Mazda: The Early Years

From the very beginning, Mazda has been creating and producing some of the best vehicles out there!

Mazda-Go, 1931

 Mazda's very first vehicle was the "Mazda-Go" in 1931. It was a three-wheeled truck, resembling a motorcycle with an open wagon or truck bed. It was steered with handlebars and powered with an air-cooled 1-cylinder engine/transmission combination unit.

In 1960 Mazda came out with the company's first real car --a two-door, four-seat coupe, the Mazda R360. It featured a short 69 inch wheelbase and weighed just 838 lb. It was powered by a rear-mounted air-cooled 356 cc V-twin engine putting out about 16 hp and 16 ft·lbf of torque. The car was capable of about 52 mph. It had a 4-speed manual or two-speed automatic transmission.

Then in 1967, it was the Mazda Cosmo Sport 110 that made its debut. There have been four generations of Mazda automobiles which went by the name of Cosmo, although they are not all particularly related. All were Grand tourers, with the first proving a successful launch for the Mazda Wankel engine (the first 2-rotor rotary engine) and acting as a "halo" vehicle for the new Mazda brand. The car was also featured in the show "Return of Ultraman".

That last of the early vehicles is the Mazda R100. Production began on this vehicle in 1968. It was a 2 door 2+2 coupé with a rotary 0820 engine. The R100 was one of the first cars imported into the United States for the new Mazda Motors of America, sold in model years 1971 and 1972. It was a surprising hit with the American public, though sales were initially limited to some Northwestern states.