1969 Mazda R100 Coupe

Description

Mazda's first rotary-powered production car, the Cosmo 110S of 1964, was joined by a smaller, less expensive two-door coupé in 1968, based on the RX-85 show car. Sold in Japan as the Familia Rotary Coupe but known as the R100 in export markets, the Mazda coupe had excellent performance thanks to its light (913 kg) weight and free-revving 10A twin-rotor Wankel motor developing 100bhp, which powered it to 100 km/h in just 10.8 seconds and to a top speed of around 177 km/h. Whereas the Cosmo was aimed at a more exclusive market, the new R100 was intended by Mazda to bring rotary power to the masses and thus the body was largely unchanged from the conventional-engined 1200 it was based on, other than a few discrete changes like the round tail lights, blacked out grille and raised bonnet. The suspension was also stiffened and the R100 used larger 14-inch wheels and bigger brakes to cope with the extra power. Like the Cosmo before it, the R100 has quite a competition heritage, finishing fifth and sixth behind Porsche 911s in the Spa 24-Hours in 1969 and placing fifth outright in the 1969 Marathon de la Route held on the tough Nürburgring circuit. The R100 remained in production until 1973 and like all early rotary Mazdas, enjoys a cult following in Australia which has seen values skyrocket in recent years.