Rev-happy rotor
Nick Larkin gets behind the wheel of an RX-3 – the first Mazda to introduce rotary power to the masses in the UK
Questions, questions, questions! This car asks so many questions, from when you first set eyes on it to when you’re trying to get your mind in order after a drive of it.
Who could not love the styling, especially the wild rear? But how did it happen? You could imagine Mazda’s designers laying a load of American car brochures out on a table, having failed to realise that they dated from 1967. A dash of later Ford Gran Torino and a healthy helping of Toyota Corolla finish the mixture.
Several badges inside and outside the car tell us that we’re about to be whisked off on our way by a rotary engine. Mazda, of course, kept faith in the famous Wankel unit – with its famous three moving parts – when other manufacturers ran away from it.
The car we’re driving belongs to Mazda UK and is fitted with the 1146cc 12A engine, which was standard in some markets, though UK-spec RX-3s made do with a 982cc unit. While British buyers didn’t flock to go rotary, Mazda sold 286,685 RX-3s worldwide between 1971 and 1978.
Right we’re inside the car on a seat of black vinyl. The driving position is comfortable and the driving position is good. The dash brings to mind a 1972 Ford Cortina, with deep binnacles, though your friendly GXL doesn’t indicate 8000rpm. This Mazda will whisk you from 0-60mph in less than 11 seconds and top out at 115mph.
With the car’s fluids warmed through, we’re ready to move off, the engine sounding a bit like a refined two-stroke accompanied by a muted whir from the twin rotors and the thrum of the sports exhaust. The engine thrives on – indeed, begs for – revs, almost chanting: ‘ Who cares if you damage my rotor seals?’
There’s not a lot of torque and you do feel dependent on the gears – the gearbox has a good, precise change by the way, being, a five-speeder from an RX-7 on our test car.
Throttle response is superb – the slightest blip on the throttle elicits an instant reaction. Engine braking is not great, however, but the car does have good brakes.
The ride feels soft but not exceptionally well sprung – we’re relying on leaf springs, here. The steering is more than up to the task but not brilliantly responsive, and a sweeping bend could mean that you are doing quite a bit of correcting to keep the car in line.
All this can be summed up as ‘character’ – every aspect of the car exudes it; it’s no wonder that many would be prepared to pay £25,000 plus to get hold of one of these cars nowadays. Welcome to the rotor show!