Did you ride a Chopper bike when all the other kids rode Schwinns or Huffys? If so, then these official Mazda accessories would’ve suited you when you bought your first RX-3.

So the “side skirt mold” and “speed wiper arm and blade” seem pretty decent. Even the “safety scope” (sun visor) seems useful. But look closely and you’ll see an unlabeled bug shield in the middle of the hood! Also, note the bulge on the hood for a possible gauge.

Not your style? Next we have a a race car “Sports Kit”:

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The Friday Video series has touched upon many great Japanese movies and TV programs celebrating the automobile. But while they made their cars brutish and macho and excellent for ramming criminals into submission, they never made cars sexy. Well, turn down the lights and pour yourself a masu of warm sake before hitting “play”.

1972’s Hairpin Circus was the seminal Japanese motoring film. The age of the personal RWD sports coupe was in full swing and Japan was still blissfully unaware of the oil crisis to come. The giants, especially Toyota, Mazda and Nissan, believed that they had earned their place on the world stage with world-class cars. So why not a world-class film dripping with passion and petrol?

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So Transformers not your style? Here’s our first open kidney offer that doesn’t involve an actual car. It’s a vintage Tomica Grand Prix Circuit set that we came across while skimming the Tomica Fan Club forums. Talk about cool… just look at that gorgeous box art, that beauteous orange plastic! (more…)

Here is the first of a series of vintage race videos that we’ll be posting this week. We stumbled upon this while catching up with beoneoneoh, who can always be counted on to unearth the Sunny-related. This is footage from a race that took place at Tsukuba Circuit almost exactly 32 years ago, on May 29, 1977.

In the hotly contested TS Class all the major players came to the fight: Nissan with the Sunny, Toyota with the Starlet, Honda with the Civic, and Mazda with the Savanna RX-3. Sunnys saw much success in the series and this race was no exception. According to the video’s notes, factory Nissan driver Kenji Tohira took first place in the No. 15 Sunny 1200GX.

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We’ve been so hung up on the Mazda T2000 that we almost forgot that today was MazFest 2009! Imagine rolling into the car show with that behemoth. Or better yet, taking it on the road course at Fontana’s Auto Club Speedway! Actually, we were content just to observe and report on the cars that were there. (more…)

And now for your viewing pleasure, a video packed with fantastic footage as it covers the history of rotary-equipped Mazdas in racing. Part 1 is an overview that culminates with the FC RX-7, apparently the newest rotary car at the time the video was made. Part 2 really gets cooking as the Savanna RX-3 takes on the hakosuka Skyline GT-R. In Part 3 we see the Savanna RX-7’s rise to international glory in the IMSA series, which just happens to be the subject of JNC magazine’s Issue 3 cover story. Parts 2 and 3 after the jump. (more…)

We love to see pics from gatherings, no matter how small. Sometimes it’s easy to miss one so we just wanted to make sure you didn’t pass by Australian JNCer RestoreMaz’s post of a local Mazda gathering in Sydney, Australia. Even though you could count the number of cars on your fingers, their quality was simply off the charts. And be sure to check the Events section of the forum to find local meets in your area.

If Tuesday’s Subaru-on-Subaru action left you wanting more nostalgic car chase excitement, you’re in luck. Most Japanese films had a manufacturer sponsor that supplied them with cars, so all the main cars – and sometimes even the chase fodder – were usually of the same brand. But 1979’s No Grave for Us featured a multi-marque mix of J-tin doing what they do best!

In this scene our baddie absconds with a bag full of ill-gotten yen in a RT80 Toyota Corona, only to have our hero (played by total badass Yusaku Matsuda) hunt him down in a beautiful Mazda Savanna RX-3. Throw in a Nissan President for good measure and you have one awesome pursuit.

What’s more, the footage seems much more raw. When you can see suspensions bouncing up and down like paddleballs you know these cars are being driven hard.