Due to the recession and other market forces of the time, many automakers had to shave costs in making cars. The original chrome-ringed meters in the cluster were changed to plain black (which was alright with me). The instrument lighting was originally orange (amber?) with a brightness adjuster which made way for green lighting without adjustment in 1996. The chrome rings (bezel?) came back in RS-Rs. One can notice little things here and there that were modified to cut costs throughout its production. What they didn't compromise were elements dealing with ride quality and the need for speed.
In the latter years, the tachometer was shifted so that 0rpm would be positioned at 6 o'clock. Originally, 12 o'clock was 4500rpm but with the latest design it was 6000rpm. Unless the engine was retuned to rev to the neighborhood of 9000, I wouldn't find it so convenient. Like many, I like the newer design, but cannot ignore the fact that 4500rpm is pretty much the 'center' of the torque band and it's easy on my peripheral vision and concentration. Although only the left-half, check out how RZ v6's 6 o'clock white meter looks. Notice the red stitching on the steering wheel.
The roots of R-II was the RZ. After the initial introduction of the first version of FD3S, a limited version called the RZ was offered. It was basically an R without the rear 'child' seats with real one-piece Recaro bucket seats in the front. The previous picture link was RZ v6, the first time it was offered in a non-black color. Suspension by Bilstein was stiffer and the stock 16-inch wheels were painted black. Body color was black. The wheels came with Pirelli P-Zeros. Being a limited version, it sold out before anyone, like myself was even aware of it. It came at a premium and offered razor sharp handling. It came with a red 'RZ' sticker on the pillar behind the doorhandle (isn't it a neat one?).
Anyway, Mazda used panels that were made for the 2-seater in the R-II. For example, you'd see 2 flip-open boxes in place of where the rear seats were normally located. Everything else that was found was either the same as Type S or less than. The rear canopy wiper was left out. Like the RZ, this was a limited version.
The limited editions RZ and R-II were intermittently offered until 1996, when RZ became an official catalog model along with the others as RZ v4. RZ version II (October 1993) was when 17-inch BBS mesh wheels were first offered not as an option but as part of the package. The tyre sizes were 235/45-ZR17 and 255/40-ZR17. It was also a market first for a manufacturer to offer tyres with aspect ratios lower than 50 as part of a standard package.
Another interesting item was the metallic foot board (see bottom left of picture) for the passenger in RZs or RS-Rs. They also came with a special knee pad on the driver's door.
