Just about the most rewarding areas of my job is the opportunity I’ve been given to meet so many different people around the globe while building so many various relationships. Ranging from every age group, just about every owner is different and contains their own unique personality and story. Some grow to be long-term relationships, others turn out to be one-time acquaintances I hope to never see again (sorry guys). The homeowner of this timeless RX-7 on the other hand, is one of people I’m sure I’ll keep in touch with for the rest of my life.
I originally met Eric Brimer about two years ago in Atlanta at a local car meet while scouting for possible feature cars during my previous freelance reign. Upon approaching Eric I quickly found out two things. First, was that his Montego Blue FD had already been featured in our sister publication Modified Magazine during its H.I.N. stages. And second, that he was actually currently serving time in a correctional facility for a genuine article Willy Wonka operation catching up with him. How was he at the car meet if he was serving time, you may well ask? Well my fellow readers, there’s this thing called work release and it’s for inmates which have displayed good behavior-and you can bet your ass Eric was using his granted a chance to sneak off and attend the little powwow. A die-hard individual he or she isand i also always saved in touch. I found myself always looking for the best opportunity to shoot his car and he was always trying to find a way to update it enough for it to be re-featured. Truthfully, there was a good deal that would have to be done. The Sparco seats had surely aged, and though his old Volks were in immaculate condition, the wheels have been played for a while. Though we had been consistently in communication, there was clearly a lot of talk and not much going on to the first year or so of our relationship, but once Eric was finally released to your prohibitory state the ball started rolling and the games began.
One of the main re-building points of the project was to keep it as elegant and simple as you possibly can. Even around I would try and convince Eric to absolutely slammer his FD for my own viewing pleasures, he would not budge. Truth be told, this wild individual’s 10-year-old baby just has 33k original miles on it. And he wants to keep it fresh to death (no pun intended). Which means no hella stance that’ll irreversibly ruin his fenders, no insane out of this world engine mods ensuring the rotary motor will always run strong without any unnecessary on the top body accents. Who could blame him? The FD is an iconic chassis. And since when has tastefully done ever beenalmost every aspect of the car being revamped within the past year from your wheels on the interior, the engine is actually the only thing that has been left untouched since the first time around. With a GReddy T78 blower producing around 420 on the wheels, Eric still feels he has more than sufficient power to enjoy yourself without sliding back into prison. The hood was substituted with OEM carbon, the trunk lost its massive tail, and the shoes represent a timeless, refined style we can’t deny.
Though I’m probably not allowed to elaborate on the insanity of Eric’s personality and also the depths of the shenanigans, the most interesting point about this build must be the aspect of how this kind of out of control character can own such a righteous piece of history, and have the maturity to keep it that way. Having said that, there is no doubt during my mind we will see this car gracing our pages again in another 10 years. Keep the ears and eyes open folks, you never know who you’ll meet out there.