The 7th wonder: Mad Mike’s ‘MADBUL’ FD returns

7 February, 2017

 

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I went to him with the idea of doing the RX-3 front swap on the FD. His response was ‘Kakkoi’, which translates to ‘cool’ in japanese

Mad Mike’ Whiddett’s FD3S has travelled the globe, killing tyres from Asia to America, and all over Europe. The long-suffering FD chassis has been loyal to Mike. It’s taken down some of the best names in the business and banged doors with hundreds of drifters. It’s the car that Mike first learnt to drift in, and the car that propelled him onto the world stage. In return, Mike has shown the car some serious love over the years, constantly updating its look and keeping it fresh, even with newer, faster and more powerful ‘BUL’s appearing in his stable. You might think that ‘MADBUL’ would eventually be pushed into the corner and left to gather dust, but that could not be further from the truth. We introduce to you version seven of everyone’s favourite FD.

It’s a transformation that Mike’s been waiting to do for over a year now, after working directly with Kei Miura of 6666 Customs to develop the first Rocket Bunny FD RX-7 kit, followed by the Pandem aero now worn by the RX-7. Ask the man what his favourite Mazda is, and he will tell you it’s the RX-3, but as for merging that into an RX-7 — now that’s just crazy talk, isn’t it …

Read the rest of this article in NZPC Issue no. 243 — Grab yourself a print copy at your local magazine spot, or at the link below:

The actual Formula One

Seeing, in a shed in Hamilton, New Zealand, the Darracq 120 racer that Louis Wagner, also a pioneer aviator, drove to victory in the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup race felt a little like finding a Rembrandt at a garage sale.
For historical significance, I’d say this car ranks with Ray Harroun’s Marmon Wasp, the first Indianapolis 500 winner. Unlike Harroun’s Wasp, which has been lovingly cared for at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum over the years, this historically pivotal machine wound up half a world away from its home in France and, to most of the motoring world, largely forgotten. Sadly, so is the story of how the car got to Aotearoa in the first place.
More often than not, a racing car that is a few years old is regarded as obsolete and relegated to a shed somewhere. As far as racing drivers and team owners at the cutting edge of the sport are concerned, the cars are virtually worthless at that point. They can’t be driven on the street; at best they can be reconfigured for lower levels of the sport, so few people care about them until their historical significance becomes more apparent.

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