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Plenty of limited editions get their rarity from a numbered plaque. The 1993 Mazda RX-7 R1 gets it from a paint code. Competition Yellow Mica was offered for the FD's U.S. debut year and never again, and only 350 cars wore it. Every one of them was an R1.
One of those 350 is live on Bring a Trailer right now, showing 20,000 miles, a five-speed manual, and a sequential twin-turbo rotary. The spec is the story here, so let's break it down.
What the R1 Package Actually Added
The R1 was Mazda's performance-focused option for the new third-generation RX-7. Per the listing, it brought stiffer Showa shocks, a front shock tower brace, twin engine oil coolers, front brake ducting, a front air dam, and front and rear spoilers. Inside, you got R1-specific black microsuede on the bucket seats. Just as important is what Mazda left out: R1 cars came without a sunroof or a rear wiper, which trims weight and keeps the double-bubble roofline clean.
Underneath, it's the standard FD recipe: a 1.3-liter 13B Wankel with sequential twin turbochargers, rated at 255 horsepower and 217 lb-ft of torque, sent to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual and a Torsen limited-slip differential. Double-wishbone suspension with forged aluminum control arms sits at all four corners.
The Color Is the Hook
Competition Yellow Mica is one of the great factory colors of the 1990s, and it came with a catch. Mazda brought roughly 350 cars to the U.S. in it, only for 1993, and owner accounts such as this Petrolicious reader story note that every U.S. car in the color carried the R1 package. For context, the FD sold only a touch under 14,000 units in the U.S. across its entire run, so a yellow R1 is a rare find even among rare cars.
This Example
This car has two previous owners, a clean Carfax report with no accidents or damage reported, and an Illinois title in the seller's name. The current seller acquired it from the original owner in 2022. Tires are 225/50 Firestone Firehawk Indy500s installed that year, and the seller has changed the engine oil, coolant, transmission and differential fluids and flushed the brakes ahead of the sale.
It isn't totally untouched. Modifications include an Apexi intake, a Greddy stock-mount intercooler, a cat-back exhaust, and a Peter Farrell tuning computer, which is included in the sale along with the owner's manual. Rotary people will want to read that list closely, and the listing's photos and comments are the place to do it.
As of this writing the bid sits at $65,000 with nine bids, and the auction ends Wednesday, November 4 at 3:02 p.m. ET. Bids move fast in the final hours, so what you see now probably isn't where it finishes.
Why This Spec Matters
Not every rare car announces itself with a wing or a plaque. Sometimes it's a color code and a box ticked on the order sheet. Pair that with the R1's weight-saving deletes and a manual gearbox, and you get a spec that enthusiasts spot instantly. We've covered other FDs before, including a clean 1993 RX-7 at auction and a tastefully modified 1992 FD, but a Competition Yellow R1 is a different animal.
If the one-year-only yellow is your kind of rabbit hole, head to the full Bring a Trailer listing for the photo gallery, videos and the bidding.
More like this: This 2006 MINI JCW GP Deleted the Rear Seats and Offered One Color and This FD RX-7 Is a Fast and Furious Tribute Car.
