Our styling designers succeeded in their task of creating a sports car with the beauty of a wild animal The styling proportions were not adopted merely for the sake of beauty - they were inevitable for the performance we sought for the new RX-7. The capabilities we most desired in the new RX-7 were ideal sports car handling coupled with a sharp turn-in, both of which are necessary to elevate the sensation of oneness between car and driver to new heights. To realize these requirements, weight distribution to the front and rear wheels must be equal and the yaw moment of inertia must be minimized. The styling proportions were essential to achieve these goals. For handling pleasure, the front and rear wheels must reach their cornering limits at the same time. In other words, the lateral forces that are generated during cornering must be equally distributed between the front and rear wheels. The front-midship configuration is the key to realizing an ideal weight distribution of 50:50. It is made possible by the compact dimensions of the rotary engine, which itself has become synonymous with the RX-7. The engine i mounted behind the front axle, allowing the front overhang to be shortened considerably. Ideal sports car handling is not the only requirement for the new RX-7, the car must respond immediately to driver input. The yaw moment of inertia is the product of the mass multiplied by its distance from the center of rotation. Thus, if heavy components are located in the front overhang, the yaw moment of inertia is increased and turn-in response is impaired. With the new RX-7, we placed great importance on reducing the weight in the front overhang, and we were able to shorten it by 125 mm compared to the previous model. The pop-up headlamps have been changed to the more simple rotating type. Plastic has been used for all linkages and lids resulting in a total weight reduction of approximately 4 kg. The bonnet is made of aluminium and is 10 kg lighter than a steel version. A 2 kg reduction was also accomplished by using plastic for part of the front tyre housing. The front bumper reinforcement is blow-fabricated, fiber-reinforced plastic, and the rear bumper is reinforced by aluminium resulting in a reduction of 4 kg compare to the previous model. Even the spare wheel is made of aluminium. The position of the driver and passenger in the vehicle is crucial regarding weight distribution. The seats are located exactly at the center of gravity, resulting in the loads on the front and rear wheels remaining virtually unchanged regardless of the weight of the occupants. The effect on the yaw moment of inertia is also at a minimum. The short overhangs, thin fenders, sharply raked windscreen and short rear deck combine to conjure an image of a cheetah about to pounce on its prey. The uninterrupted, continuous muscular constitute a new shape for sports cars, embodying muscular yet elegant lines. The proportions of the new RX-7 were essential to achieve our perform ance targets.