One of the most unusual production engines of any car made in the 1990s is the K-series of small-displacement Mazda V6 units. These ranged in size from 1.8- to 2.5-liter and powered anything from the 323, the Eunos 500 and 800 to the MX-6 coupe.
A 2.0-liter variant of it, putting out 147, was used in the Lantis, which is basically a JDM-spec 323 with some upgrades.
Matt Farah drove one in New Zealand and found it to be a very characterful unit. The car belongs to one of the creators of the car company-building game Automation, who paid the equivalent of $1,200 US for it.
If you’ve never seen/heard one of these motors at full song, do check out Farah’s review below. It’s a great-sounding unit about the genesis of which the reviewer has his own (quite plausible) theory.
Video via TheSmokingTire