Friday, 30 August 2013

MX6 Turbo..

Its definitely taken me much longer to make a post about these than it should have..
The GD-chassis Mazda MX6 (MX-6) was the 2-door version of Mazda's 626. This replaced the GC 626-coupe (pre MX6 name) in 1987, and lasting until it was (not surprisingly) replaced by the GE MX6 in 1991.

Along with being the basis of Mazda's 626; this chassis was used as Ford's Telstar/TX5 equivalents, as well as the Ford Probe of the same generation. As such, this basic architecture was sold as sedan, coupe, wagon, 5dr and 3dr hatches; fitted with an assortment of four cylinder petrol and diesel engines, most commonly driving the front wheels (with the odd exception of some four wheel drive variants).

The car above is a very late production GD MX6, being a 1991. It is a lower-spec 2WS car, with the alternative being the 4WS (four wheel steering) model. All Australian-delivered cars were fitted with Mazda's F2T 2.2Litre SOHC four. This undersquare, 12valve (3 per cyl) unit was fitted with an intercooled IHI Turbo, producing 108kw and a strong 258nm of torque.
Shifting was done with either a 5spd manual, or 4speed auto.

The interiors of the 626/MX6/Telstar/TX5 used quality materials, have aged nicely, and definitely seem to hold up well. This lower spec'ed car has a solid roof, but there was a sliding glass sunroof available.


I have a soft spot for these cars after owning a later model MX6 years ago. These earlier cars were faster, very easy and cheap to make even faster (not surprisingly the downfall of these in older age), and look great with mature lines and E30 M3-esque box flares..
Unfortunately its getting very hard to find good GD MX6's nowadays though, and I cant find a single Capella C2 (the Japanese market equivalent) for sale in Japan for comparison photos.
Its sad to see these cars at wreckers, and this particular car (which looks more than decent) is currently for sale for a shameful $599.
Other than a small devoted fan-base; people just aren't buying, restoring, or modifying MX6 Turbo's these days. As a result, they just quietly disappear from Australia's roads.. :(


Anyway, I'll have to find a GD Mazda 626 Turbo Hatch to post, as they're real sleepers! Cool stuff..




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4 comments:

  1. Martin S1 September 2013 at 03:50

    I love the subtle wide fenders (BMW 8-series style). Those MX6 were actually called 626 coupe when sold here in Sweden. But we never got to see any turbo versions over here. 4ws was standard I think though.

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    Replies
    1. RdS2 September 2013 at 04:01

      No turbo version means you likely had the option of the arguably-cooler 2litre Twin-cam FE engine. Similar power output, but at much higher revs - as its well down on torque.

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  2. Unknown18 November 2013 at 21:18

    Search "GD Chassis Enthusiasts" on Facebook. All the die hard fans are in there. We have also started our own race series in Melbourne, seach facebook for "Martini Racing MX6 Challenge"

    My friend bought this exact car, he is in a wheelchair so it will converted to hand controls for the race series.

    I myself have two of these cars, one Infini model and one Aussie delievred with FE3 turbo conversion 250kw at the wheels.

    There is currently an Infini model Capella for sale in Japan on goo-net for $7000USD.

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    Replies
    1. RdS22 November 2013 at 06:40

      I like that..
      Sounds like a more-than-great outcome for this car in the end. Really good stuff.

      Actually noticed that Capella for sale a couple weeks back too.. VERY rare to see for sale there (any MX6 for that matter..). Just a shame the photos aren't great..

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