Restorotang

Restoring a car is a labour of love, a process fea cars we feature acutally go through. Ryan Dunn’s Mazda R100 will be one of those select few. This New Zealand–new rotang spent 25 years in storage in the shaky city (Christchurch) and is now being put back to its day-one form in excruciating detail: the only item to change will be its heart. Every nut and bolt has been recoated in zinc, and every part is a new replacement or has been rebuilt to ensure it is all original. It still rocks the original plates issued back in ’71, and the original interior and dash combo. Each part has been sandblasted and the body hammered straight. So far, it has racked up one and a half years of build time, which isn’t a surprise with this level of attention. The old girl is set to wear a lush coat of original paint code ‘Eiger White’ (WA) to complement the re-chromed and restored trim, along with the original set of 14-inch wheels and hubcaps.

As for the heart, this Mazda won’t rock an original 10A example; instead a 12A-BP will take its place. The ports have been opened and matched by Grant Munro at Rotorsport Racing and Engine Balancing, and it runs a 48mm IDA that will be replaced by a set of quads once the car is in one piece again. Behind it will sit an RX-7 box and 626 bellhousing combo. Otherwise, this will be the ultimate example of purity, and Ryan has told us it is on the home stretch, with completion set for the next few months.