Mazda celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2020 which was Founded in 1920 as Toyo Cork Industry. Looking back, there are many topics, such as the rotary engine, Le Mans victory, and roadster.
Mazda has achieved an exquisite creation from Hiroshima, which was scorched by the war. It can be said to be one of the success stories of automobile manufacturers.
Mazda RX-7 (1978)
Sticking to the rotary engine, it won the overall victory at Le Mans and created a famous model that represents the category of affordable open sports. Mazda, which promotes car manufacturing with a unique attitude, can be a brand that has always challenged innovation.
Mazda Cosmo Sports 110S (1967)
The announcement was made at the 1964 Tokyo Motor Show. The sales period is short, from 1967 to 1972, and although the car is about 50 years old, it still has a futuristic styling. Although it has a lively Japanese car style, it has a mix of Italian concept car-like design elements.
Mazda RX-500 (1970)
A concept model equipped with a rotary engine, which was announced at the 1970 Tokyo Motor Show to demonstrate safety in the ultra-high-speed range. Many innovative technologies were incorporated, such as the widespread use of lightweight plastics. The rear panel is equipped with multi-coloured lights. It lights green when accelerating or in the ultra-high-speed range, and changes colour to orange when cruising highways and red when decelerating.
The RX-500 weighs 859 kg, and the door is a butterfly type that opens like a gull wing. Most notable is the 982cc twin-rotor A10 rotary engine. It was claimed that the maximum speed would reach 241km / h. The body colour was repainted several times. It was exhibited at the Transportation Science Museum in Hiroshima (Numaji Transportation Museum), but visited UK with the Goodwood Festival’s participation in 2014.
Mazda in 1970 was active in futuristic design, and the EX-005 exhibited at the same time as the RX-500 also attracted attention. The rotary engine is used as a range extender for power generation to charge the battery. It’s a hybrid city commuter that runs on an electric motor. The canopy is removable and can accommodate up to 4 people. It was a sci-fi movie-like vehicle in which acceleration/deceleration and steering were performed with a rod-shaped controller such as a joystick.