Tag Archives: familia

Kia has restored two Mazda-based examples of its earliest cars

The Korean auto industry has come a long way. So long, in fact, that they now have the luxury of looking back at their early history and honoring it by restoring a couple of the earliest Kia vehicles. At first … Continue reading

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The 1987 Mazda 323 was good, but not enough

The turbocharged 1986 Mazda 626 GT debuted to rave reviews but how was its little brother, the 323? In 1987 Motorweek tested North America’s version of the BF Mazda Familia in both hatchback and wagon body styles. Mazda’s successor to … Continue reading

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Mazda’s chocolate classics are the perfect Valentine’s Day gift

It’s Valentine’s Day, and this year a set of chocolates by Mazda has suddenly jumped into the top spot for our most wanted present list. The company has created a set of eight delicious looking chocolate bars, each with a … Continue reading

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Mazda Familia Van with rotary engine swap shines at Tokyo Auto Salon

The RE Amemiya booth at the Tokyo Auto Salon always gathers a special display of rotary-powered cars. The legendary Mazda tuner typically has a fleet of heavily modified RX-7s and RX-8s to display with one old school Hiroshima sled thrown … Continue reading

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Yukihiro Takahashi’s ads for Mazda, Daihatsu, Toyota Cresta and MR2

The seminal electronica band Yellow Magic Orchestra lost one of its founders, drummer and vocalist Yukihiro Takahashi earlier this year. Last week we remembered the band’s keyboardist Ryuichi Sakamoto’s Nissan commercials; now it’s Takahashi’s turn, and he was even more … Continue reading

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Happy 323 Day from JNC

Picking up on this week’s near-extinct normal cars theme, when was the last time you saw a Mazda 323 in the wild? These were practical but loveable cars in their day, equivalent to a Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic. And … Continue reading

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VIDEO: Even the budget performance cars of 1991 Japan were incredible

God, 1991. It was a magical time for Japanese machinery. Every carmaker was offering an extraordinary car in their lineup, sometimes several. The abundance was so great that even at the low end of the price ladder, you could get … Continue reading

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VIDEO: Mazda tells its 100-year history with its most significant classics

As part of its continuing celebration of its 100th anniversary, Mazda has produced a short film covering its most significant classic models. Beautifully shot with a 15-minute runtime, it covers the company’s early history before delving into several milestone cars … Continue reading

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Mazda classics take a lap at Tsukuba Circuit during a 4-hour Roadster enduro

Many automotive journalists don’t even own cars. Why do that when you are supplied by a never-ending stream of press loaners that show up in your driveway every week? However, if you were to poll all the journalists, you’d probably … Continue reading

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100 YEAR CLUB: Mazda, Part 02

Mazda turned 100 years old earlier this year, and to mark this very special occasion we went in search of what makes this small Hiroshima carmaker so unique. In the previous installment of our retrospective, we examined Mazda’s origin story … Continue reading

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VIDEO: Mazda racing liveries, animated

Mazda UK has released a new video called “Our Greatest Motorsport Liveries” to honor its 100th Anniversary.  The short animated movie goes through several of the company’s famous racing colorways, varying from the Group B RX-7 to the renowned (ha!) … Continue reading

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ART CORNER: Ease your quarantine blues with an official Mazda coloring book

Automakers continue to find new ways to help us deal with being stuck at home during the coronavirus outbreak. Mazda’s latest scheme to help us kill some time is a downloadable coloring book that features seven of their landmark cars.

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ART CORNER: Here’s some classic Mazdas you can build out of paper

Carmakers have been coming up with creative ways to keep us occupied during the time of corona. The latest is Mazda’s recent release of papercraft cars marking its 100th anniversary. Specifically, they are the white and red Mazda R360 Coupé … Continue reading

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VIDEO: These Mazda at 100 videos are pretty nifty

Mazda is now 100 years old, and it’s done a lot over the past century. To prove it, the company has dug into its archives to put together some videos, mixed with newer footage, showing their highlights and imparting their … Continue reading

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Happy Familia Day from JNC

Being cooped up at home under COVID-19 quarantine is a great way to spend some quality time with your family. It’s fitting, then, that today is Familia Day, also known as 323 Day. Be sure to tell your loved ones … Continue reading

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VIDEO: And the best Japanese car of 1995 was…

By 2020 the 25-year threshold of what constitutes a classic car will cut off at 1995. What was the best Japanese car of that year? Back then, Japan’s Best Motoring sought the answer in a series of videos pitting several … Continue reading

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NEWS: Mazda restores a BD Familia hatchback

In 2015 Mazda launched an in-house restoration program of a 1967 Cosmo Sport. With a key goal of providing its younger employees with a connection to the company’s heritage, it resulted in the world’s most definitive restoration of an L10A … Continue reading

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Happy 323 Day from JNC

The first Japanese car to win a Group A WRC race wasn’t a Subaru. It wasn’t a Mitsubishi, either, or a Toyota. It was a Mazda. On Valentine’s Day 1987, the humble Mazda 323 4WD (known as the Mazda 323 … Continue reading

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EVENTS: Final New Year Meeting, Part 02 — The End of an Era

After 42 years, the New Year Meeting, once the biggest classic car show in Japan, is no more. The Odaiba venue where the event is held will soon be bulldozed, making way for the future. We’ve covered New Year Meetings … Continue reading

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VIDEO: This Mazda R100 made it halfway around the world

The Mazda R100 is already a rare car in the US. Thanks to an Australian rotary enthusiast, it’s now even rarer. A one-owner, numbers-matching example has been shipped halfway around the globe to Alex, a new owner in Australia, who … Continue reading

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