Every day is O-Kei in the Autozam AZ-1 micro car
I’d been fascinated by the Mazda Autozam AZ-1 since becoming aware of it on an online forum. If you’ve never heard of the AZ-1, you’re not alone, even some of my most hardcore car buddies had no idea of its existence.
For someone who has owned eight or nine Mazdas of various shapes and sizes, the mid-engine, gull-wing AZ-1 is at the top of my automotive bucket list — and my own personal unicorn.
Known as a “kei” car, short for “kei jidosha,” meaning “light automobile” in Japanese. The AZ-1 is a joint venture between Suzuki and Mazda’s Autozam sub-brand.
It’s a JDM-only (Japanese Domestic Market) segment of ultratiny vehicles, utterly adorable cars, micro vans and mini-trucks made to comply with strict Japanese tax and insurance regulations. Kei cars were introduced after the Second World War for a cash-strapped population that couldn’t afford regular cars. While the originals were ridiculously tiny and underpowered — think 100 cubic-centimetre engines — by 1990 they had reached their present size and output.
Owners enjoyed lower operating costs, tax and insurance rates, but their cars had to adhere to very strict regulations. They couldn’t exceed 3.4 metres in length, 1.48 m in width and be under two metres tall and produce no more than 64 horsepower from an engine no bigger than 660 cc.
Japanese buyers are crazy about these tiny cars, so much so that they make up 40 per cent of all their domestic sales, and have inspired automakers to become wildly creative in their designs. Canadians are allowed to buy and import JDM cars 15 years and older, but for Americans, who have had to wait 25 years, they’ve only become road-legal this year.
Now, thanks to Craig Pollock of Bonsai Rides, an importer/exporter who specializes in JDM and righthand-drive vehicles, I was actually going to get up close and personal with the AZ-1 for the first time.
With its ladybug face and tinyTestarossa side vents, the pintsized supercar is anime embodied. Even smaller than it appears in photos, the AZ-1 makes a Mazda MX-5 seem enormous.
It’s a snug fit. For those of smaller stature — like me — it’s like putting on a car suit. A larger driver might require a shoe horn to get in, and the Jaws of Life to get out.
For anyone who’s ever driven a 1990s Mazda, the cockpit’s a familiar environment. The instrument binnacle and HVAC switchgear are vintage 323, though the white gauges and steering-wheel badge are uniquely Autozam.
Having spent three weeks driving 5,000 kilometres of glorious New Zealand roads earlier this year, right-hand drive doesn’t pose much of a problem. However, I’ve never actually shifted a manual with my left hand. The fivespeed shifter is notchy and the gears are hard to engage. I must admit that nervous butterflies and reluctance to ride the clutch resulted in a few embarrassing stalls before we were on our way.
That old saying about driving slow cars fast never held truer than with the AZ-1. Sure, it’s only got 64 hp, but it weighs only 860 kilograms. The three-cylinder, turbocharged mill is right behind your shoulders and has a high-revving redline of 9,500 rpm. The stiff chassis and communicative feedback make this one of the purest driving experiences you can possibly have. You don’t so much steer the car as think it where you want to go. On the highway, transport rigs are monstrous behemoths, and we’re dwarfed by regular traffic. But it’s really not as intimidating as you might think.
For JDM enthusiasts, the AZ-1 is the pinnacle of Kei cars’ holy trinity known as “ABC,” the others being the Honda Beat (B) and Suzuki Cappuccino (C). Only 4,300 AZ-1s were made from 1992 to 1994, and as Craig Pollock explained, finding an crash-free example is exceedingly difficult. This particular car is one of them, and with only 71,000 km on the odometer it is well worth its $19,900 asking price to any fan of Japanese collector cars.
Swallowing a lump in my throat, I handed the keys back to Pollock and stole one last look at the AZ-1’s impish little bug-eyed face. It’s a wonderful thing when your heroes live up to all your expectations.