Elderly woman returns manual RX-7 to Mazda Japan on her 80th birthday

Did you know that this silver Mazda RX-7 was owned and driven for 25 years by an elderly woman, Naoko Nishimoto?

In conjunction with her 80th birthday celebration on December 18, Naoko decided to voluntarily surrender her driver’s license and return her beloved RX-7 to Mazda Japan.

Her intention to sell the RX-7 captured public attention when it was featured on YouTube on September 2024, creating a significant phenomenon.

After her story aired, Naoko received over 400 emails, including one from Mazda’s Public Relations department.

Coincidentally, an engineer at Mazda watched the program and immediately contacted the PR department, stating, “Mazda should take over this (RX-7)!”

When Naoko read the email from Mazda, she remarked, “It was an email filled with enthusiasm and sincerity, and it seemed to shine for me.”

It is understood that the sender of the email also had a strong attachment to the Mazda RX-7.

Naoko’s story of her love for driving the manual RX-7 began when she was 55, at which point her Corona Coupe, owned for nearly a decade, started to have issues.

Coincidentally, she watched the animated series Initial D with her son and fell in love at first sight with the design of the Mazda RX-7 (FD3S).

She then promptly went to the nearest Mazda dealership to place an order, where at that time (1999), the price was around 3.2 million yen (approximately RM91,855).

Initially, Naoko wanted to choose a blue color as shown in the product brochure, but the Mazda salesperson suggested she opt for Highlight Silver Metallic.

“Looking back, I feel relieved that I chose that color,” she stated.

Thanks to the care and maintenance provided by Kyushu Mazda Akasako, Naoko’s RX-7 never experienced major problems during her 25 years of ownership.

The mileage of 77,592 km is evidence of her passion for the unique driving experience of the RX-7, which never made her feel fatigued, even on long journeys.

According to Naoko, she particularly loves the design of this sports car’s rear, especially the rear wing and the number seven on the license plate.

During the purchase process, the staff at Kyushu Mazda kindly handled all registration procedures, successfully obtaining the number 7 from the Land Transportation Bureau for the RX-7.

As a result, this became one of Naoko’s favorite features of the car.

Naoko also never found it difficult to drive the manual RX-7 in her hilly neighborhood in Nagasaki.

“When I first bought it, I felt nervous; however, now I have gotten used to it, and it is no longer a problem,” she expressed.

This Mazda RX-7 Type RB S package is powered by a 13B-REW engine with sequential twin turbocharging, capable of generating up to 265 PS and 294 Nm of torque.

Her story also captured the attention of Mazda President and CEO Moro Masahiro, who sent an appreciation letter read by Kosuke Doi, General Manager of Mazda’s Domestic Sales Division.

In the letter, Moro mentioned, “The RX-7 is the first model I was responsible for marketing after joining Mazda, so it holds special memories for me.”

“We will cherish this car, along with the stories of your (Naoko) joyful and vibrant life experiences.”

After the handover event, Naoko then proceeded to the Urakami police station in Nagasaki Prefecture to voluntarily return her driver’s license.

Mazda Japan promised to take excellent care of the RX-7 and plans to transfer the model to the R&D center in Yokohama for use as a public relations vehicle or to be exhibited at official events.