Of the many cars to appear in the “Fast and Furious” franchise, Han’s Mazda RX-7 from “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” stands out thanks to its Veilside wide-body kit. Craig Lieberman, a technical advisor for the early movies in the franchise, has the full story on this rotary-powered sports car.
Unlike most movie cars, many of the cars in the “Fast and Furious” movies were full-on show cars drafted into on-screen duty. That was the case with the RX-7, which started out as a show car built by Veilside to show off its Fortune wide-body kit. The car appeared at a Tokyo Auto Salon, and was then purchased from Veilside for use in “Tokyo Drift,” according to Lieberman.
The RX-7 was originally red, but was repainted House of Color Sunset Pearl orange for filming. It kept the body kit, as well as modifications made by Veilside to the 13B rotary engine, including an HKS turbocharger and Veilside’s own titanium exhaust system. The car also had an upgraded audio system, with two 12-inch Alpine Type R subwoofers. A single nitrous bottle was onboard as well, although it’s unclear if it was hooked up, according to Lieberman.
In addition to the original car, the production team built nine RX-7s to be used for various shots and stunts. These were traditional movie cars, meaning they didn’t get the full complement of modifications, as that wasn’t necessary for filming. However, that meant the stunt cars actually had trouble breaking their rear tires loose, Lieberman said, which is kind of important in a movie called “Tokyo Drift.”
On screen, The RX-7 got a little more exposure than the RX-7s from “The Fast and the Furious” and “2 Fast 2 Furious,” but was ultimately destroyed in a crash. Only two cars were left after filming was completed, Lieberman said.
The surviving cars were shipped back to Japan, as they were right-hand-drive, Japanese-market cars brought into the United States on a temporary bond as movie props. They were sold to JDM car broker New Era Imports. If you want to build a replica of the “Tokyo Drift” RX-7, the Veilside Fortune wide-body kit is still available, although it will set you back $16,770, Lieberman said.