LUNCH WITH DR AG R ACING LEGE ND GARTH HOGAN NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR MARCH 2020 ISSUE 351
TWO ALPINE RENAULTS • MAZDA R100 • CITROEN DS • MALLOCH U2 • LYNX • FORD GT40
Two too beautiful
1971 Alpine Renault vs
2018 Alpine Renault ISSUE 351 $10.99 INCL. GST MARCH 2020
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MALLOCH U2
AFTER HOURS GENIUS
CITROEN DS
THE GODDESS STILL REIGNS
MAZDA R100
C E L E B R AT I N G M A Z D A’ S FIRST 100 YEARS
NEW ZE AL AND CL ASSIC CAR MAGA ZINE E LLE RSLIE CAR SHOW WR AP -UP
Feature: Mazda R100 Coupé
MAZDA LIGHTS A DIFFERENT PATH The R100, the first mass-produced, rotary-powered Mazda founded a dynasty By Quinton Taylor, photography by Quinton Taylor, New Zealand Classic Car, and Mazda New Zealand archives
T
his, 2020, is a big year for Mazda, as it celebrates its centenary. Here we feature one of its most significant and defining developments, a car that helped introduce the rotary engine to the public as a dramatically different way to motivate a vehicle. Mazda’s tiny R100 coupé, also known as the ‘Familia Presto Rotary’ coupé in Japan, was launched in mid 1969 to a public stunned to discover that it could get around without pistons that went up and down or side to side. To be fair, Mazda wasn’t entirely sure where its new baby would sit within various markets. Japanese cars were a new phenomenon at the time and the new rotary propulsion system only added to the unknowns, but it claimed, optimistically as it turns out, that rotary engines would one day replace piston
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engines entirely. The R100 was the first massproduced car to offer a rotary engine, after the initial small numbers of Mazda’s Cosmo 110 sports car and the NSU Wankel Spiders. The NSU Ro 80 sedan hit the market just before the R100, however initial reliability problems didn’t help the cause. Priced at $2790 in Australia, the little Mazda was close to the price of a Chrysler Valiant Pacer but cheaper than an MGB. Using a slightly detuned version of the twin-rotor 10A motor used in the Cosmo 110, the 70kW engine provided sparkling performance for the day. It wrapped up the standing quarter-mile in just over 16 seconds and had a top speed nudging 180kph — paltry performance today, but respectable at the time.
Garry Cooke and Ge off Spence competing at Bathu rst in 1969
BRED FOR THE RACETRACK Mazda’s aim was to offer engineering excellence in a compact, light, wellequipped 2+2 package that handled and stopped well. And it delivered. The R100 won first time out in its class at the Singapore Grand Prix (GP) in April 1969, then followed this up by coming home fifth and sixth behind the winning Porsches at the 24 Hours of Spa touring car endurance race. It was a good year for the little screamer, with a fifth placing at the Marathon
de la Route at Nürburgring. Back home at the Suzuka All-Japan Grand Cup, the R100 ran away from the rest of the field. Mazda appeared to be on to a winner. Engine development continued apace and peripheral porting nearly doubled its output, helping the new car to fourth, fifth, and sixth placings in the 1970 West German Touring Car GP. That, together with a fifth in the 24 Hours of Spa saloon endurance race that year, cemented the little car’s sporting reputation.
A TOUCH OF CLASS Sold alongside the standard Mazda 1200cc four-cylinder models that were already doing their bit to bolster the reputation of Japanese small cars, the rotary engine was available only in the coupé. With styling cues from the chic Bertone-designed Mazda 1500, the coupé looked good and was finished with quality touches in various badges and trim, as well as an impressive front grille. Interior trim had been upgraded and the dashboard now sported some large dials, a cast aluminium aviation-style centre console, trendy eyeball air vents with a full heater and demister system, plus a sporty wood-rimmed steering wheel. Its low stance and chunky radial tyres added to its sporty appeal. Its simplicity, reliability, and turbinelike smoothness, along with relatively cheap purchase price meant many of these little cars were used as daily-drivers. Other touches included an electric aerial and radio, column switchgear, and two-speed wipers — items MOTORHOOD.CO.NZ
not always offered as standard fitment in contemporary cars. It was the full package and the beguiling rotary engine lifted the quality feel to another level.
The advent of the RX-2 and US emission regulations had left the R100 pretty much neglected but today the R100 is rightly being recognized for its significance and it is eagerly sought after for restoration UNWANTED CLASSIC Until recently, popular Mazda models here in New Zealand have been the many variations of RX-2s, RX3s, and RX-4s, then RX-7s, and finally the RX-8s at the bottom of the rotary pile. The little
and comparatively unsophisticated R100 coupés were less popular back in the day. The advent of the RX-2 and US emission regulations had left the R100 pretty much neglected but today the R100 is rightly being recognized for its significance and it is eagerly sought for restoration. Values are also rising, making the little cars economically viable to restore — albeit often with modern mechanical upgrades due to the scarcity of replacement parts for the 10A engine ex-Japan. Specialists in the marque in New Zealand appear to have a steady stream of customers.
A PASSION FOR MAZDAS Cory Wilson is a Dunedin-based marque enthusiast. His rare Mazda Roadpacer, a rotary-powered version of a 1970s Holden Premier sedan, has featured previously in these pages. His passion for Mazdas and their rotary engines in particular has developed into a growing
ISSUE 351 / MARCH 2020
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Feature: Two Renault Alpine A110s
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BEAUTY AND THE BEAST These two gorgeous Renault Alpines have a lot in common — but they couldn’t be more different By Ian Parkes, photography by Strong Style Photo
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ISSUE 351 / MARCH 2020
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