Back in 1979, you may have seen this flash across the TV while kicking back in your rec room. But don’t think of it as a commercial, think of it as a public service announcement ensuring that you don’t miss out on a guaranteed money-making investment!
Mazda’s RX-7 had just come out, and you were probably still kicking yourself for passing up on the MG TC, ‘53 Corvette and 240Z. We’re not sure what’s bolder, proclaiming that the RX-7 would be an instant classic, or acknowledging the classicosity of Nissan’s direct competition. Can you imagine Mazda calling any Nissan product “extraordinary” and classic in an ad today? Keep in mind the 240Z was only 9 years old at the time.
Which leads to the inevitable question, if you were making this commercial in 2008, what future classic would you have, say, an RX-8 pull up next to?
We’ve always said Mazda is the Japanese automaker that’s most willing to get in touch with its heritage, particularly in the US market. Late last year they began publishing Zoom Zoom magazine, for Mazdafarians interested in what’s going on at the company. We just received our first issue recently and one article that really caught our eye is the cleverly titled “The Maedas’ Touch.” It profiles the Maedas, a father and son team of designers that both worked for Mazda. Matasaburo, the father, was responsible for shaping the iconic first-gen RX-7 and 24 years later Ikuo, his son, penned the RX-8. It’s a great read and you can find the article at the Mazda USA website.
Last weekend the 24 Hours of LeMons South took place at Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, SC. The epic beater endurance race of cars that cost $500 or less saw a 1-2 sweep by none other than a pair of Mazda RX-7s. When was the last time you saw a Wankel, much less one that cost only half a grand, survive this much abuse? (more…)
We all know the story of how Mazda has been attacking the most punishing enduros in the world for the past 40 years (if you don’t, it’s all told in Issue 1 of JNC magazine :D), and in 1991 became the first and only Japanese marque ever to conquer Le Mans. But did you know that in 1981, an RX-7 was campaigned at the same race? Here it is in its full widebody aero glory, ten years before the 787B took Circuit de la Sarthe’s checkered flag.
UPDATE: Correction, this JUN has nothing to do with the famous JUN Auto Works of Super Lemon fame. See the comments below for details. The wealth of information from our readers is amazing, and why we love you guys!
In honor of Leap Year, here’s a car chase from a 1979 Japanese movie whose title translates as “The Man Who Stole the Sun.” It’s got a plot, but we haven’t seen it, so let’s just cut to the chase (haha).
The guy in the RX-7 (quite the hot new ride at the time) is a junior high school science teacher who breaks into a nuclear powerplant, steals a chunk of plutonium, and makes a homemade nuclear bomb to threaten the government. He’s pursued by a gruff cop in a brown Cosmo and a fleet of the typical inept patrol car drivers that love to crash into things and flip unnecessarily. So where’s the Leap Year tie-in to all of this? Oh, at about 0:58.
UPDATE: Although Mazda USA and Mazdaspeed are supportive of MOCA and in fact emailed its own members about it, they are not affiliated with MOCA. Except in a love for all things Mazda, that is. Sorry for the confusion!
Heads up, Mazdafarians! On January 4, 2008, Mazda USA announced the establishment of a new organization to support their zealot-like devotees - the Mazda Owners Club of America. They promise events, track time, and “great prizes”. There’s a corresponding website, MazdaOCA.org, that has news and a forum, so brap on over there and check it out!
Will Wright is the designer of the hugely popular life simulator video game, The Sims, in which you can command your virtual characters to eat, sleep, defecate and even play other video games, but the one thing they can’t seem to do is drive a car. Ironic then, that Wright was enough of a speed nut to compete in the US Express, the early 80s successor to the Cannonball Run. Competitors set off from Brooklyn, New York and headed for the finish in Santa Monica, California with only one rule - get there first. Not only did Wright compete, he won the inaugural illegal coast-to-coast race in 1980 with his electronically pimped Mazda RX-7.
Festooned with every gadget imaginable on the day disco died, the Mazda was Wright and co-pilot Rick Doherty’s mobile command center and could have served as the inspiration for Jackie Chan’s Subaru in the Cannonball Run movie. Stuffed into the 2-seater was a CB radio, radar speedometer control box, dash mounted computer for distance and fuel calculations, police scanner hidden inside the glove box, fuel cell that could fill the stock tank on the fly, refrigerator, night vision scopes, a radar detector, and a backwards mounted radar jammer to set off competitor’s radar detectors.
With an arsenal rivaling the Pentagon’s, the duo won the outlaw cross-country dash in 33 hours, 39 minutes, despite taking a longer route to avoid the fuzz while driving regularly at 120 mph. Keep in mind that because of the fuel crisis, the nationwide speed limit, regardless of state or straightness of road, was a strict 55 mph. Clearly, some moving violations took place. Needless to say, with today’s sensitive and litigious climate, the chances of an organized race on this scale happening again are nil. Wright’s escapades are part of the upcoming movie, 32 Hours 7 Minutes, named after the record time set in 1983.
