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Mazda Bongo

Lets start off with the VAN WITH THE SOUL OF A SPORTS CAR!

My name is Little Bongo,
I sing my little song-go.
Whenever I get called upon
the teacher says I'm wrong-go.
My name is little Bongo
I love to play ping pong-go.
I have an ear upon my head
They say it's very long-go.
My name is little Bongo
I'm known as a ding-dong-go.
There's just one place that I'd belong
That would be the Congo.

It's been made since 1966. I think MIGHT make it the the longest-running truly mass-market car on the market today. (I know Morgan is out there, but those are hand-built boutique cars.)

The Bongo is sold for both work and play. Some models have been equipped with kitchenettes. On their website Mazda portray it as more of an RV than a work vehicle.

The current Bongo comes with a standard 2.0 liter engine.

Since Mazda has had a long relationship with Kia (and Ford) there is probably some connection with the Korean Bongo. Apparantly Mitsubishi has also sold Bongo vans.

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Mazda Carol

Honda Pochette, Mitsubishi Minica, Daihatsu Mira, Mazda Carol. If you're a woman looking for an economical car, these have to be near the top of your list.

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Mazda Carol Me Lady

Maybe this means I'm a woman, but I like the looks of this car. Yes, that really is the name of this car.

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Mazda Eunos Cosmo

I think this is supposed to be the competition for the likes of the Toyota Soarer and Nissan Skyline. Except it's different because it's a rotary, like the RX-7

Eunos is a now-defunct Mazda brand, kind of like Infiniti or Acura or Lexus. Except I think the idea was probably more Pontiac with less suck. Or...well, I guess Acura is the right comparison. The MX-5 was originally a Eunos.


Damnation this is a beautiful car. IIRC, it had a 3 rotor wankel.

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Mazda Familia

Protege/323 in the US.

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Mazda Lantis

Looks kind of like a 4 door MX-3. I approve. Based on the Familia/323/Protege, with 1.8 and 2 liter engines. 1993-1997. Sold in Europe as the 323F.

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Mazda Laputa

This car is a dirty whore. This kei car, made from 1999-present is a dirty, slutty whore.

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Mazda...if you don't know what this car is, go the fuck away right now.

No seriously. Well, nevermind that it's actually legible in the first image.

I know these exist in the US, but man that 3rd gen RX-7 is hot. I don't think I'd ever want to own one though. I am not responsible enough to care for such a beast.

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Mazda Autozam AZ-1

Are you curious about the thing next to the red RX-7, well, join the club, because so am I. I do know that it is a Mazda AZ-1. AZ apparantly stands for Autozam, which was one of Mazda's failed brand names in the 90s. You might also recognize the name from Magic Knights Rayearth, the fantasy anime series where everything is named after cars.

The AZ-1 is a Kei sportscar with gullwing doors. It was also sold by Suzuki as the Cara.

We know that it is an AZ-1, and not a Suzuki Cara because of two things. One is the Autozam logo on the hood, the other is the fact that this car has no foglights. Those could be removed, but I doubt someone would put the AZ logo on it. (The Cara is much more rare)

In Japan, the AZ-1 is a collector's car, and sells for a lot of money for a used car. You won't find one under about 6,000 US dollars, and 8k is more realistic. I'd like one, but I doubt I'll be able to afford it. Made from 1992 to 1994.

Some crazy sons of bitches actually shoehorned a 3 rotor wankel into two of them. Rebodied, though. Still, they were something like 300hp in a 1500 pound car. INSANITY!

Next: Subaru.