Mazda North America has begun restoration of a 929 sedan, according to Jacob Brown, a Product Communications Specialist at the company. And according to Brown, JNC‘s very own Dave Yuan was a major reason they’ve been inspired to do it.
It all started when Dave visited Mazda’s basement for the story welcoming the Eunos Cosmo into the 25 Year Club. Dave loves all kinds of oddball Mazdas, and was so enamored with the 929 that he nearly had a conniption when he saw it languishing in a dark corner of the basement.
Brown says that Dave’s reaction led him to consider bringing it back to life. After all, Mazda is positioning itself as a premium Japanese marque a notch above run-of-the-mill Nissans and Toyotas, and the 929 would be the perfect car “forgotten” car to show the public that Mazda’s always had premium cars in its lineup.
So, good job, Dave! Your love for obscure Nihon steel has earned the 929 a permanent place of honor in the Mazda collection! Brown says he hopes the car will be ready for JCCS.
Lead Image: Jacob Brown for Mazda
I’ve always liked the 929, very smooth design, too bad the Amati brand didn’t take off. The one thing that I thought and always looked for in the 929 is the solar panel sunroof. Very cool option.
Had a solar panel sunroof on my Audi A6 C5, great the way it kept the interior relatively cool even in 40C summer days.
I have a window mounted solar exhaust fan assembly on my 411, Pep boys used to sell them. Made in England.
Would like to see that 929 when it is done.
I like the first generation 929 sold here in the USA. This version, not so much.
The 929 was an impressive car; definitely ahead of its time. If Mazda had given the car a separate moniker, like Toyota’s Lexus or Honda’s Acura, the car might have succeeded.
They had some things working against them: Timing against Lexus and Infiniti, Mazda’s small presence here, and the 929 was smaller. They may have been lower hp, as well. Of course, I don’t recall ANY ads for them.
As I recall, though, they had a 5-speed available (!), so that added to the cool factor for me. If they had more horsepower, maybe they could have put it against BMW.
Ha! I’m flattered! =)
It doesn’t hurt that the example in Mazda’s basement is in beautiful shape in that subtle, two-tone white. The HD 929 is just such a beautiful and unique design with very advanced features. It turns 25 years year 😉
Next up: an ’88/’89 GTX and then offer it up for sale.. to me and me only.. not to be selfish or anything..
I love to see cars being restored by car companies, they usually end up being as close to original spec as possible.
I COMPLETELY forgot about those!
Okay, so next time I’m rambling on about ANYBODY other than Subaru doing AWD/MT, I’m gonna be more justified!
The early-mid 90s Mazdas had a number a great designs including the 929 (Sentia/Eunos 800 4WS), MX-6 (Capella Coupe), Lantis, MX-3 (Eunos Presso), AZ-1, Eunos Cosmo and, of course, the FD RX-7. Amazing company.
I love the 929. It was the car that I learned to drive on. My dad was such a fan that he bought 4 929s when we were in the Middle East. It would be a miracle if Mazda brings back the 929 in the US because large sedans are falling in popularity as consumers buy more crossovers. Still, I will would be excited to see the car that defined Mazda for me for most of my life.
Does anyone know if Mazda has completed the restoration? Do they have plans on showing it at an autoshow, perhaps when they debut the newer upmarket 6?
It’s been restored:
http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/back-roads-hd-mazda-929/