The Japanese tuning series Option Video has just posted an all-rotary episode. In it, host Daijiro Inada assembles a group of cars that showcase the progression of rotary engine-equipped Mazdas, starting with a Cosmo Sport. Accompanying him in what seems like an extremely fun day of driving other people’s cars is Isami Amemiya, founder of the famed RE-Amemiya tuning house.
They start off in a L10B Cosmo Sport, which seems to cruise down the expressway surprisingly well for a car built in 1968. The next significant rotary is an RX-3, but an RX-3 wagon, perhaps a weird choice until Inada gets behind the wheel for a burnout. Then comes a personal favorite, a Cosmo RX-5 kaido racer with Familia Coupé taillights and a No. 55 tribute to the Mazda 787B. That’s followed by a heavily modified SA22C with a naturally aspirated 13B putting out 240PS (236 hp) and a beautiful but gutted out Eunos Cosmo generating 400PS (395 hp). Finally, the pair drive off in the GReddy FD3S D1 drift car.
It’s the kind of stuff that was prevalent at the turn of the 21st century. Some of the styles may seem brutal on what are now considered classics, but the video is a snapshot of the era. Plus, who doesn’t love a good burying of the pedal in a modified rotary?
I love these videos. I am soooo gREatful that another episode was made.
Never thought I’d see JNC refer to a wagon as a weird choice ?
Was the RX3 actually offered as a wagon, or is it a conversion? Either way the want is strong
(I’m also aware the video most likely explains the wagon situation but I’m not somewhere I can politely watch a video at the moment)
To call that Eunos Cosmo gutted is an understatement. Beautiful exterior, but that interior and the engine bay? I feel kinda like I felt after watching Luke do his best impression of a WWF heel in The Last Jedi; dude, what happened to you?