Simply the rotary took the Savanna name in Japan, while export versions proudly wore the RX-3 moniker. As Mazda had done with previous models, offering a choice of piston or rotary powered versions increased the range and customer choice considerably.Īnd to fully understand the global picture, you first have to get your head around the naming strategy of the newest car in the line-up. Smaller and sportier than the Mazda RX-2, the rotary RX-3 was called the Mazda Savanna in Japan but it was largely identical to the in-line four-cylinder powered Mazda Grand Familia launched alongside it. It was into this halcyon period of the rotary engine that Mazda launched the new Mazda RX-3 in September 1971. The rotary 10A engine was accessed by gullwing opening engine covers and this supercar concept exemplified the technical prowess and boldness of Mazda and its rotary engine technology.
A wedge shaped, mid-engine, rear-wheel drive sports car with forward opening butterfly doors its multi-coloured rear strip lights indicated whether the car was slowing down, cruising or speeding up by changing colour. The 1970 Tokyo Motor Show had also seen Mazda display the radical Mazda RX-500 concept car, unlike anything seen before, its pure futuristic design was a showcase for both the rotary engine and safety technology. The first year of the new decade also saw the first rotaries exported to Europe and the United States, and thanks to this line up of Wankel engine powered coupes by the end of 1970 cumulative rotary production had reached 100,000 units. Having introduced the stunning Cosmo 110S sports car in 1967, followed by the diminutive R100 Familia Coupe in 1968 and the elegant Bertone designed R130 Luce Coupe in 1969, Mazda then introduced the RX-2 Coupe in 1970. And while it was the two-door coupe that was the most popular and is the best remembered today, the RX-3 was offered in coupe, saloon and estate body styles – making it the first Mazda rotary estate car. Additionally, the piston engine versions, called the Mazda 808, Mazda 818 or Grand Familia depending on the market, were also popular and adding lots more vehicles to the sales tally. By the time production came to an end in 1978, 286,757 RX-3s had been produced – making it the biggest selling Mazda rotary outside of the RX-7. Not only that, its success on the racetrack led the way for the accomplishments of the later and more famous RX-7.
Often overlooked when compared to the later RX-7 coupe or the earlier and far rarer Mazda Cosmo, the Mazda RX-3 was a landmark car in Mazda’s history – a car that cemented Mazda’s association with the rotary engine at home and abroad, while its export success helped put Mazda on the map as a global automotive company. After celebrating its centenary in 2020, 2021 sees the 50 th Anniversary of one of Mazda’s most interesting, adaptable and successful cars.
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