Not even a GSL-SE. That’s hardcore commitment.
If you haven’t watched the exceptional two-part HBO docuseries “Pee-wee as Himself” featuring hours of candid, raw and honest (or are they?) interviews with the late actor Paul Reubens, do yourself a favor and check it out.
Shot shortly before his passing in 2023, Matt Wolf’s film shows Reubens as more of an artist than probably anyone ever gave him credit for, as he largely became known for his most visible creation, Pee-wee Herman. Reubens was a complicated dude who deftly toes the line between radically open and carefully measured in his answers–and non-answers–to Wolf’s queries.
That complexity, it seems, even extended to his choice of cars. In several stills taken around the time his second major film, “Big Top Pee-wee,” was being released in 1988, Reubens’ silver first-generation Mazda RX-7 makes an appearance. And I think there’s a whole other layer of complexity to the man that we can assume, or at least speculate on, from this choice of wheels.
[First-generation Mazda RX-7 | Buyers Guide]
First, we can see from the shot featuring the rear of the car that it’s an early model–a 1979 or 1980, before the full-width taillights made their appearance in 1981. These shots were taken in 1987 or ’88, basically at the peak of the first wave of Pee-wee mania, after “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” and “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” had both cemented him as an American entertainment fixture and given him a couple healthy paydays. I guess what I’m saying here is that driving a first-generation RX-7 in ’88 as a well-resourced entertainer is *a choice.*
We can also see that there’s no badging on the B-pillars, which I think would identify the car as the base GS trim, not the upgraded LS trim. Beyond that, my knowledge of RX-7 minutiae is exhausted, but maybe one of you eagle-eyed rotorheads can spot more identifying characteristics.
My point here is I just don’t think there were lot of people owning early RX-7s in the late ’80s who weren’t doing it consciously. It was probably easier as a famous actor or wealthy executive to walk into a Porsche, BMW or Jag dealership and just pick the nicest model off the floor. But owning an aging, rotary-powered niche sports car took some real effort. It was cool to see that Reubens’ complicated personality extended beyond his art and into his car choices.
Not even a GSL-SE. That’s hardcore commitment.
A quirky car for a quirky dude. It makes complete and total sense that the man who played Pee-Wee Herman drove an early near-base model RX7. I couldn't imagine him in a more perfect car.
Maybe he was frugal, weren't they just cheap cars by the late 80s?
And it was this brief period where rotaries were considered totally reliable.
I watched some of the documentary. I remember also seeing an early Celica also
He probably like saying "wankel", go ahead and say it in peewees voice.
I'd picture him driving something wacky like a Mini Moke, but that would be if he was in his Pee Wee character - in real life an RX-7 makes sense.
There were two trim levels common to both years of Series 1, S and GS. LS was 1980 only (Leather Sport) and was essentially a GS with leather interior.
For 1981, they renamed it GSL and made leather interior optional. Made sense in the 80s I guess.
Not all RX-7s had the trim badging on the B pillar, none of my four had it and I rarely saw it on others' cars, and in any event the car has been completely debadged so it makes no difference. The existence of a sunroof and aluminum wheels means it is probably a GS. Another tell is that the S had a two spoke steering wheel. Dealers often upfitted S models with alloys and four spoke wheels, so even this doesn't really determine which is which. Four speed trans was S only, but I can't read the shift knob from here 
I don't think there were any other differences between S and GS, aside from trivial things like factory installed A/C (most cars built without it got it installed at the port or dealership).
I can see from the side view that it has the 85mph speedometer, which pegs it as an '80. '79 had a (130?) mph speedometer.
The car in the Big Top Pee-Wee photo is either a different car, or he had an FB (series 2/3) nose grafted on. That isn't an SA (series 1) nose. The bumper, front of the fender, and underbumper panel are all different. Series 2 is subtly different from Series 3, that car looks Series 3 ish to me. Also, SAs had thin side molding, if any, while FBs had wide molding, and that car has the wide molding. Either a rented car or he had multiple.
Today's secret word is dork!
David S. Wallens said:Not even a GSL-SE. That’s hardcore commitment.
A GSL-SE drives kinda like a 280ZX, especially if it was optioned with power steering.
A '79-80 will feel very familiar if you've ever driven a stock '90 Miata.
One of these cars has a cult following to the point that people call it the answer to every automotive question, one does not
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
My FB is an S trim, lots of "luxury" interior trim items were left out.
Interior lights (hatch area, glove box, ignition key), center armrest, AM/FM only, analog clock in place of LCD, remote hatch release, but most annoying of all was no dead pedal.
For the lights the wiring is all there but Mazda couldn't spare the yen for a bulb socket.
I don't get the love for Paul Reubens.
He's up there with Jeff Dunham and Gilbert Gottfried on the "incredibly not funny" list.
Yes, PeeWee's Playhouse was on TV when I was a kid. No, it wasn't funny then either.
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