When was the last time you saw a Mazda RX-4 such as this 1976 example? That’s an easy one for me, never. At least if I have, I have no recollection or didn’t know what I was seeing. But here one is in the steel and it looks pretty nice! This RX-4 can be found in Orlando, Florida and is available, here on eBay for a current bid of $11,100, reserve not yet met.
According to Classic Cars, the RX-4 was introduced in Japan in late 1972 and continued through 1977. It was offered as a two-door hardtop and sedan, with a station wagon following shortly thereafter. In the U.S., the RX-4 continued into 1978 and was then replaced by the RX-7. The Car Sales Database claims that Mazda experienced U.S. sales of 41K units in 1976 which amounted to a market share of 0.31%.
It has been said that the RX-4 is early Celicaesque in its design, probably as a result of its roofline and the reverse C-pillar, I can see that. The seller states that the finish is green though the listing images present it as black. Regardless, it is extremely clean with a strong finish and its pristine white vinyl roof covering. There is no indication of crash damage or rot – an important issue as in where would you get replacement body parts or trim? One has to imagine that they’re probably around but far from common. The wheels are aftermarket pieces. They’re the type that unattached, I wouldn’t think would look proper on a car like this Mazda but to my eyes, they actually work pretty well.
It is said that the Mazda’s biggest strength and detraction in this era was its rotary engine. The 110 net HP, 13B (1.3 liter) two-rotor Wankel mill offered brisk performance but at the price of high fuel consumption. Road and Track Magazine tested a 1974 example and recorded a 0-60 sprint of 9.7 seconds and an average MPG of 17.5. Our subject car is equipped with a five-speed manual transmission that is said to be “running good“. Some of that good running may be due to enhancements with what looks like a Holley carburetor, enhanced fuel plumbing, and a frisbee-looking air cleaner.
The off-white vinyl upholstery is in nice shape, actually, the entire interior shows very well in an oh-so-typical 1970’s Japanese way. The steering wheel is a bit goofy looking in a chic Japanese car kind of way though the aftermarket “drag race” style tachometer is a detraction from my perspective. The shifter and pedals show as aftermarket pieces too.
Rare, anymore, and well maintained is how I’d describe this RX-4. It’s definitely an unusual find today and breaks up the monotony of a plethora of the usual finds, wouldn’t you agree?
And for my 3rd “Log In”, can’t let this one go by either,,yumpin’ yiminey, what an unbelievable site, cars long lost in the dusty abyss, right before our very eyes again. Can’t tell you how many times that’s happened here,,,wait, I guess I DO tell you. The RX4,, some may remember, I ALMOST traded my aging( and rusting) ’71 MGB for one of these. Almost, is the key word. Set the “Wayback Machine” to that magical year of 1974, Sherman.
1974, Patty Hearst was in the news, Richard NIxon resigns, planes still routinely fell out of the sky,,, and a quirky Asian company called “Mazda”, previously known for light bulbs, or so most Americans thought at the time, along comes this spiffy new sedan with some kind of new motor,,curiousity took hold, and I just had to see what all the hubub was all about. Mazda made a huge advertising blitz on these, so I wheeled the MG into the one and only Mazda dealer, the name escapes me, on Bluemound Rd. in Brookfield, Wis, the salesperson was MORE than eager to have my MG, so we walked out to a shiny blue 1973 RX4 coupe. I liked the original style, wagon better,that was a direct competitor with Volvo, interior, well laid out, it was a 4 speed, turning the key, sounded like a piston engine with the plugs removed,, a big cloud of blue smoke filled the parking lot, “that’s normal”, I was assured by the embarrassed salesperson, motor was unusually quiet, 1st gear, here we go. 1st thing, right to the floor, like most probably did, possibly explaining the smoking issue, it took off with gust, spun freely up to about 8 grand( 8 grand didn’t sound any different than 4 grand), until a buzzer went off, naturally, I let off, sales guy said, just a warning, they can go up to 10 grand,,,not sure that was true, but 2nd gear( to the buzzer), 3rd gear( to the buzzer), never tried 4th, we were already like 80 mph. I was impressed.
We headed back, I thought about it for about a minute, got back in my MG( ahhhh) and that was that. I’m simply amazed to see one again.
Mazda began as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd, as a cork-making factory founded in Hiroshima, Japan, 30 January 1920. Toyo Cork Kogyo renamed itself to Toyo Kogyo Co., Ltd. in 1927. In the late 1920s the company had to be saved from bankruptcy by Hiroshima Saving Bank and other business leaders in Hiroshima.[11]
In 1931 Toyo Kogyo moved from manufacturing machine tools to vehicles with the introduction of the Mazda-Go auto rickshaw. Toyo Kogyo produced weapons for the Japanese military throughout the Second World War, most notably the series 30 through 35 Type 99 rifle. The company formally adopted the Mazda name in 1984, though every automobile sold from the beginning bore that name.
No Light Bulbs.
I thought they made bicycles like Honda. Was I wrong about that? I was also told their factory in Hiroshima was on the other side of a hill so when the big blast came, they only lost part of the roof. Anyone else ever hear that? I always tell people our Miata is so special because it is radioactive and that is how it got something extra, like Spiderman’s spider that bit him.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_(light_bulb)
“NOT THE NAME OF A THING, BUT THE MARK OF A SERVICE.”
“The new light that MAZDA service throws on lamp-manufacturers’ problems is reflected in the brighter, whiter light that MAZDA Lamps give in your home.”
“The Meaning of MAZDA”
“MAZDA is the trademark of a world-wide service to certain lamp manufacturers. Its purpose is to collect and select scientific and practical information concerning progress and developments in the art of incandescent lamp manufacturing and to distribute this information to the companies entitled to receive this Service. MAZDA Service is centered in the Research Laboratories of the General Electric Company at Schenectady, New York. The mark MAZDA can appear only on lamps which meet the standards of MAZDA service. It is thus an assurance of quality. This trademark is the property of the General Electric Company.”
Often wrong, never in doubt.
Howard, you sound like a Yooper!
Can’t decide, maybe you sound like Yogi Yorgesson. Did you yust go nuts at Christmas?
uff da!!!
After 8K there was no reason to wind it up anymore. The carb was only 440 CFM and was to small to make more power at higher RPMs.
The first year for the RX-4 was the 1974 model year, not 1973.
No it wasn’t,,,the RX4, or Luce, known in Japan, debuted Oct. 1972 for the ’73 model year.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_Luce
Had a girl here in town raced SCCA in a Mazda RX-4. The buzzer in the dash was to tell you were about to overrev the engine. The mechanic at the dealership that sponsored her said she told him that if she didn’t hear the racket from the buzzer she knew she needed to downshift.
Hall Mazda!
I don’t think it was Hall Mazda back in the 70s? I recall Mazda on the north side of Blue Mound where the KMART eventually ended up,
being sold alongside RVs. Can’t recall the dealership name….something Unlimited maybe? I wanted an RX4 so bad when I was in high school.
My MIT-educated engineer Dad always had to have something different when it came to cars. When my Mom decided to start driving again, he bought her a ’74 RX-4 “Rotary Wagon”
I distinctly remember that hum. I had just gotten my driver’s license, so it was the first car that I got to drive. Not that stylin’ for a kid, but I remember my friends and I having a blast flying around in that car.
Nothing’s more ’70s than a sporty fastback with a vinyl top.
This is my 1st time seeing a Mazda 4 I see alot of Ford capri in the design. I know Ford and Mazda worked together in future years. Or maybe its just coincidence. It’s nice looking car in great condition either way
Engine goes “braapppp, wankwank phfffffftt”. A technological dead end that nearly broke Mazda.
In the 1980s and early 1990s my suburb was infested with these as they farted and brapped their torqueless way along the roads.
Rust, crashes and good taste have rendered them nearly extinct.
Not a fan.
chris
Rust, crashes and good taste have rendered them nearly extinct.
Good one !
No kidding?
Sound effects man, where have you been? I do remember them backfiring, hard starting in the cold, there was a engine antifreeze injector that puzzled many, and a general lack of knowledge on the rotary. Fantastic motors, but for many, it was the 1st deviation from the old piston engine they held dear.
If the rotary kept running, they didn’t give very good mileage either, considering what was coming out of Japan. I remember the RX4 could only muster like 15-17 mpg, when piston jobs were getting twice that. The RX2 and RX3 were a bit better on mileage, and I remember a piston engine Mazda, introduced about the same time as these, called the “808”, which had similar styling and was a stop gap measure for piston engine folks. It wasn’t until the “GLC”, that Mazda really took off.
Because of the smoke issue, they could be had used for almost nothing in the late 70’s. $300.00 or less. Take it to the strip and they were unbelievable performers. and yes, 14k RPM was a normal number, who cared if it blew for that price. I recall one on en early nitrous setup. Crazy sound through the traps
In the 70’s they did not turn 14000 RPM, there was not power at that range. If it was modified 8 to 10000 RPM was all you going to turn.
Please someone correct me if I’m wrong the engine should be a 12A the 13B didn’t come along commercially until 84 or 85 and I recall early Mazda sedans were bodied by Toyota. All the back fire and engine and seal issues were not worked out until the Rx7 came along. That’s what I remember…..just saying.
I’ve got a 74 Rotary Engine Pickup stock, 4 speed manual with a 13B, all the REPU’s had a 13B, 1972 – 1977
https://classiccars.fandom.com/wiki/Mazda_RX-4
My research source – it claims 13B.
JO
13B came out in the first year, 1974 of the RX-4. It was also used in the first year of the Mazda Cosmo in 1975.
JOE: Thought I might be the only one to remember the RX-5 Cosmo, but you got there first. Friend in the Air Force had one, imagine they were more rare than even the RX-4.
https://carsdb.ru/super/cars/rx-5_cosmo-1980/photo.jpg
Since I couldn’t believe anyone in the States had ever heard of the 110S Cosmo, didn’t seem to be any advantage with an advertising tie in, so couldn’t understand Mazda’s reuse of the name.
https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIP.b7BSvVm_IUA9AIuifjP7vAHaE7?w=288&h=192&c=7&r=0&o=5&dpr=1.25&pid=1.7
There was an earlier 4 port 13B, came in the RX4, the Rotary PU, and the RX5/Cosmo. It was dropped for just the 12A when the RX7 came out.
The 13B was dropped for the first few years on the RX-7 because that car was based off the RX-3 which had only used the 12A. A few years latter the 13B was put in the RX-7 and the 12A was dropped on the RX-7.
During the late 70’s there was an SCCA Showroom Stock racer who campaigned an RX-4. The gentleman’s name was F. Reed Kryder. Great guy. Could really pedal that thing!
The RX-3 SPs came along and they just flat flew…
I remember these well, never owned one, but did have two RX-7’s. Around the time these came out, my dad (an engineer/inventor with an extensive home workshop) had designed and built a small rotary engine, about 10 inches diameter, that used 8 slim vanes that rode in slots rather than a V shaped rotor. It was a big day when we tried to start it, driven by an electric motor and V belt. It belched combustion fire but unfortunately never ran on it’s own. When cleaning out his estate, I saved the little motor from the junk pile and it still resides in my attic.
I had a friend who had one of these in the ’70s. Something in the engine blew and came right through the hood.
(In the car’s defense, he was not interested in the mechanicals. If the car started making noise, he’d turn up the radio.)
Your friend must be my long lost brother. My dad was equally neglectful when it came to anything that had an engine and needed maintenance.
You never wanted to buy anything used from my dad.
Back in early 80s a guy was running one of these Rotary’s at Ohio valley dragstrip lou.ky,we never knew what he did but it beating all the Big Block cars.
I bought a 1973 RX-2 in Butte, MT in 1973. It was very fast for a 70ci engine. It never got better than 15mpg and was a terror in the snow of Anaconda, MT. I taught my younger brothers to drive in that car, you could pull away from a stop in 3rd gear, although the clutch complained. I was racing Motocross and needed a bigger vehicle to pull my trailer, so I traded it in on a 75 Chevy van (a whole new life). Memories we have!
I see the opel kadet L and ford capri in the side view.
May B frnt in the capri too?
Glad the Japanese ‘took’ the wankel away frm Germany (or where ever) and did up the rotary. Ever see one perform in a drag car? Huge
My sister had this car’s twin, except hers was red. They got their best mileage over 65 mph. Alas, we had the 55 mph national speed limit. It was a rocket. They were well built. She spun out on the highway and was t-boned on the driver’s side by an old LTD that didn’t even try to slow down or avoid her. Not only did she walk away without injury, she was able to drive away.
We had these new in New Zealand and they had a mixed reception. They are now hugely collectable with good ones fetching up to $60k USD. Seem to be a favourite of the drifting enthusiasts.
check this website :: Engine Builds | 4 Rotor – Defined Autoworks :::
there stacking rotary cylinders like cord wood and getting almost 1000 hp in an engine that can be picked up by 1 person, if your strong and tossing steel everyday. how about sitting three of these engines on a jet plane and cruising that. can you say 3000 horsepower. or maybe a lawn mower, now that would cut some grass…
I think the earlier models have a better looking
front end.
I agree, the first year 1974 it looked the best. Those were also the fastest year as Mazda was getting killed on gas mileage and did some work on the engine to try to improve the MPG. It didn’t work and took some power away. Even with all the years gone by, the people who own a Mazda RX-8 still only get 16 to 20 miles per gallon. I average 17 and if I do highway at 70 MPH I can get close to 21 to 22. I was driving in the 70’s and owned a 73 RX-3, 74 RX-3 and a 78 RX-4.
I’m a fan of the Wankel engine. I’ve owned an 84 RX-7 GSL-SE with the FI 13B, and my Dad had an 83 or 84 RX-7 GS 12A.
These engines had some advantages that some have not mentioned yet. They make a good choice for airplane engines due to the fact that a failure of a rotary engine is almost never catastrophic. You can loose compression on one/two rotor faces, and the thing will still run, just with less power.
Another advantage was in racing, where it’s high fuel consumption for road car standards became actually quite good when comparing race cars. The famed 787B was said to use less fuel than it’s contemporary piston engines when spinning 8k-12k RPMs
I think the first year RX4 was not only the best looking, but maybe one of the best looking cars of 1973-74. It was my dream car at 13 years old .