From the Canberra Correspondent: Mazda 929 Station Wagon.

This rather handsome Mazda 929, hailing from sometime between 1976 to 1978, is a refreshing Series 2 update of the earlier, somewhat dowdy LA2 Series 1, produced from 1973. Unlike the Series 1 sedan and station wagon - both of which featured a semi-snub nose when compared to the coupe version's longer, pointier bonnet and front end - all three styles of this second iteration had an elongated frontal area.

Today's example, captured recently by the Canberra Correspondent, looks to be in amazing nick. The paint, panels and chrome are all first rate, while the reflectorised windscreen shade suggests that there’s a nice dash-pad being protected from the sun. The pressed steel wheels look great, too; I believe they’re the same as those fitted to the RX4.

Mazda fans and lovers of 1970s' cars will know that the 929 was the piston-powered twin of the aforementioned rotary RX4. What many people don't know, however, is that Mazda produced rotary versions of their RX3 and RX4 station wagons but for some reason never sold them in Australia. What a shame.

If you're interested, the Canberra Correspondent snapped off a a few shots of another of the Mazda piston-powered / rotary line-up - a quite tidy Capella (the RX2 twin) - a few months ago. It's accessible via https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2021/05/readers-photos-111-mazda-capella.html. There's also a glimpse into what could have been: a rotary-powered Mazda 626 sedan that, had it been an official Mazda product, would have been the non-existent RX6 (https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2017/06/random-134-mazda-rx6.html).

U M P H

(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au)

Photos by the Canberra Correspondent.

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