of Los Angeles back in the 90s and early 2000s, when the rotary scene was still finding its feet in the States.

"I remembered it from the 90s and early 2000s as the famous Rotary Xecret 7 shop car out of LA," Michael says. A few months after that first encounter, the opportunity came up to buy the car from a private collector, and he wasn't about to let it slip past him. What followed was a full mechanical overhaul that respected the car's history while dragging its performance firmly into the modern era.

From 500whp to 618whp: Rebuilding the Rotary Heart

The first job on the list was the engine. The car had been running a 500hp 13B when Michael bought it, which is nothing to scoff at, but he had bigger plans. Out came the old motor and in went a brand new 600hp street ported 13B REW, built to handle serious power without giving up the reliability that rotary owners chase for years.

An Osgiken transmission was paired with the new engine, and the differential was swapped out for a fresh Kaaz 1.5 unit, since the old one had seen far better days and wasn't going to hold up to the extra torque. On the boost side, the car runs a S366 billet wheel turbo fed through an HKS manifold and wastegate setup, with an Apexi Power FC ECU keeping everything in check and a TurboSmart boost controller dialling in the power delivery.

Fuelling is handled by a trio of 340lph pumps feeding 1000cc and 2000cc injectors, which gives some idea of just how serious this build is under the skin. The result is 618whp at the wheels, sent through a twin carbon clutch and Osgiken five speed gear set. It's a proper rotary build, not a numbers-chasing exercise, and that distinction matters to Michael.

Engine Specs

• 13B REW
• Street port
• Lightened rotors
• Studded
• HKS manifold
• HKS 60mm wastegate
• S366 billet wheel turbo
• 4-inch Apollo titanium exhaust (3lbs)
• Bacon Motorsports custom oil pan
• XS Engineering front mount intercooler
• HKS BOV
• FEED aluminium front mount radiator
• Custom swirl pot with catch cans
• Apexi Power FC ECU
• TurboSmart boost controller
• XS Engineering ignition
• 1000cc/2000cc injectors
• Triple 340lph fuel pumps
• Aeromotive regulator

Drivetrain Specs

• Osgiken five-speed gear set
• Twin carbon clutch
• CS shifter
• Custom transmission brace
• Kaaz 1.5 differential
• Driveshaft Shop axles

Total Suspension Overhaul for a Road Course Focus

With the power sorted, Michael turned his attention to how the car actually drives. A total suspension overhaul went in shortly after the engine work was finished, built around a set of custom spec'd Ohlins coilovers matched to 18kg Swift springs front and rear. SuperPro bushings went in all around, along with SuperNow tie rod ends, endlinks and sway bar brackets, tying the whole chassis together properly.

Thanks to Mike over at Evasive Motorsports, the car has been steadily updated to be more road course friendly without touching the history baked into the ultra rare Re Amemiya kit. That balance, between making it genuinely capable on track and keeping its identity intact, has been the guiding principle behind every change.

Suspension Specs

• Ohlins Racing coilovers
• 18kg Swift springs, front and rear
• SuperPro bushings all around
• SuperNow tie rod ends
• SuperNow endlinks
• SuperNow sway bar brackets
• Tanabe front sway bar
• Rear sway bar delete
• Titanium hardware
• Re Amemiya front strut bar
• FEED rear strut bar

Braking Specs

• OEM calipers
• Endless MX72 brake pads
• Endless brake lines, Endless RF-650 fluid
• StopTech slotted rotors
• Custom stainless hardline, ABS delete

Keeping the Re Amemiya History Alive

Visually, this is where the car's legend really shows. The PPG Harlequin paint still shifts colour in the light exactly the way it did back in the late 90s, and it sits under one of the rarest kits in the RX-7 world. The Re Amemiya Super GReddy AC037 carbon kit wraps the car, finished with AD STEP D-2 molded skirts, molded rear overfenders, a shaved AC987 rear bumper and an AD9 dry carbon hood. Knightsports mirrors and FEED carbon door handles round out the exterior details, while bubbletech lexan windows help keep weight down where it counts.

"It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I love the uniqueness and rarity of the Re Amemiya kit," Michael admits, and it's hard to argue with him. Kits like this simply aren't being made anymore, and keeping one intact and correct on a car with this kind of provenance is its own kind of preservation work.

Exterior Specs

• PPG Harlequin paint
• Re Amemiya Super GReddy AC037 carbon kit
• Re Amemiya AD STEP D-2 skirts, molded
• Re Amemiya rear overfenders, molded
• Re Amemiya AC987 shaved rear bumper
• Re Amemiya AD9 dry carbon hood
• Knightsports mirrors
• FEED carbon door handles
• Bubbletech lexan windows

Built for Attack: Interior and Weight Savings

Step inside and the focus on weight and function becomes obvious. Technocraft blue carbon fibre seats trimmed in Ultrasuede sit on titanium brackets, held in place by a Takata six point harness. A Momo Monte Carlo steering wheel handles the inputs, and front and rear fire extinguishers are fitted for track day peace of mind.

Bubbletech supplied the aluminium dash kit, dry carbon door panels, heel pans and roll cage mounts, all working together to strip unnecessary weight while keeping the cabin functional. An Odyssey battery sits in an LRB tray, small details that add up on a car built to be driven hard rather than just looked at.

Interior Specs

• Technocraft blue carbon fibre seats with Ultrasuede
• Titanium seat brackets, Takata six-point harness
• Momo Monte Carlo steering wheel
• Fire extinguishers, front and rear
• Bubbletech aluminium dash kit
• Bubbletech dry carbon door panels
• Bubbletech heel pans
• Bubbletech roll cage mounts
• Odyssey battery
• LRB battery tray

Rolling Stock

Wheels are a set of Advan GT forged units, sized 18x10 up front and 18x11 out back, fitted with ARP extended studs and EVS titanium lug nuts to keep everything secure under hard cornering. It's a fitment that suits the widebody kit perfectly, filling the arches without looking forced.

Wheel Specs

• Advan GT forged wheels
• 18x10 front / 18x11 rear
• ARP extended studs
• EVS titanium lug nuts

Where the Build Goes From Here

Currently the car sits at 2,300lbs with Michael in it, which is genuinely light for a car carrying this much rotary power and this much carbon bodywork. A full time attack cage is already in the works, and once that's finished the plan is to move on to dry carbon doors and a hatch, before finally completing the four rotor naturally aspirated setup that's been on the horizon for a while.

It's a long list, but if the work done so far is anything to go by, the Rotary Xecret 7 shop car is in good hands. Michael isn't building a trailer queen. He's building on the reputation the car already earned, one careful upgrade at a time, and keeping a genuine piece of rotary history usable and relevant decades after it first made a name for itself.

For more builds in this vein, check out our featured JDM builds, browse other featured widebody projects, or dive into our collection of featured track-focused builds.