Mazda RX-7 FC

The FC is where the RX-7 grew a real pair of pants.This was a serious car. Arriving in 1985, it traded the original's featherweight simplicity for a more grown-up fit, with styling so reminiscent of a Porsche 944 that Mazda has cheerfully admitted the resemblance. The crude live rear axle of the FB was gone, replaced by independent rear suspension with a clever passive rear-steering setup, four-wheel disc brakes, and proper rack-and-pinion steering.

The 13B rotary was now standard across the range, and the one to look for is the Turbo II. Its turbocharger lifted output to around 182 horsepower and gave the FC some real zip. This generation was also the only RX-7 ever sold as a factory convertible, for buyers who wanted their rotary soundtrack unfiltered by the oppressive nature of a roof.

For a long time the FC was the overlooked rotary, too refined to be a raw classic like the FB and too old-school to be an exotic like the FD. That has turned it into a favorite of the drifting and grassroots scene, where its balance, rear-drive layout, and reasonable price are exactly what people are after. It remains the value pick of the family, climbing in the FD's wake but still within reach. As ever with a rotary, buy on compression, not on shine.