When you hear about a rare rotary-powered Mazda you probably expect something more special than a rebadged and engine-swapped Holden. We don’t want to spoil the surprise but this is a fitting description for the Mazda Roadpacer AP.
You don’t often come across a Roadpacer that is offered for sale, let alone two cars in the same auction as is the case with the pictured examples from Japan. Both classics appear to be in decent condition for their age, with a few notable defects – none of them is running, and they have a few issues with the paint, bodywork, and interior upholstery.
According to Nippon2U, the red-painted Mazda Roadpacer AP was auctioned for ¥2,000,000 (equal to around $14,400 at current exchange rates), while the purple model got a better offer of ¥2,565,000 (about $18,500). Hopefully, the new owners will take good care of them and find a way to fix the mechanical issues.
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Photo Credit: Nippon2U / Facebook
Don’t be ashamed if you don’t know what we’re talking about as only a few people are familiar with the Roadpacer. Mazda’s short-lived flagship sedan was produced between 1975 and 1977, with only 800 units leaving the factory, exclusively offered in Japan. Most of the cars ended up being driven by government officials and later crushed, meaning that the number of surviving Roadpacers is even lower. But why was a rotary-powered executive sedan such a commercial flop?
The Mazda Roadpacer AP (for Anti-Polution) was actually a Holden Premier / Kingswood, shipped to Japan from Australia without a powertrain, so it could get the 1.3-liter 13B rotary engine transplant. The mill produced 133 hp (99 kW / 135 PS) and was exclusively mated to a three-speed Nissan-Jatco transmission. In reality, the engine swap proved to be less than ideal for a full-size sedan which was significantly slower and a lot more thirsty compared to its V8-powered rivals including the Toyota Century, Nissan President, the Holden-based Isuzu Statesman de Ville, and Mitsubishi Debonair.
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Furthermore, the Roadpacer was quite expensive and lacked originality. Setting aside the fender-mounted mirrors, the Mazda emblems, the plush seats, and a few extra equipment gimmicks like the speed-sensitive central locking and dictation device, the sedan was identical to the Australian Holden Premier. It also cost a lot of money back in the day, at 3.8 million yen in 1975 (or the equivalent of over $70,000 today).
So now you know the backstory, would you spend any kind of money on this quirky Mazda-powered Holden? Owners of these have the bragging rights of driving the only Wankel-powered model manufactured by a GM brand (Holden).
