“You may have noticed over the last few months we have been including photos and footage shot by our friend Cole Duncan (@midnight_soul) more and more in our creative productions. With this article, I am proud to announce Cole has joined Checkpoint’s creative team, and this is his first standalone creation.”
– Alex, Checkpoint Japan
鯉の滝登り — Koi no takinobori. In legend, a “carp that climbs the falls” at the Dragon Gate after swimming upstream in the Yellow River is transformed into a dragon. It is symbolic of ambition.
There’s no better way to make my debut than by delivering a full-fledged car feature I travelled to experience and capture for you, the viewer, to mull over and enjoy. This sunburst yellow RX-7 belongs to my good friend Codi (@fd3s.pnw). Codi and I bonded over our love for the beauty of function exhibited in time-attack cars. We’re both deeply inspired by the machines capable of completing a sub-60 second lap at Tsukuba Circuit—a feat that is no small achievement. The phrase “beauty begets function” might be misunderstood by some, but Codi’s Mazda RX-7 is a perfect example that illustrates this concept.
Originally, Codi was searching for a Nissan R33 GTR or a Toyota JZX100 Chaser, but fate had other plans. In 2021, he acquired one very OEM RX-7 via the Japanese auction market and initially gave it a 99-spec facelift, transforming it into a stance car. However, this iteration left much to be desired, and after only one summer of driving, Codi discovered RE-Amemiya. His vision for the FD shifted dramatically, and he quickly procured the full RE-Amemiya suite. The first iteration was short-lived, soon eclipsed by a full wide-body aero kit that emphasized the car’s shape and complemented its lines. The car remained in this form for an entire year.
After attending several shows and even winning a few awards, the next evolution was on the horizon. In September 2023, Codi began a full teardown of the car, pushing the build to even greater heights, initiating the beginning of it’s third iteration. The main objective was to paint the red engine bay to match the sunburst yellow exterior, but anyone who has built a car knows that such projects often snowball into a much larger undertaking. The 2-rotor engine was removed, and the bay was stripped down to bare steel, to prepare the car for a matching engine bay. Even before work began, Codi had sourced an even wider set of RE-Amemiya fenders—the AD-GT3 variant—along with matching canards that flow seamlessly into the new, wider arches.
Despite having driven only about 12,000 kilometres (7,000 miles) since acquiring the car, the third iteration was well underway. Throughout the fall, winter, and spring, Codi’s commitment was unwavering, no matter how many obstacles were encountered. The entire engine bay was stripped, prepped, and painted in just two weeks. A few months later, a fully rebuilt half-bridged 13B engine was cradled back into a lush, freshly painted sunburst yellow engine bay. A new set of 18″ 10.5J mag blue TE37SLs wrapped in 285/30 Yokohama Advan AD09 tires were mounted, and by mid-May, the car was delivered to Skreet Garage for a full exterior respray, including colour-matching the previously raw carbon fiber hood—all in time for Wekfest in Seattle.
Although the car didn’t enter its first show in its third iteration under its own power, it still stood out among the sea of cars and won second place for Best Mazda. Undeterred, Codi immediately set to work, sorting through the remaining details to get the car idling and ready for its break-in tune. The initial rev limiter was set low to promote a healthy, gradual break-in process, in order to reach the engine’s full potential over time. After squashing a few bugs and tightening some loose ends with the initial break-in mapped out, the car was ready to have its rev limit increased to 7,500 RPM. Finally, after patiently waiting for the car to reach an operable state, I was given the green light to venture down and capture this incredible machine.
For those who know me, you’ll understand that I’m a bit of a night owl and perhaps a bit of an insomniac. So, early in the morning, with no sleep, I made my way south, crossing the border and embarking on a sleep-deprived journey down the interstate. Initially, I was worried that my lack of rest might ruin the shoot and even considered sneaking in a nap at Codi’s place. That all changed as soon as I parked out front of his house. The car sat parked coyly on the driveway, soaking in the sun, greeting me with its retina-piercing colour, and arriving at this scene was quite rejuvenating. The car’s vibrant hue and the fresh morning air hit me like a second wind, and I was so excited to point my camera at this machine and finally hear it breathe.
To kill some time while waiting for better lighting, Codi and I caught up, and I watched as he bravely took a Dremel to the canards on his front bumper to fit the Car Shop GLOW front splitter. To create unity between the canards and the splitter, the bottom edges of the canards had to be trimmed. When the dust settled, the car looked complete and ready for a wash. As I took in the sight before me, I couldn’t help but marvel at the complexity of the RE-Amemiya aero kit.
RE-Amemiya is truly a prodigy of the aero world and puts a lot of thought-provoking shapes in their aero design. The AD-GT1 overfenders in the rear feature a simple stacked dog-leg shape that doesn’t detract from the car’s overall look. The side skirts seamlessly join the overfenders, maintaining continuity and flow beautifully behind the carbon fiber fender vents up front. Everything looks like it belongs, nothing juts out or demands attention like a rocket bunny kit. The AD-GT3 fenders up front feature carbon fiber louvred vents inlaid above the wheel arches to promote brake cooling, symmetrical to the vents in the carbon fiber hood. The carbon fiber panels stretch from front to rear, all serving the purpose of utilizing the atmosphere in an efficient and aesthetically pleasing way. The RE front bumper boasts a large mouth to feed the V-mounted intercooler and radiator while also accommodating brake cooling ducts. Perhaps RE-Amemiya’s most popular part, the sleek aero headlights, not only reduce drag but also look so flattering that they could be mistaken for being an OEM factory part. Car Shop GLOW’s bumper and tail lights add a finishing touch, showcasing the exceptional quality and attention to detail that goes into every element of this build.
With the car freshly washed and the improved lighting, Codi and I decided it was time to grab a bite and start the photo shoot. Now, let me try to describe what this car feels like as a passenger. Once you’re settled inside, you sit low to the floor, and with the turn of the key, the engine comes to life, producing that signature choppy “brap brap brap” of a bridged rotary engine we all know and love. Since you’re sitting snugly in a bucket seat hard-mounted to the floor, you can feel the intense idle chop rocking the car side to side as it warms up. Outside, the sound is so loud that you can literally hear the windows of houses down the street shaking from the idle chopping away. On the road, the clutch aggressively pulls the engine RPMs down, requiring you to rev higher than usual just to get moving—and you feel all of it. Surprisingly, the car cruises quite nicely for such a rowdy build, but at low speeds, the RPMs can dip too low, causing the car to lurch and jerk around. If you drive this car like a Prius, it will punish you. But if you let it loose, the performance is smooth, punchy, and incredibly responsive. At full throttle, the signature of the turbo’s distinct spool increases in volume, and upon hitting boost, the RPMs skyrocket before hitting boost-cut at 18 PSI, set in the break-in tune. When the wastegate cracks open, you’re met with sonic violence—like a mix of anger and joy, finally being set free. The sensation of the car spinning warmed up 285-wide tires combined with the noise gave me goosebumps. No speaker or headphone can replicate the visceral fidelity and feeling of that sound.
Everywhere we went to take photos, the car turned heads—people couldn’t ignore it if they tried. Many were at a loss for words, and I lost count of how many were captivated by the sight of this machine gracefully cruising down I-5 and the streets of Alki Beach. We owe it to Mazda and Efini for creating such a fantastic canvas for RE-Amemiya to build upon. Every single element of this build is impactful, leaving people with a strong impression (it kept me awake for 30 hours straight!). The craftsmanship, dedication, budget, and time required to complete a build of this calibre are staggering, and Codi has truly taken the bar and chucked it up into low earth orbit. I’d love to see more people across all platforms elevate themselves to this level of quality in their builds.
After spending half a day with this masterpiece, I’m still fired up knowing that there’s at least one car like this not far from home. And believe it or not, Codi isn’t done yet. This RX-7 is a forever car for him, and the finishing touches on this third iteration are still waiting to be applied. This car feels truly alive, with its own quirks and character. At idle, it rocks side to side, and if you’re not pushing it to its limits, it behaves sporadically, as if it were begging you to feed it more throttle. Grouchy when stationary, euphoric in motion. Taking this trip to see Codi and his machine was one of the highlights of my summer, and I’m looking forward to heading back down in my own car to get some shots of them together and see what else Codi has in store.
I hope you enjoyed my debut article and this deep dive into one of the best builds in the Pacific Northwest.
See you in the next one!
Codi and I both believe that gatekeeping information on building cars doesn’t help anyone, so Codi has provided a breakdown of some of the key points that make his machine into the feral delinquent that it is.
- Who built your engine?
John from Legend Motorsports (@legend.motorsports).
- Port work? Apex seals? New housings?
He did a gnarly half-bridge on it, race bearings, full fresh seals, and E&J apex seals. The engine was supposed to be low miles, but when he opened it up, he realized it had previously been rebuilt and the apex seals they used were eating the housings, and the rotors had hit the plates. So we had to order 2 new housings and the engine had to be balanced and cleared. Safe to say it cost a bit more than I initially thought it was going to, but it ended up being a whole fresh engine that can rev up to around 10,000 RPM and is super reliable and makes all the good noises.
- Turbo? Manifold? ECU?
Borg Warner EFR8374 with the 1.05 A/R housing. Turblown turbo manifold and a Haltech Elite 1500 ECU.
- Cooling parts?
Davies Craig electric water pump, TRUST Greddy v-mount radiator, full AN coolant lines.
- Exhaust setup?
3.5 inch exhaust with no resonator or cats, (because who needs that) back to a Reinhard dual cannonball muffler.
- Bigger fuel pumps?
The car has 2 Walbro 525 hellcats, on a Radium surge tank hanger and a 450lph lift pump.
- Alternator?
The DC power full billet alternator has been side-mounted to clear up some space on top of the keg in the bay
- Transmission?
OEM FD trans for now, but that is on the list of things to get changed out since the trans is probably the weak link on the car now.
- Clutch?
Exedy hyper twin disk.
- Differential/Axles?
The diff is another thing on the list of things to change out as it’s OEM right now, along with the axles. It could use a better final gear. I’m currently trying to get my hands on an OS Giken 1.5 way and a 4.44 gear to slap in the diff.
- Wheel and tire specs?
18 10.5J + 15 all around, Volk TE37 in Mag blue. Advan AD09 285/30/18
- Suspension parts?
Nagisa front upper control arms, Öhlins coilovers, Superpro sway bars, Parts Shop Max rear upper arms and rear toe arms.
- Brake setup?
326Power Gacha 4 pot brakes front and rear.
- RE Amemiya fenders type?
The fronts are AD-GT3 rears AD-GT1.
- RE Canards type?
AD-GT3 canards that flow into the fenders.
- Splitter and diffuser manufacturer?
Car Shop GLOW.
- Spoiler?
Esprit 052 1800mm.
- Seats?
Bride Zeta 4 with the carbon back.
- Steering wheel?
RE-Amemiya D-shaped steering wheel.
- Floor mats?
RE-Amemiya checkered floor mats.
- Rear seat delete bucket setup?
Yarded the JDM rear seats and replaced them with USDM bins.
- Rear cross braces brand?
NeXt nippon Miracle x-bar.
- Favourite part on the car?
It used to be the X bar but now I think it’s the front fenders and canards.
- The rarest part on the car?
The CF hood has been discontinued and the X bar is listed as discontinued also.
- The coolest part on the car?
The way the whole aero package looks together or the engine. In reality, the way the whole car works together is the coolest part.
- Do you have intentions to track the car?
Once the car is fully broken in it will see some track duty.
- Anticipated horsepower at full bloom?
It should be sitting around high 500’s unless I get a bigger turbo which is very possible.
- Future plans?
Changing the transmission and differential needs to happen. Maybe go bigger turbo. I don’t think the car will ever be truly done.
- Would you build another car to the same specification if the opportunity arose?
Absolutely.
- Was it worth the stress?
When going through this last iteration, I thought it was never going to be finished and had me almost pulling my hair out, but once it was done it was worth every ounce of stress I went through.
- Anywhere you want to drive it to?
I would love to somehow get the car to Japan and drive it there.
- Are you afraid to drive it?
When it was complete this time around, I was afraid for the first drive just because everything was fresh but once I got through that drive, I absolutely love to drive the thing. It’s an absolute handful and such a raw machine, but so much fun to drive.
- What did you learn during the process of the build?
Trust the process, slow down and enjoy it.
- Do you have any advice for anyone who has been thinking about doing a build like this?
Take your time and have fun with it. And don’t give up and stick with it.
We are always adding new goods to our store, including a ton of car fashion accessories and vintage racing apparel.
Check it all out in the Checkpoint Japan Online Store.
