1979 Mazda 626 Coupe.

June 3, 2014

11 comments

11 comments:

Tony Piff said...

whoa whoa whoa. pillarless mazda hardtop? the complete lack of side trim and the shiny paint give this a custom look, but the kkrraapp aftermarket wheels and stock ride height are unmistakably Old Parked Car.

i wonder if there is another one in existence.

captaingizmo54 said...

Maybe so. A young man I used to work with had one. Seeing it changed my mind about
economy cars. After all, who said that small cars had to be boring. It's a shame that Datsun
or Toyota didn't build these. They might've gotten a lot more customers. Mazda redeemed
itself with the 626. Many buyers were afraid of them after the debacle with the rotary engine.
My uncle owned a rotary powered wagon that spent more time in the shop than it did in his
driveway. Just love that simple, efficient dash layout too. Mazda built this bodystyle from
1979-83 so I'm sure that there many more of these to be found.

Calvin said...

Man! This is how I used to park my first car in high school. I'd open my door and back up slowly, lining it up about an inch from the curb in the corner spot. Sure, there were whispers about the guy who tucked his shitty grandpa car way in the back corner every day.

Tony Piff said...

hahaha

MarkusTubesNow said...

kkrraapp wheels? I think that's unnecessarily harsh and potentially hurtful. The owner has evolved this car to have a sporty and purposeful look with comparatively minimal "kustomization/krapization" (I just coined that word). The wheels might not be to your taste but so what. The car looks sharp.

Kudos, Ben, for the sharp Eagle Eye on this one.

BTW, these cars had a solid, heavy feel. I almost bought one, new, in 1980 when I got my first job out of college. But instead I opted for a Mazda GLC.

Justin said...

Needs Ansen Sprints or some gold BBS meshies.

captaingizmo54 said...

I'd take the sprints! Some of these Japanese cars looked great wearing them. One of
my neighbors had a '69 or '70 Datsun 510 wagon equipped with Anson rims. He let
my wife drive me to the eye doctor in it. And I gotta say those wide rims and tires
improved the ride and handling immensely. The car seemed to go wherever you
pointed it! Man, would I like to get my hands on a wagon just like that!

Donkey Hoaty said...

Now, now, Mr. Piff.... There's only so much one can do in the limited real estate of a 13" wheel!

Anonymous said...

That's how you spell suh-weet. Aftermarket wheels an all.

sexyhammer said...

kkrraapp wheels for sure! who could possibly defend such a poor decision made on an otherwise clean car? the color and lack of trim aren't doing him any favors either, but could be excused if the owner spent a little time in the wheel and suspension department.

a car that small having a "solid, heavy feel" is definitely not what i'd want or look for in what was considered a "compact" class for that era.

there are plenty of 13" wheel options that would look a lot better than that. same for 14" and 15", the limiting factor is the 4x110 bolt pattern it shares w the first generation rx7.

honestly, the body style is pretty cool... considering. with a badass street ported 12A or 13B sporting weber carbs and mated to a 5-speed, you'd have something to back up the wild color choice.

Marlow said...

This might be the only one left in existence.