Tag: Mazda
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The anti-probe?
The first generation Ford Probe GT was a rather extroverted hatchback with some serious 80s styling cues. It’s mechanical twin, the Mazda MX-6 GT was a more understated two-door sedan that offered the same enthusiast driving experience. The only thing missing here is four-wheel steering, but that might be good in terms of reliability and…
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Torque Steer Special: Mazda 323 V6 turbo
LA craigslist features strange sleepers and stranger engine swaps. This 1990 Mazda 323 combines the two with formidable force. We’ve fully documented the previous-generation 323 GTX, a turbo AWD rally homologation special, here and here and here. Now imagine over twice the power–solely through the front wheels. The seller crammed a V6 from the big…
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1985 Mazda 626 Turbo: Long before the MazdaSpeed6, there was this
Okay, this wasn’t the top trim, as there were some groovy GT models in coupe, hatch and sedan form (in different years?); but you get the point. This is a turbocharged, manual-transmission-equipped mid-80s sedan in great shape. The claimed 104K miles seems legit, given the apparent condition. For once, we have an unusual Craigslist car…
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Another homemade Shogun Competitor
This one uses a Suzuki Hayabusa engine. Some might question a motorcycle engine in a car, but this thing should make at least 150HP if it’s in stock form. That’s damn near 100HP more than the lowest-rated Festiva and this one now offers RWD. Also, we wonder how much less this now weighs. In any…
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One of those WTF ads
When a seller says “two V8 projects”, one tends to think they’ll be somehow related. This seller, however, has a 1960 Thunderbird and a 1973 Mazda RX4 wagon! The Mazda has some sort of turbocharged V8 and is intriguing, but also pretty rough. The T-Bird looks mostly stock. Click for Craigslist ad North Hills, CA…
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Port-installed Callaway goodness!
This was the first Mazdaspeed vehicle and had a Callaway turbo kit installed at the port of entry. While 170HP doesn’t set the world alight, period reviews indicated this was very nice, very driveable car. The Protege was already known as a great handler, so we believe it. Great things with this car include the…
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Long trim name / Great Car
We just don’t see enough first generation (FB) RX-7s on the road anymore. It seems they were quite common when new to lightly used, but disappeared somewhere along the line. This example is the best of the breed: The GSL-SE, which featured the 13B engine that would become standard on the second generation (FC) cars.…
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Rotary masterpiece
We see Mazda rotary engines thrown into just about everything these days and we generally approve, but this seems like a fantastic version AND, for once, the car originally came with a Wankel. The RX-4 was one of Mazda’s many interesting, and relatively obscure, creations. It never came with this Wankel, however, as it’s the…
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Mazda MX-5 Eunos in Camo
Here we have a JDM MX-5, known as a Eunos, gutted and painted camo. The owner will also throw in various parts to create a Lucra kit car, but points out that they won’t fit this car…hmm. This looks track-ish, but the seller speaks about needing to fully bolt down the cage and also about…
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Forbidden Fruit: Mazda / Autozam AZ-1 Kei car
Anyone reading here probably knows a thing or two about Kei cars, the tiny Japanese treats which get around certain Japanese tax laws. This Autozam AZ-1 has a bit of a confusing lineage, given Autozam is a Mazda brand but the car was design and built by Suzuki, who also sold a version. Regardless, we…