Rotary Revelations – Jon Leverett’s Mazda RX-7 Tales and Industry Insider Insights
03/18/25 • 48 min
Click here to tell us about your favorite car, car story or automotive trivia !
Jon Leverett, a Mazda USA product launch veteran, shares a trove of automotive passion and behind-the-scenes industry stories focused on the legendary RX-7 and Mazda’s rotary engine heritage. As a self-professed “rotary kid” (his family owned 20 RX-7s!), Jon’s enthusiasm is infectious when he describes the unique sound and feel of his first car – a silver ’88 RX-7 that cemented his love for Mazda.
He then pulls back the curtain on Mazda’s product development: listeners get to ride along as Jon recounts launching new models, including the thrill and pressure of unveiling the FD RX-7 in the ’90s with its cutting-edge twin-turbo rotary. He shares car culture tidbits like the internal debates at Mazda about manual vs. automatic sports cars and how customer car stories often influenced marketing strategy. Jon also reveals his most exciting restoration project, dubbed the “Red Dragon” – bringing a Rotary engine back to life in tribute to Mazda’s innovation.
It’s not all tech talk; Jon’s stories brim with personal moments, like road-tripping an RX-7 across country to prove its grand touring chops, and the camaraderie of the Mazda fan community.
Whether you’re a die-hard rotary engine fan or just curious about how a car company brings a vehicle to market, this episode offers an engaging blend of personal memoir and insider know-how. It’s a celebration of innovation, persistence, and the quirky, wonderful world of rotary sports cars.
New episodes drop every other Tuesday. Please Follow, Like, and Subscribe to be the first to hear our latest content and past episodes - https://linktr.ee/carsloved
Click here to tell us about your favorite car, car story or automotive trivia !
Jon Leverett, a Mazda USA product launch veteran, shares a trove of automotive passion and behind-the-scenes industry stories focused on the legendary RX-7 and Mazda’s rotary engine heritage. As a self-professed “rotary kid” (his family owned 20 RX-7s!), Jon’s enthusiasm is infectious when he describes the unique sound and feel of his first car – a silver ’88 RX-7 that cemented his love for Mazda.
He then pulls back the curtain on Mazda’s product development: listeners get to ride along as Jon recounts launching new models, including the thrill and pressure of unveiling the FD RX-7 in the ’90s with its cutting-edge twin-turbo rotary. He shares car culture tidbits like the internal debates at Mazda about manual vs. automatic sports cars and how customer car stories often influenced marketing strategy. Jon also reveals his most exciting restoration project, dubbed the “Red Dragon” – bringing a Rotary engine back to life in tribute to Mazda’s innovation.
It’s not all tech talk; Jon’s stories brim with personal moments, like road-tripping an RX-7 across country to prove its grand touring chops, and the camaraderie of the Mazda fan community.
Whether you’re a die-hard rotary engine fan or just curious about how a car company brings a vehicle to market, this episode offers an engaging blend of personal memoir and insider know-how. It’s a celebration of innovation, persistence, and the quirky, wonderful world of rotary sports cars.
New episodes drop every other Tuesday. Please Follow, Like, and Subscribe to be the first to hear our latest content and past episodes - https://linktr.ee/carsloved
Previous Episode
Rotary Engine Adventures : Jon’s Most Exciting Mazda USA Restoration Project
Click here to tell us about your favorite car, car story or automotive trivia !
Join the car enthusiasts in this short clip as Mazda USA’s Jon Leverett—raised in a Rotary family and whose first car was a silver 1988 RX-7—reveals his most exhilarating automotive project: restoring the iconic Cosmo rotary engine to build the “Red Dragon.”
The full episode is packed with restoration stories of beloved cars, automotive culture & history insights, driving experience tales, and vehicle design inspiration -https://pod.link/1733902541/episode/c10a8cae2d89d0f65fdfbc73f879aa09
New episodes drop every other Tuesday. Please Follow, Like, and Subscribe to be the first to hear our latest content and past episodes - https://linktr.ee/carsloved
Next Episode
Air-Cooled and Carefree – Guinevere’s VW Beetle Tales and Family Restoration Traditions
Click here to tell us about your favorite car, car story or automotive trivia !
Guinevere, co-owner of Freccia Brothers Garage, invites us into a world of vintage Volkswagen magic and the family memories made along the way. She starts by introducing “Lily,” her cherished 1963 VW Beetle, and “Gadget,” a 1987 Cabriolet – both members of her family in their own right. As she recounts her first car (a Tropicana Orange Karmann Ghia handed down from her dad), listeners are treated to a warm story of how classic cars can bond generations. Guinevere shares practical restoration stories from her Greenwich, CT shop: reviving a flood-damaged dune buggy, sourcing parts for a rare VW Type 3, and even doing a father-daughter project replacing a Beetle’s convertible top.
Each tale highlights craftsmanship and a touch of old-school ingenuity, like using century-old techniques to straighten a frame or preserving carbon-copy service records from the ’60s. Beyond the technical, this episode shines with heart – Guinevere speaks on hosting community “VW days” where enthusiasts swap stories and kids learn to wrench on air-cooled engines, keeping automotive culture alive.
"Air-Cooled and Carefree” will leave you smiling and maybe a bit misty-eyed, as it captures the simple joys of classic car life – the smell of an old vinyl interior warming in the sun, the shared laughter over a stubborn bolt, and the way these beloved cars connect us to our past and to each other.
New episodes drop every other Tuesday. Please Follow, Like, and Subscribe to be the first to hear our latest content and past episodes - https://linktr.ee/carsloved
To All The Cars I’ve Loved Before | First Cars - Rotary Revelations – Jon Leverett’s Mazda RX-7 Tales and Industry Insider Insights
Transcript
Welcome back to ListenerLand . You have found to all the cars I've loved before your authoritative podcast on automotive nostalgia , where every car tells a story , every car has a culture , and so it's time to plug in DustDoll , get a little grease under the nails and slip on the favorite car-themed T-shirt with my co-pilot shotgun ride or cry , doug , look at that T-shirt , what
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/to-all-the-cars-ive-loved-before-first-cars-315767/rotary-revelations-jon-leveretts-mazda-rx-7-tales-and-industry-insider-87578820"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to rotary revelations – jon leverett’s mazda rx-7 tales and industry insider insights on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy