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The gobsmacking car you see on these pages, is not Ingvar Carlsson’s 1984 Group B RX-7, but any normal person would be hard-pressed to pick the differences
A four-year-long labour of owner Matt Love, the build began with a rusty old shell, that – with the help of a second donor car – he completely built himself “front to back”.
As close as physically possible, this car is a nut-and-bolt focused tribute to that hallowed Group B RX-7.
Armed with build material from the FIA and CAMS, Love tracked down the fibreglass panels from Europe. The car houses a spec-correct PP dry-sumped motor.
“I called up AP Racing and it just so happened the bloke that built them back in 1984 was there and knew how to remake them,” says Love.
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He says the only parts on the car that majorly differ from Carlsson’s are the Holinger gearbox, the diff which was a mix of a Toyota Hiace component – and a Cusco Supra diff, and the steering rack.
The car has competed in rallies around Australia, and the goal this year is to cross the pond and have a steer in New Zealand.
Love speaks of the build being a slow-burn in its early years as his attention was elsewhere in his personal life, but now he is semi-retired, he’s prepared to give the car his full attention and to keep on racing.
Photography: Alastair Brook