Mazda USA nostalgic fiber

Although the Mazda company was founded in 1920, it was not until 1968 that the manufacturer arrived in Canada, where it first introduced the R100, followed by the RX-2, the first model to be officially sold in the USA. In the 1970s, several other rotary engine models would be sold by Mazda, including the RE-PU (Rotary Engine Pick-Up) and the luxurious Cosmo.

The sporty RX-7 saw the light of day in 1979, two years after the introduction of the GLC (Small Compact Car), an economical subcompact powered by a four-cylinder gasoline engine.

The impressive history of this manufacturer – which worked side by side with Ford, Fiat and Toyota, and which achieved great success in Quebec in the early 2000s – is obviously less known to the public than that of the three major American manufacturers. This can be explained by the fact that Japanese manufacturers are not used to looking back or at least having nostalgic series.

But now, in recent years, Toyota and Honda have launched their own museums to share their history through rich collections of cars from all eras.

Naturally, this interest can be explained by the fact that several models are now produced in North America and are now part of American car culture. For its part, Mazda recently manufactured the CX-50 in the United States, in a factory jointly owned by Toyota. An important chapter for this “small” manufacturer, who is interested in gaining market share in segments where competition is fierce.

Over the years, the brand’s strategists have immersed themselves in North American automotive culture and have chosen to build an impressive collection of vehicles that span decades of success. A collection of approximately sixty vehicles is housed at the Research and Development Center in Irvine, California.

We plan to add more pieces over time. We are currently working on the restoration of a few units, mainly racing cars, which will enhance the already large collection.

During a recent visit to California, Mazda of America agreed to open the doors of the basement of its Research Center to us, to allow us to discover this collection and its history. Among the most beautiful pieces, the all-new 1995 RX-7, the 1978 GLC, the never-before-registered 929 and various variations of the Miata/MX-5 concept, the manufacturer’s flagship model since 1989.

See also: Antoine Joubert visits Mazda research center in California