Royce Hansel’s 1984 S3 RX-7 GSL-SE

it’s more than a classic, it’s a partner.

“Oh man…. OH MAAAAN!” - Me, upon seeing this monster for the first time.

I was in the SUV we rented during our trip to SoCal when I yelled that, we promptly parked across the lane from Royce’s FB to stare at it and drool. There’s something special about modified car built before the 90s generation, they’re difficult, finicky, I mean hey, half the time you work on them they fight back, that’s why this was so cool. I could feel Royce’s vibe before he even saw him, his car exuded his attitude to the T.

Little did Royce actually know, and bear with me, this is a little stalkerish… But ANYWAYS, little did Royce actually know, I actually saw him walking back from the store who’s parking lot we were stationed, and it was weird but, as I walked past him, I could tell the car was his.

I didn’t say anything, since I needed to go grab some sun screen and lip balm (sidenote: if you didn’t know, you can get sunburnt in LA…) and wanted to be quick about it, but I knew. It was clear that he was walking with intent, and no one walks with intent in a parking lot except people who have something to look forward to seeing in a parking lot, in other words, a car person.

Meeting Royce was exactly how I expected it to be. He was quiet, laid back, and a little bit apologetic of even “wasting our time” with his car. He was embarrassed about his car, as if the history it carried and the life it showed was something I’d mistake as a flaw.

I don’t think I’ve ever been quicker to refute someone, “No man, this is the type of stuff I take photos of cars for, it’s about the story.” I said, “rock chips are battle-scars and all the little mods in this thing speak to the years of service you’ve had with it”. Okay, maybe I didn’t say it that eloquently, but you get the gist.

The story is proven the more you listen to Royce. I asked him why he bought this car and the familial ties just made sense. When he was a kid his mom and dad both had RX-7s, his dad even used to build and drag race them. Never tell me you don’t fall in love with things you’re around all the time, because this is proof of that.

Now you may not be able to tell immediately when looking at it but this car has been through some stages, but right now it’s nearing perfection. With an S4 Turbo 2 13B Streetport block, an S4 transmission, 48 Weber IDA (Carburetor), SDJ headers, and a wire tuck, the engine bay is not what you’d expect when you first glance at this machine. On the “outside” it’s completed by Ground Control coilovers with Koni inserts, Techno Toy Tuning panhard bar, Poly bushings, an Autopower 4pt rollbar and more. I love mods like these because they are plenty, and they aren’t always easy to work with, but they all make small little incremental increases in power or control, they all work in harmony to make the vehicle just a little bit better, and that’s exactly what you want out of mods. Or at least that’s what I want.

I asked Royce what kept him getting back into the car, you know, why he loves it so much. And the answer was quick and clear.

I can’t say it better than him so I’ll just quote him directly; “The sound, smell and simplicity of a carbed rotary. It’s just a really fun car to drive. I know the ins and outs of the car. Every single bolt and wire in the car has been removed at least once or twice.”

As far as I’m concerned, that’s love, and that’s enough for me.