If you are fortunate enough to spot a 1972 Mazda RX-2 in the wild, especially a 2-door, it’s hard not to go AWWWWWW, WHAT A CUTE WIDDLE MUSCLE CAR and rub your forehead on it. It’s adorable. Look at those tidy proportions. Those clean lines. In its day, the RX-2 was obviously trying very hard to blend in with the cool American kids who had nicknames like “Chevelle” and “Cuda” – those perennial game winning jocks who would knock the books out of little MX-2’s hands in the hallway, then pull its pants down and laugh at its weird little Wankel engine. But this RX-2 is having the last laugh: it’s still out in Brooklyn getting chicks while those Detroit bullies from high school are getting rubbed down in a garage somewhere by a silver-haired old fart named Norman.
The design still looks great after 40 years, but the RX-2 has also got character under the hood in that classic Mazda rotary engine. The 12A is not very powerful at 98 horsepower – probably enough in a car that only weighs 2200 pounds – but it’s unique. It’s also the first engine made outside of the States or Western Europe to finish the 24 Hours of LeMans. So there, it’s got race pedigree.
There’s a ton of Corvair in the rear end design, which is never a bad thing. Also digging the vents around the back glass, and the Mazda logo centered right on the trunk lid. Can’t argue with simple and economical style, on a simple and economical car. Kudos to the owner for keeping this classic going on the streets of Greenpoint.
3 comments
Hi, Do you know the history of this car? My dad had one in Brooklyn in the early 70’s of the same color. He brought it back to the states after being stationed in Okinawa, Japan. He sold it to a relative in Brooklyn, but I don’t know what ever happened to it. It’s worth a shot in the dark to find out.
Had one exactly like it, burn rubber in 3rd gear.
Would like to see this one. Is it 4 sale?