The Mazda RX-3 was a rotary-powered Japanese vehicle sold in the U.S. between 1972 and 1978. Several body styles were offered, including a station wagon like this one. On its home base, the car was known as the Savanna, and Japanese buyers benefitted from the rotary engine when it came to paying road taxes (something that didn’t help U.S. buyers). This wagon is in good shape for its age (when was the last time you saw one?), and it can be found in Chicago, Illinois. It’s available here on Facebook Marketplace for $18,000.
RX-3s were designed to be sportier, yet smaller versions of the RX-2, also rotary-powered. It resembled the conventional 4-cylinder Mazda 808, which was a popular seller for the company. Various versions of the rotary engine were employed, depending on the model year. The one in the seller’s wagon is the 13B, which may have been transplanted from a 1990s RX-7. This vehicle runs and drives, but not well enough so it will need a tune-up.
The seller had this wagon sold, but the deal fell through, so the Mazda is back on the market at 73,000 miles. The body is good, but the red paint is dull, and the seller suggests a repaint should be in the wagon’s future (the photos look better). There is a bit of rust, but it’s repairable. The white interior is stock and in decent condition for a 53- or 54-year-old wagon (the seller says it’s a 1972 or a 1973 model, both in the listing).
Possibly rare is that this wagon comes with air conditioning, probably installed by the dealer before it was sold new (just a guess). The wheels are aftermarket ones, and they help make the wagon stand out. The seller isn’t interested in trades, so he won’t take your 1966 Chevy Malibu instead of $18k cash. Our thanks to “Sam61” for the tip!
In Chicago with Vermont plates? I would expect this to be
a rust bucket,but it doesn’t look like it is.Since the prices have
gone insane on these type of Mazdas,it seems like a good deal,
but I’d want to check it out first,before buying.
When we stayed in Harlowton,Montana many years ago,I
walked all over town & spotted a Blue RX3 wagon sitting on someone’s
property,but couldn’t get a hold of anyone.
Well shiver me timbers, been a while. It’s odd, the RX3 was actually smaller than the RX2, and way below the RX4 that I thought was a nice car, aside from the rotary. The RX2 and 3, I believe had smaller motors, and got a bit better gas mileage, but was still too far out there for grandpa 6 cylinder, who was contemplating a Vega, Pinto or Toyota. It was worth a test drive and that’s usually where it stopped. Here’s a fact for ya’, while the RX3 sold over 280,000 cars worldwide, only a scant 2300 were sold in the US. I think modern rotaries addressed all the old bugaboos, but at the time, it just wasn’t what Americans wanted, when a Toyota was on the radar. Took a long time for Mazda to get past that and make great cars today. Amazing find.
If memory serves me correctly, the original RX-7 (SA and FB) was heavily based on the RX-3 chassis… and (with the exception of the ‘7 GSL-SE) they both had the 12A engine…
Ok, since I’m an old guy with failing memory (Besides other things) To my recollection this should be a carburetor equipped car. So the installation of a 13B is most likely correct. Since I don’t see the usual air cleaner and cold start ethylene glycol injector bottle on the right hand inner fender. Someone tell me I’m wrong (I can take it) but I think there is an RX7 somewhere missing an engine. I approve this upgrade and if in the neighborhood and was able to negotiate the price down. I would take this home.
Based on the FB ad description, this particular RX3 had a later FI 13B swapped in there and has an after market ECU to manage it (Micro Tech LT10)… but yes, the RX3 originally came with a carb’d 12A in the US market.
I know if I had a ’66 Malibu, I wouldn’t want to trade it for this.
I had one of these in Coupe form. I loved that rotary.
I had a ’74 coupe. I surprised more than a few V-8s with her
Unless the front bumper’s been replaced,this is a ’72.
’73’s had small overriders .I also think that they sold more than
2300 of these in the US,as I used to see a lot of them driving
around.
A friend of mine drove one of these wagons that was a delivery
car for the parts place he worked at.He told that he’d drive it home
sometimes,& right before he shut it off,he’d rev up the engine,then
quickly shut it off,& go into his house,& then there’d be a big “BANG”.
I had a 1972 RX-2 with a 4 speed in 1976 and it would love to do that when power shifting between gears and more times then not would blow the muffler apart. Being 16 at the time we got a kick pulling next to a car and taking my foot off the gas at a high RPM and Bang would scare the hell out the car next to me. Brought that car into the my auto class in high school my teacher took one look at that motor and said get that piece of s**t out of here fun times
Your shop teacher was a very wise man. Actually the Mazda rotaries were pretty impressive engines. A lot of power and very compact. Back in the day a friend was really into these. He said no matter how he drove he could not get much better than 20 mpg. Said it had something to do with the idiosyncrasies of the design but probably had more to do with him driving like a crazy person
My only experience with a rotary, aside from a Johnson rotary snowmobile I got for nothing with 50 miles on it and never did get it running,,, in ’73 or ’74, I had my MGB and wanted to see what all the rotary hubub was about, and test drove a new RX4 coupe. I liked the styling, and 1st cause for alarm was upon starting the motor, a big cloud of smoke filled the parking lot, which, according to the embarrassed salesperson, was “normal”. Off we go, it was a 4 speed, and the motor revved freely, unlike any other car, in fact, there was a buzzer on the red-line( 7,000 grand?) and surprised me. Every time I shifted, this buzzer went off. 7 grand didn’t sound any different than 4 grand. That bugged me, but had plenty of power, and was put off but the 16mpg mileage. I was never so glad to get back in my MGB that the salesperson clearly wanted.
My folks had a ’73 wagon; silver with a white interior. Even with the automatic it would scoot pretty well.
Guess who totalled it. To this day, almost 50 years ago it bothers me. 😤