Mazda announced their sponsorship of the Touge California, the only all-Japanese vintage road rally in the United States.
The rally will take place on April 2 and is expected to feature 28 rare and original Japanese classic cars from the ‘60s, ‘70s and early ‘80s.
The cars will follow a route that stretches from San Diego to Mazda’s R&D facilities in Irvine. Out of the 28 participants, 11 of them will be Mazdas, including the 1975 Rotary-Engine Pickup, a 1978 GLC compact hatchback and a 1985 RX-7 from Mazda’s own heritage collection.
“We’re proud to sponsor Touge California, as it fits perfectly with Mazda’s heritage and celebration of the innovations that continue to shape the auto industry into what it is today,” said Robert Davis, Mazda US’s Senior VP. “We’re a company that relishes driving enjoyment—from our heritage vehicles to today’s award-winning lineup of SKYACTIV cars and crossovers.”
“We are proud to have Mazda, a company that understands the importance of heritage and motoring thrills, as a partner for our Touge California rally,” said Ben Hsu, editor-in-chief of Japanese Nostalgic Car which organizes the rally. “As 70 percent of Japan’s terrain is mountainous, our goal with Touge California is to give owners of Japanese cars the experience of driving on roads similar to those on which their cars were born.”
Touge California started out in 2015 and is exclusive to Japanese classic cars approaching 40 years old. Participants will get to enjoy their cars over a 200-mile route on California’s coastal roads and take an exclusive tour of the Mazda Heritage Collection in Irvine, which is home for more than 50 race cars, concepts, historically significant and one-off cars.
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