Our spy photographers have managed to catch up with a hobbled together version of the upcoming Mazda RX-7, originally set to arrive in 2012. As you can see in the pictures, the mule is utilizing the remains of a Mazda6 body, but protruding headlights and modified front and rear bumpers are a dead giveaway that there is a new platform hiding beneath its ugly outer shell.

The rebirth of the Mazda RX-7 has lingered in the form of unsubstantiated rumors for some time now, but our latest spy shots lend some credence to the return of the affordable sports car to the automaker’s lineup.

If we are to believe what many have suggested, the next RX-7 will represent a return to the roots of the sports car that was first sold in the U.S. in 1979. Mazda had first planned on making the next RX-7 a higher-priced sports car starting in the mid $30,000 range, but given the condition of the world economy Mazda has put the project on hold.

In a recent interview, Mazda design chief, Ikuo Maeda, told Automotive News that the RX-7 is a pet project of his, but it is temporarily on hold until the U.S. economy recovers.

“I do have a strong yearning to revive the RX-7 during my tenure,” Maeda said. “But in order for that to happen, we need the U.S. economy to come back, first and foremost.”

New suggestions place the starting price in the $25,000 realm in an effort to compete with the upcoming Toyota FT-86 project. Rumors also suggest a new 1.6-liter Renesis 16X Wankel rotary engine, which could produce anywhere from 200 to 300+ horsepower – meaning it will be a sizable upgrade over the outgoing 1.3-liter rotary.

We expected to see this exciting new car to hit the market at the end of 2011, as a 2012 model year vehicle. Given the latest indications given by the RX-7s deisgner, we now we expect the RX-7 to sit on the back burner for another year or longer.

References
1. ‘Mazda design chief gives…’ view