Cultural Enrichment

HOW THE OWNER OF THIS 815HP MAZDA RX-7 PAYS HOMAGE TO TWO DISTANT CAR CULTURES

- Rushton Skinner

Constant globalization brings together various cultures no matter how different. Though cultural appropriation is inevitable, we are obligated to those from whom we gathered inspiration. Common examples can be found in music and fashion, but they can also be found in the automotive world. Tito Perez is the owner of this ’93 Mazda RX-7 and explains that to “do right” we must be “authentic,” so the essence of the cultures we emulate add to our creations. In the case of his RX-7, he’s adopted influences from both Puerto Rican and Japanese car cultures by strengthening his rotary engine and using only authentic JDM parts.

Now, you might be asking, “Why Puerto Rico car culture?” It’ll be a shock to some of you if you’re new to the scene, but the most powerful rotary builds in the world aren’t from Japan or even the United States, but from the tiny island of Puerto Rico. PR is home to many of the fastest quarter-mile rotary-powered machines in the history books, which is why it’s no surprise Tito and his father, both full-blood Puerto Ricans, picked up this RX-7 as a family project.