Some behind the wheel of RUSH are old enough to remember the FD RX-7 the first time around. Those with greying stubble and wisdom around their eyes talk of a sleek coupe from the golden era of the Japanese sports car, when the yen was strong and the engineering was bold and creative. It was a car that took the fight directly to the Porsche 968 and often came away with the spoils thanks to a Chapman-like commitment to lightness. Whippersnappers like me grew up in the era of the RX-7’s second coming - in a pixelated form in Gran Turismo. One or two might even sheepishly admit to idolising a pouting Vin Diesel stirring million ratio gearbox as he outran both Paul Walker and LA’s finest.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I hail from the latter camp. Gran Turismo was my hook. It provided an education of and admiration for Japanese machinery from the early to mid-nineties that still lingers to this day. The Toyota Supra, Nissan Skyline R33 GTR, Mazda MX-5 NA, Suzuki Pike’s Peak Escudo, Subaru Impreza 22b and Mitsubishi Evo. Each one had brilliantly rendered graphics and drove differently, sparking curiosity as to why. Each one responded to modifications in its own unique manner, forcing me to seek an explanation.

One of the cars that responded best was the Mazda RX-7, and every game reset involved acquiring one as quickly as possible. It was agile, just as quick as the other monsters in a straight line and looked great drifting through to turns of Trial Mountain on the replay. Then Need for Speed came along which allowed me to indulge in my darkest Toretto fantasies at will. Now, as I stand with the keys to an imported 1994 FD3S RX-7 in my hands - not a PlayStation controller - is it going to prove to be a case of never meet your heroes or will the RX-7 live up to the praise heaped upon it by the old sages?

First impressions revolve around just how low this car is, and dainty. It’s a very pretty car and if it's possible much better looking in real life than on my bedroom wall. Apparently, Japanese customers had to pay a special tax due to the width of the car, but I think you’ll agree it was worth the penalty. Any thoughts of nostalgia instantly evaporate with the tailpipe vapours, however, for this thing is loud with a capital L.

True to JDM grey import form we have ourselves a modified RX-7 here, but the changes are minor – a naughty exhaust, a sharp set of alloy wheels and an aftermarket radiator. Importantly, the 1.3-litre twin-turbo engine is as it left the factory, as is the suspension. The 252bhp Japanese model is slightly more powerful than the UK version by a whopping 10bhp but the advantage wasn’t reflected in the recorded performance figures – sixty takes around 5.2 seconds whilst the top speed is limited to a Germany pipping 156 mph. Talk