zoom zoom

[pshome]

In spite of the current summer heat, we decided to drive 70 km to Augsburg and have a look at a former tramway depot recently converted to a show room for some asian cars. Started in a pair of Tagora's, but it didn't go well. Dinin Tagora decided that running on all 6 cylinders is optional, so we left him at the next exit and went on in only the silver SX. First time ever i have been sitting in the rear of a Tagora, very comfy and spacious!

 

 

Met there with a 504 friend helping us to assure the parking lot gets a decent share of "proper" cars.

 

 

This looks promising.

 

 

Big picture of a cosmo..

 

 

they have the real thing as well

 

 

and much more!

 

A RX7 registered to Mr. Felix Wankel

 

a rotary station wagon

 

 

rotary bus

 

 

and even a Wankel wrecker.

 

 

enough cars here i have never seen before to fill several pages in the " Cars you didn't know existed " thread.

 

.. more to come

 

[pshome]

Plenty of choice in the small cars department, i would not fit into any of those.

 

[PiperCub]

I love some of Mazda's older stuff, much of which we never really got to see in the UK. Sure,the other Jap manufacturers can boast similar odd-ball stuff but for me Mazda have the edge.

 

Love the Cosmo 110 - always have, only ever seen two in the flesh. Also, not shown here but the RX3 is another of my faves, an Aussie mate of mine still has one back home with a tweaked wankel engine! 

[pshome]

not all is Bonsai here, they have decent sized cars as well.

Verdict: Very nice place, certainly worth a detour even if you are not into japanese cars at all. I did enjoy it very much.

 

 

P.S

Paul made it home with no further problem..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Matt]

Autozam AZ-1! 

[KruJoe]

I'll have one of each, please!

 

I don't think Mazda have ever once dropped a bollock in the styling department. Ever.

It's remarkable, they're all lovely, even the modern ones are the prettiest out there.

 

Peugeot were doing well until the repulsive _07 series came along, (they're pulling their socks up now though.) Alfas are mostly nice to look at, but there's been the occasional dog-egg even from them.

 

Thank you Mazda for doing what you do, and PSH for sharing.

[Supernaut]

Wot KruJoe said.

 

 

I love the MazdaSpeed Autozam AZ-1. It looks utterly mental!

[cort1977]

That's amazing. Is it run or supported by Mazda?

 

Loving the road pacer basically a hj Holden fitted with the rotary for improved* torque and fuel economy. Genius.

 

Also like the mx-6, very good looking in my opinion even if not much cop mechanically.

[pshome]

It's the collection of the Frey family, one of the first Mazda dealers in Germany.

 

https://mazda-classic-frey.de/en/the-museum/history-of-the-museum/

[PiperCub]

Want that yellow RX-3. 

[captain_70s]

Love that RX-4 estate, also the dinky little Mazda 1300. I'd have one of those alongside the Doloshite if they weren't pretty much extinct in the UK.

[Schaefft]

Loving it!! Favorite cars there: Xedos6   (now I want another one even more...), the 626 hatch (great design) and the 929 Coupe. The AZ-1 is awesome as well. Great to see places like this exist, classic Japanese cars are too underrepresented in Germany.

 

And that black last gen Cosmo!! How could you not take a picture of that one!

[Schaefft]

I'll have one of each, please!

 

I don't think Mazda have ever once dropped a bollock in the styling department. Ever.

It's remarkable, they're all lovely, even the modern ones are the prettiest out there.

 

Peugeot were doing well until the repulsive _07 series came along, (they're pulling their socks up now though.) Alfas are mostly nice to look at, but there's been the occasional dog-egg even from them.

 

Thank you Mazda for doing what you do, and PSH for sharing.

I think Mazda had a slight downturn toward the end of the 90s and at the beginning of the 2000s. After probably not being as successful as hoped with their super sleek cars beginning of the 90s (and the design of their cars obviously wasn't the reason, neither was their quality), I feel like they went way too conservative with their next generation to get some of those Toyota sales. Things got better again with the release of the Mazda 6, but between that and the early 90s Xedos/626/MX-6/323/Cosmo/929 and so on, there wasn't much excitement to find styling wise.

[Uncle Jimmy]

Interesting collection, nice joinery too...Was it Pininfarina or Michelotti worked with Mazda a lot?

[Asimo]

Wankel Bus! 

[KruJoe]

Aye, I'd really love to hear that rotary engined bus at full chat!

[KruJoe]

I think Mazda had a slight downturn toward the end of the 90s and at the beginning of the 2000s... there wasn't much excitement to find styling wise.

 

The 90's models could be described as bland and blobby looking, but they were just a few years ahead of trends. I still enjoyed them, the five door 323F Astina of that time was my favourite 323. It had neat touches like the pillarless doors, and subtle coke-bottle hips.

 

Here's an odd-ball spot of mine, the saloon version (Lantis).

 

 

And the integrated spoiler on this 626...

 

 

Delicious. I could lick that all day long.

 

The slightly sharper later ones you mention were duller than what went before, but there was nothing ugly. Just innoffensive, form followed function. Eg:

 

 

Verdict:  That's as bad as it got for Mazda; they've never quite done ugly.