After thirteen years later the launch of the first generation RX-7 in 1978, which became Mazda's representative sports car, the third generation RX-7 was launched in 1991. Like the first and second generation RX-7s, its most distinctive feature is that it is powered by Mazda's lightweight, compact, low-vibration rotary engine, the only one in the world to have been put to practical use. The period from 1986, when the development of the third generation RX-7 began, to 1991, when sales of the RX-7 began, was the period of It was a time of rapid progress in the electronic control and higher power output of sports cars. The Porsche 959, which appeared in 1986, made it possible for everyone to enjoy its high power that was difficult for ordinary drivers to control　relatively safely by installing an electronically controlled 4WD. The Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32 model), which appeared in 1989 and mimicked the electronically controlled 4WD system of the Porsche 959, was able to completely control its large output with the "ATTESA E-TS" electronically controlled 4WD system, and was able to demonstrate unbeatable fighting power in Group A races in which production-based cars compete. While rivals such as the Skyline GT-R are going high-tech and increasing power output, the new Mazda engineers chosed to develop a "rotary engine best pure sports car" rather than a 4WD model with increased weight and extreme high power. The goal was to maximize the qualities of the lightweight and compact rotary engine, and to further pursue the front midship RWD layout, low center of gravity, low moment of inertia, and light weight that had been the philosophy of the first generation RX-7. The development of the third-generation RX-7 was funded by an extremely generous development budget, thanks to Japan's booming economy, and Mazda's engineers worked on body design, suspension, aerodynamics, and other aspects of the RX-7. They strived to pursue the ideal of a sports car. Although the engine type itself follows the "13B" used in the first generation RX-7, The engine was completely redesigned, and the extremely expensive sequential twin-turbo system (in the previous generation, a single turbocharged turbo system) was adopted. It was the embodiment of Mazda's ideal of a sports car. The third generation RX-7,demonstrated extremely high turning performance, and even today, in the 21st century, it is one of the fastest cornering machines among Japanese cars. It became an extremely rare machine that continued to be at the forefront of the mountain passes and circuits.