Four-Rotor AWD Monster is This YouTuber’s Dream Come True
2,000 horsepower four-rotor RX-7 build has been in the making for four years. Now, Rob Dahm sees light at the end of the tunnel.
While SEMA 2019 was a fair bit ago at this point, we can’t get over this crazy build. If you are at all familiar with automotive Youtubers, you likely have encountered Rob Dahm before. Dahm is a Michigan based computer repair guy turned auto influencer with a couple of screws just loose enough to make all kinds of magic happen. If you aren’t an RX-7 fan, there’s still a good chance you’ve seen his content. Recently, he made waves by putting a Mazda 13b rotary engine in a Z06 Corvette. This was to fire back at all the LS swapped FD RX-7 examples out there. Furthermore, he is the owner of a gorgeous 2001 Lamborghini Diablo VT, which has been the subject of some of his most popular videos.
Over four years ago, Dahm started down the path of building his dream: a four-rotor Wankel engine-powered all-wheel-drive beast that would ruthlessly slay all four tires with the dump of the clutch. Little did he know, the path was going to be a rough one. Immediately, the build got off to a brutal start when UPS lost his four-rotor engine components. After eventually finding the parts for sale on eBay, Dahm found that his package had been marked “unclaimed” and auctioned off by UPS. Though, it did eventually wind up back in his hands. After years of roadblock after roadblock, custom machined parts to Dahm’s exact CAD specs, and more sleepless nights than your average human will ever see, the turbo four-rotor dream machine is nearing completion.
Not much of an RX-7 anymore
With all the body panels on and the hood and hatch closed, you’d think you’re just looking at a widebody FD RX-7. Peel back the skin, though, and you’ll find something incredible. The suspension on this monster is all designed by Dahm himself, and takes influence from Ken Block’s iconic “Hoonicorn.” You know, the all-wheel-drive Mustang you’ve seen going sideways up Pike’s Peak.
If you look closely, you’ll find that not one piece of the original Mazda suspension remains. The cockpit is about the only original remainder from Mazda. Though there is plenty of people questioning why this project is taking so long, the majority of people fail to realize just how much of an undertaking this behemoth is. This isn’t just an engine swap. Even an AWD conversion and engine swap are a lot less complicated than this. This thing is a full-blown racecar engineered from the ground up.
Billet everything, all the time
This is no run of the mill Rotary engine. This is a custom monster featuring billet components pretty much everywhere they could be. It is the first Billet 4 Rotor to roar to life in North America. Add to it the 106mm Garrett Turbocharger, fitted with a billet wheel (obviously), and the remarkable custom fabrication throughout this engine bay, and you’re left with a shiny melting pot of sheer excellence. This setup is said to be capable of 2,000 horsepower, and that is not a typo. It makes it all the more insane, then, that just three days before SEMA, this engine was not in this chassis.
How do you get 2,000 horsepower to the ground, though? Dahm has opted to push it through a remarkable four plate clutch assembly by X Clutch USA. Remarkably, UPS also managed to lose the clutch assembly. Go figure. It is rated to 1,800 pound-feet of torque, and serves as the middle man to the Holinger sequential transmission mated to this bonkers Wankel workhorse. The final step in the process is the custom carbon fiber driveshafts delivering power to the front and rear differentials. Fun fact, too, the one upfront is from a BMW M3.
Well worth the struggle
One question many ask is how much this thing has cost in the long run. With Rob’s revealed numbers of $60,000 for the engine and $20,000 for the transmission, the overall price is likely a number that would cause normal people would lose sleep. Dahm, though, is not a normal person. He had a dream when growing up to own a Lamborghini Diablo, so he started a computer repair company at sixteen years old. By 28 years old, he had his Diablo. Dahm doesn’t let anything stand in the way of accomplishing what he sets out to do, and this four-rotor build is no exception. It’s not about the performance per dollar ratio. There are plenty of cars he could have bought with the money that went into this build. This car is about making your wildest dreams come true. While most of us go day to day with our dreams remaining dreams, Dahm is making them realities. For that, no amount of applause is sufficient.
For more on this insane build, be sure to subscribe to Rob Dahm’s youtube channel. Additionally, you can see more photos in the below gallery.
Photos for 6 Speed Online by Braden Carlson