Autoworld launched a new temporary exhibition with 16 iconic and rare specimens to honour the 100th anniversary of Mazda. Mazda’s round birthday was to be one of the highlights of the year, with several museums and events preparing dedicated stages and exhibitions.
The COVID19 epidemic rewrote these preparations completely, with most significant events cancelled since April until next spring already. One of the major actors of this anniversary year was the Mazda Museum in Germany that already prepared a stage for this year’s Retro Classics Stuttgart.
I also recall they planned activities for more events and Museums throughout the year. But it’s all down the drain now…
Iconic Brands at Retro Classics: Mercedes, Porsche, Alfa Romeo, Mazda and BMW
Luckily, a few museums still hold the line to accommodate exhibitions, using their vast spaces available for a longer period. This allows channelling spectacles to wider audiences, without risking contagion (well hopefully, I am not a virologist). Defying the trend, Autoworld has been a major hotspot for car anniversaries since the summer deconfinement. Since June, brilliant exhibitions come and go like a revolving door, from hypercars and supercars to the Audi Quattro that celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. These exhibitions use three corners of the ground floor, in addition to the permanent exhibition with many brilliant pre-war and post-war icons.
Next to all these classics, it is quite hard to imagine that Mazda, known for its sporty and modern design, celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2020. Well… in a way it doesn’t. 100 years ago, Mazda was a manufacturer of cork established in the city of Hiroshima. After a decade of operation, the predecessor company Toyo Cork Kogyo Co. Ltd diversified into the production of small three-wheeler transporters (the first Mazda, the Go from 1931 carried the name of the founder Jujiro Matsuda). With the military industrialisation, Mazda also started the production of weapons.
With the combinations of Hiroshima, weapons production and World War II it doesn’t take a degree in history to see that the factory needed a thorough reconstruction after ‘45. Following the aftermath of the Second World War and the company’s reconstruction, the company grew and the first real car (now with four wheels) to leave the factory was a small Kei-car, the Mazda R360.
In less than a decade, Mazda went international, and following success in America, the company gradually grew and gained market share in all continents. The next decades were about expansion and product development of an incredible magnitude and pace (the proliferation of Wankel technology is the tip of the iceberg).
The Japanese financial crisis, however, broke the backbone of the company. Ford increased its initially small shares to become major stakeholder, and broadened the existing cooperation with integrated product development for key models. Mazda got rid of Ford’s grip when the Americans started divesting their holdings. Since then, Mazda found its way back to the 90’s coolest designs, paired with a solid technical basis.
Autoworld’s exhibition covers the history of Mazda from the ‘60s onwards periods with a diverse and original selection of Mazda models.
For the photos of the Go, 360 and the history of the brands, I revisited my old pictures from the Mazda Museum. Also, Autoworld itself upped its game in terms of decoration.
Many important models, not available for the exposition, were showcased as miniatures in 1:43 size.
Also, as usual, the exhibition received contemporary reinforcements from the Belgian dealerships, in the form of a sleek Mx5 and the latest MX-30 electric car (100th Anniversary special edition).
The first segment features a background that also illustrates the brand’s history, with a few timeless classics. The newest being the first MX5, born in the ’80s, but foreshadowing all that was best from Mazda in the ’90s, and of course, the immense threat that the Japanese manufacturers posed to competitors in Europe.
It was quintessential British roadster that the British never got to make: something that worked and was available at large numbers for a reasonable price. The instant success lasted, and the model is still on, with improvements and enhancements to stand the tests of time (and the competitors).
Next up is a Wankel RX7 of the first generation. The Mazda RX-7 bloodline was a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive grand tourer sports car, offered exclusively with a rotary engine.
It arrived to complement/supplement the Wankel-powered Cosmo, reaching its peak with the third generation available until 1997 (more the third generation a bit later).
The RX7 is followed by a coupé version of the 121 in mint condition. The 121 was known as Cosmo in its domestic market and proved to be a striking success in Japan.
The slightly younger RX-4 was a Wankel-powered practical station wagon from the seventies. These were the years when Wankel was the next big thing, I recommend to revisit our report from the 2017 Wankel exhibition of the Audi Museum. Wankel technology was the next big promise that never worked out. In fact, it proved to be the gravedigger of the once headstrong NSU brand.
The next white car is an elegant Luce Coupé R130. The Wankel-powered R130 is the top of the line version of the Luce series and was produced from 1969 to 1972.
The lines worthy of the legendary Alfa Romeo came from the feathers of Giorgetto Giugiaro, then working for Bertone. The car featured a 1.3-litre 13A engine, which produced 126 hp and 172 Nm, respectably specs of that time. Less than 1,000 were built, making this model a true collector’s item.
The last car in the row was an R100, built between 1968 and 1973.
The next podium features a modern set of cars, starting with a true rarity.
The Eunos Cosmo was a top of the line luxury 2+2 coupé that was to introduce a new luxury brand similar to the Acura and Lexus brands.
The Euonos followed the footsteps of the 1985 MX-03 concept car and entered production in 1990 based on a brand new rear-wheel-drive JC platform.
The car was loaded with high tech gadgets, like the ESP Car Control System, a colour touch-screen controlling climate control, mobile phone, GPS car navigation, TV, radio and CD player.
And then it was the only production car to feature a triple-rotor engine.
Mazda had serious plans for this car, that looked really modern and probably scared the shiznit out of the American and European competitors. It was not a halo car to show that the brand can actually make high tech car, but a statement that Mazda wanted a place at the table of the big guys. Mazda planned an entire line-up of subbrands with Autozam, Eunos and Amati.
Unfortunately, the statement was not as widely heard as Mazda wanted it to, and the sales fell far behind expectations (making this car another ultra-rarity in Autoworld’s exhibition). The Eunos Coupé could not compete with the established players in the export markets, and it could not rely on the domestic market either. Actually, it was killed on the Japanese market by measures that were adopted to exterminate the export cars it wanted to compete. The soaring Japanese currency crippled sales, and the inflated economy imploded in the late ‘90s washing away all the grandeur of Mazda.
Unlike the forgotten Cosmo, the next car on the podium could show significant sales and reached iconic status not just among Mazda fans. The last generation of the RX7 featured a brilliant design that was modern and harmonious at the same time and fitted well into the big generation of Japanese halo cars.
This was not just a halo car to showcase the abilities of Mazda, but its pricing on specs made it a cold-blooded Porsche killer (at least when it came to the ailing 968). The car had to specs to strangle European competitors, with the first-ever mass-produced sequential twin-turbocharger system to be sold outside Japan.
The car’s iconic status was mended by the growing gaming culture (see the first Need for speed with its iconic intro video).
And it did not end with the model’s lifecycle. The reputation of a tuning icon was maintained by the Fast and the Furious series. Well, let’s face it, the rotary engine needing an overhaul every 50.000 also helped to push the RX7 into the arms of tuners. Actually, one of the greatest challenges now is to find an intact RX7, which the curators managed to accomplish, with a black RX7 that was only slightly modded on the exterior.
The next red car is also called 121, but unlike the 121 on the previous podium, it was a small car with a completely different design.
The next car is a black MX-3, which seems like the love child of the RX7 and the 121, combining the best of both worlds. Based on a mass-produced FWD platform of the 323, it was cheap to produce. Before the time of ESP, the layout was also safer, and hence ideal to buyers more focussed on beauty than performance. Or the sound, as even the 1.8 engine had a V6 design. Beat that, down-sizing!
The podium concludes the last Wankel engine car Mazda ever produced. The RX8 was a sports car manufactured between 2002 and 2012, as the successor to the RX7. The 2+2 coupé had suicide doors and a design that tamed the 1995 RX 01 concept.
The next podium showcased four historic race cars. The first one is a 323 GTX in which Belgian driver Grégoire de Mévius won the world rally championship for production cars in 1991.
For those who had to google him, this title was later conquered by drivers like Gustavo Trelles, Jesus Puras, and Manfred Stohl.
The absolute highlight of the exhibition is arguably the 787B that secured Mazda’s only victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1991. This factory replica is usually kept at the Le Mans Museum and was specially shipped for this exhibition. It is its first time in Brussels, as the 778B was lent for the Belgians at Le Mans exhibition two years ago, but then the car was not around during the weekend when I visited.
This interlude is the main reason why I consider the Mazda 787 as one of my personal automotive unicorns. The tech specs certainly add a few arguments to that… A Group C sports prototype race car with a Wankel engine is a unique phenomenon.
The 787 and the 787B were developed combining the European Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA) Group C regulations with the International Motor Sports Association’s (IMSA) GTP regulations, that enabled participation in a wide range of series.
Although the 787 and 787B lacked the pace of competitors, the 787s had the last laugh in 1991, when their reliability allowed Johnny Herbert, Volker Weidler, and Bertrand Gachot took the top spot at the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans. It proves to be an effective ad for a car when the driver had to be carried to the podium for exhaustion from a faultlessly performing car. This remains the only victory by a Wankel engine, and for a long time, the only Le Mans trophy that went to Japan. Well, now it’s obvious to have a Japanese winner, with only Toyota providing a factory team in the LMP1 league).
The next car is an RX-7, driven by Jacky Van Kempen at the 24H Spa of 1981, that I saw a few years ago at the Spa Museum in Stavelot.
Another highlight is the Cosmo 110 S from 1967, with a racing livery for the Marathon de la Route (MMB). As for this story, in 1968, Mazda entered its rotary engine-powered Cosmo into an endurance race reputed to be the most gruelling race in the world.
The Marathon de la Route (also known as 84 Hours at the Nürburgring) was an extreme endurance rally that demanded three-and-a-half days of driving around Nürburgring’s rightfully feared 28 km Nordschleife.
Among a total of 59 participating vehicles, the two cars entered were performing well, until one Cosmo slid off the track. In the end, the other Cosmo successfully crossed the finish line at fourth place overall, after two Porsche 911s and a Lancia Fulvia.
As usual, I mention a car from the permanent exhibition that I particularly like.
This time, there was a new arrival to the podium behind the reception room that, that is so important that made headlines. The Ferrari 275 GTB/4 is often quoted among the greatest Ferraris of all time, and auction results certainly confirm that.
The classic front-engined two-seater GT coupé received a body designed by Pininfarina and produced in several variants between 1964 and 1968. The GTB/4 was the most potent road version, equipped with a Colombo designed 60°V12 engine that peaked at 295HP.
The 275 series was the first road-going Ferraris equipped with a transaxle and independent rear suspension, and among the last to give in to the rear-engine supercar revolution introduced by the Miura.
One last important thing to note, the Museum closed its doors for a few weeks due to the confinement restrictions, given the rising number of COVID cases in Belgium. It will not reopen until at least 19 November, but the exhibition was planned to last until 13th December.
UPDATE:
Autoworld amended its calendar to make sure that visitors can actually see the cars. The cars of the Mazda exhibition can be seen next to the Skoda exhibition until 24th January.
The two podiums by the entrance remained and the race cars were relocated to the front end of the gallery, offering an even better view to the 989B. 
