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Lost Cars of the 1980's

Mazda 323 GTX



In the mid-1980s, Mazda even tried its hand at Group A rallying, but to do so it needed to build 5,000 road-going versions of its prospective rally car.

Thus, the Mazda 323 GTX was born. The all-wheel drive hot hatchback debuted in Europe and Japan in 1986, but didn???t arrive on these shores until two years later, in 1988. Though the car???s aggressive looks, performance, handling and all-wheel drive sounded like a recipe for sales success, not many prospective buyers could justify its $13,000 point of entry. In two years, Mazda sold just 1,243 examples on these shores, ultimately leading to the car???s cancellation after the 1989 model year.

During its two-year run here, the 323 GTX gave U.S. buyers a turbocharged, intercooled 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, rated at 132 horsepower and mated to a five-speed manual transmission. Power was sent to all four wheels via a planetary differential that could be locked by the driver, via a dash-mounted switch, for added traction on loose surfaces. The net result was a 0-60 MPH time of around eight seconds, despite the car???s 2,645 pound curb weight.

The 323 GTX was far more than a Mazda 323 with a turbocharged engine and all-wheel drive, however. Compared to its more pedestrian sibling, the GTX was wider in track, featured a redesigned underbody, and boasted reinforced side sills for added platform rigidity....

Mazda originally planned on selling some 2,400 323 GTX models in the United States, but its steep price (roughly 30 percent more than a Volkswagen GTI, which delivered comparable acceleration in stock form) and limited marketing undoubtedly hurt sales. Ironically, the demise of the 323 GTX didn???t discourage other Japanese automakers from launching compact turbocharged all-wheel drive sports cars on these shores, including the Isuzu Impulse XS (sold in 1991 only) and the Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX (which, like its Eagle Talon TSi sibling, was built by Diamond Star Motors in Normal, Illinois).

It???s probably fair to say that the Mazda 323 GTX helped pave the way for today???s compact all-wheel drive performance cars, such as the Subaru WRX STI and the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. Though the 323 GTX may be gone, its spirit lives on beneath the skin of more modern hardware.


- See more at: http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2013/04/15/lost-cars-of-the-1980s-mazda-323-gtx/?refer=news#sthash.ytxjWZtp.dpuf