Thursday, October 30, 2014

5k: Fuel Injected: 1976 Mazda RX-5 Cosmo

 Mazda has a tendency to use the RX prefix in its rotary powered  cars, so when the replacement to the limited edition (and extremely collectible) Mazda Cosmo was introduced in 1972, it was called the RX-5 for the US market. It was Mazda's entry into the personal luxury coupe market, and slightly missed the target for what buyers were expecting.  The result were poor sales when new and now you hardly ever see one on the road, but you could fix that and buy this one for your commute!  Find this 1976 Mazda RX-5 Cosmo offered for $7,900 buy-it-now on ebay with 4 days to go, located in Pataskala, OH. Tip from Tanj!


The second generation Cosmo makes a decent case for a classic cruiser with some sporting capability, but only if you can find one first.  The number for sale at any given time is usually low and you'll see a lot of the same basket cases offered for months.  On a car like this the best bet is to buy the nicest one you can find, it'll be worth it in the long haul.


The seller is a well known rotary shop in Ohio (Defined Autoworks) and someone has swapped the original apex seal eater for a 1985 13B from an RX-7 GSL-SE.  This means it has fuel injection and is good for 135 horsepower and 133 ft-lbs of torque.


Of course the little rotary engine isn't left to languish behind some souless slushbox, it is mated to 5 speed transmission that puts all the spinning fury to the rear wheels.  The Cosmo interior is much more luxury focused(or at least what the Japanese thought an American buyer would assume is luxurious in 1976) than the RX-2, RX-3 or RX-4...but it isn't necessarily something you'd want to have today.  At least the condition of this one looks decent in the few pics provided.


See another way to rotary? tips@dailyturismo.com
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4 comments:

  1. AnonymousOctober 30, 2014 at 8:40 AM

    Really neat, but what about the mold!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. RyanMOctober 30, 2014 at 9:12 AM

    Dat azz. If it weren't for that stupid bumper, that thing would be beautiful. Love those taillights.

    ReplyDelete
  3. mrkwongOctober 30, 2014 at 6:55 PM

    Sorry..in turning the RX-4 into the Cosmo it's like seeing the cute girl from college a couple years later and finding out she's got fake eyelashes and a neck tat.

    Uggggggg....leeee.

    The Japanese lost their way in the mid '70s almost as badly as Detroit had a couple years earlier, the ones who had the most attractive product going into the early part of the decade (Datsun, Mazda) screwed up the worst.

    ReplyDelete
  4. TGMOctober 31, 2014 at 6:36 PM

    Is it a Buick or is it a Japanese sports coupe?

    ReplyDelete

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