These 323s Are The Coolest Bubble Era Mazdas To Never Make It To America: Holy Grails

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One of the more frustrating parts about being a car enthusiast in America is watching what drivers in other countries get to buy. We still have to wait to buy something like a Renault Avantime and it’s going to be a long while before I can pick up a Smart Roadster. If you’re a fan of Mazda, now is the right time to pick up a Mazda you’ve probably never heard of before. The Mazda Astina was a Japanese Bubble Era masterpiece of a fastback sedan with pop-up headlights and, later, it became a sleek early example of a four-door coupe with a dash of Porsche influence.

Last time on Holy Grails, I briefly let my wife take the wheel to tell you about her grail, the Oldsmobile LSS. This GM H-body came at a strange time for Oldsmobile. The automaker wanted to attract young professionals, but they were buying BMWs, Acura, and Lexus cars, not Oldsmobiles. As part of its effort to freshen its image, Oldsmobile unleashed the Luxury Sports Sedan. It was the top-of-the-line Eighty Eight with a sport suspension and a center console shifter. When the Oldsmobile Aurora made its debut, parts from that car trickled down into the LSS, which became its own standalone model. Amazingly, the LSS was faster in a straight line than Oldsmobile’s claimed competition, but few people ever bought them.

This week, we’re turning away from rare cars you could buy in the United States to cars that were once forbidden fruit for Americans.

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If you’re like me, you grew up knowing about countless cars and perhaps you even drove them in your favorite video games. Then, when you became an adult you learned the hard way that our country limits the vehicles that you can bring in across the border. The Imported Vehicle Safety Compliance Act of 1988, better known as the “25-Year Import Rule,” is a barrier that stops most enthusiasts from picking up their dream cars until they turn 25 years old.

Many of the cars enthusiasts drool over are icons like the Nissan Skyline R34 or weird machines like the aforementioned Renault Avantime. Maybe you want a Holden Ute, a Honda Civic Type R, a Volkswagen Scirocco R, a Renault Clio V6, a Subaru Impreza 22B, a Suzuki Jimny, a BMW M5 Touring, or so many more sweet cars. Some of the vehicles on that list are now legal to import, but enthusiasts of those cars had to wait so long to have them.

Less talked about are the more normal cars that were never sold in America but are still pretty awesome. That’s where the Mazda 323 Astina falls. It’s not a thrilling supercar or a hero car from a videogame, but it is still something different.

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A Bubble Era Phenomenon

Many of the cars enthusiasts adore come from Japan’s bubble economy of the 1980s. Stocks and real estate values soared to practically incomprehensible levels driven by speculation. Japan’s industries had spent decades inventing new products and refining existing ones. By the late 1980s, people around the world were happily scooping up Honda motorcycles, driving Toyota cars, jamming out to tunes on their Sony Walkmans, and playing games on their Nintendo consoles. Japan was getting so good at electronics that reportedly, some people thought Sony and Hitachi would scoop up Intel and IBM.

Japan’s industrial stride has been called an “Economic Miracle” and it led to a spike in the country’s standard of living. Japanese people were living longer and the country’s GDP was up there or better than that of some western countries. As this happened, Japanese people were sitting on money from saving after World War II and the country’s banks got really lenient with lending. Combine Japan’s industrial success with deregulation and excess liquidity in the banking system, and there were banks taking more and more risks. Toss in reported overconfidence in Japan’s economy and speculation and you have asset values going through the roof.

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As an explainer of Japan’s bubble economy notes, prices of land in Tokyo’s sought-after neighborhoods became 350 times more expensive than comparable land in Manhattan. Apparently, the land under the Tokyo Imperial Palace was rumored to be as valuable as all of the land in California.

Regardless of whether or not the rumor is correct, what is clear is that money was a bit crazy in Japan in the 1980s. For automakers, this meant designing awesome and bewildering cars like the Honda NSX, Mazda RX-7, Nissan Skyline GT-R, the Toyota Supra, and more.

In 1989, Mazda released the seventh generation of its Familia, better known to us Americans as the 323 and the Protegé. The Mazda BG platform that made those cars also found itself underpinning the Ford Laser, Ford Escort, and the Mercury Tracer. Like other Japanese automakers during this era, Mazda was spicing up its lineup with more exciting and sporty vehicles. The BG platform was no exception, and it spawned three variations that seem to be pretty grail-worthy.

The Mazda Astina

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When the seventh generation Familia hit the road in 1989, there were a couple of versions of it that stood out. One was the five-door fastback that Mazda emblazoned with the name Astina. Though, in other markets, the vehicle was sold as the 323F, 323 Astina, and a luxury version sold as the Eunos 100. This is the car that reader Ben C says is a grail:

I would like to nominate a car for Holy Grails which I believe was not sold in America (I think). It’s the Mazda 323 Astina, which was also known as the Familia Astina in Japan, and 323F in Europe.

Born from the Japanese Bubble Era and made from 1989 to 1994, it was essentially a 323 (Protege to Americans) but with a sleek, swoopy fastback body. Clearly Mazda had lots of money to throw around then to build two completely different bodies for what is essentially the same car underneath.

Most came with fairly mundane 1.6-litre engines with about 100 horsepower, but the most powerful version had a 1.8-litre DOHC engine with 140 horsepower (also used in the Miata). In a car that weighed just slightly over 2000 pounds, it certainly had some performance to match its sporty looks.

Mazda 323 F Gt 1989
Olivér Kovács

And just look at it! Have attached a picture for your reference, but man, a car that looks like that (pop up headlights!), can go reasonably fast (with the right engine) and still enough space to drive your family around while being relatively affordable. I don’t think we will see a car like that ever again in today’s world.

My late dad had one and it was by far the most exciting car he owned in his lifetime, hands down. It looked exactly like the one in this picture too.

Photos Mazda Familia 1989 1

As a family car, the Astina looks and sounds like a neat proposition. The wedge-shaped front end gave way to a fastback rear with some graceful rounding. Power comes from a variety of engines, ranging from a 1.5-liter four making 110 HP to a 1.8-liter four making 140 HP. Sadly, I haven’t been able to find much in the way of production numbers. However, these cars were never sold in America, so I can’t imagine you’ll find a ton of them here.

Surprisingly, I have been able to find a couple of professional reviews. Here’s a quick take from Australia’s CarsGuide:

Images Mazda Familia 1989 1

Next up, a little gem. The 1991 Astina SP Hatch with its fastback body styling and pop-up headlights: the sporty ’90s had arrived.

On the track its steering was sharp and the 323’s chassis a beautifully balanced thing, and it was blessed with a slick little five-speed manual gearbox.

Downsides? A terrible black and white carpety trim for the seats and doors, the blackest cabin man has yet created and an interior smell to remind of boozy taxi rides home in the 1990s.

I was also pretty amazed to find a review from old Top Gear. In the review below, the host explains that Mazda achieved a 40 percent improvement in torsional stiffness, which resulted in better handling. The stiffening was done by reinforcing the door sills and crossmembers. Top Gear also noted greater quality and the fact that Mazda apparently utilized a new process that gave the paint a Mercedes-like finish.

Now, I love Ben C’s nomination here. The Astina has that fantastic 1980s wedge look and seats five with a manual transmission, a stubby rear end, and the same power you’d find in a Miata. But, when researching this piece, I found two more variations worth mentioning.

Familia GT-R

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If those power figures aren’t enough for you, there’s the Familia GT-R. Coming from the same generation of Familia, the GT-R is based on the GT-X. Previously the top model of the Familia, the GT-X sported four-wheel-drive, viscous limited-slip differentials, and a 180 HP 1.8-liter turbo four.

In 1992, Mazda pumped up the volume when it released the Familia GT-R, a Group A Rally homologation special. The Familia GT-R starts off with the GT-X, plus a healthy power bump to 208 HP and 184 lb-ft torque. Other bits include a body kit, hood vents, wheel flares, a stiffer suspension, stiffer anti-roll bars, thicker crossmembers, and larger brakes.

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The engine got its extra power by way of stronger internals including connecting rods, upgraded pistons, an upgraded IHI VJ-23 water-cooled turbocharger, an intercooler, larger injectors larger oil squirters, a larger nose crank, a larger oil cooler, sodium-filled valves, a baffled inlet manifold, and more.

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The go-fast bits were complemented in the interior where you got to sit in leather and suede seats along with the option to toss out the cupholder for a three-gauge cluster. Due to this being a homologation special, just 2,200 of them were made. On top of that Mazda made a special version of the GT-R called the GT-Ae, a more hardcore GT-R with 66 pounds shaved away, a close-ratio transmission, and the power options ripped out. You’re getting a cloth interior, no ABS, no air-conditioning, no sunroof, and no power accessories.

This one might be the coolest version of the 323 that you couldn’t get in the United States, but there’s one more out there.

Mazda Lantis

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The Astina sold from 1989 to 1994, when it was replaced by the Mazda Lantis, which was also sold as Mazda 323F, Mazda Astina, and other names depending on the market. Despite Mazda selling the vehicle as a relative to the 323 (which moved to a new BH generation in 1994), it rides on the CB platform, a platform you might be familiar with if you’ve ever owned a Mazda 626.

The Lantis, or Astina, has a design reportedly credited to Ginger Ostle, a former Porsche designer known for her work on the Porsche 944. The Lantis was sold as a four-door sedan and a five-door hatchback. Curiously, Mazda marketed the hatch as a “4-door coupé.”

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In fact, today, Mazda calls it a “five-door hatchback Lantis Coupe” in its own retrospective. So, now you know that Mazda was playing the coupe sedan trick long ago. Still, this is a Mazda from 1994 with a curvaceous body, frameless windows, and an interior with power everything.

Keeping with Mazda’s record of making great handling cars, the Lantis was reportedly taken to the Nürburgring where its handling was refined. On top of that, the vehicle was known for its solid safety for the day.

Base models of the Lantis came with a variety of engines, starting with a 1.5-liter four making 87 HP and ending with a KF-DE 2.0-liter V6 making 147 HP. Then there are two hot versions of the Lantis. The first is the Lantis Type R, which gets a KF-ZE 2.0-liter V6 making 170hp and 140 lb-ft torque. In addition to more firepower, the vehicle gets a limited-slip differential.

The second is the Lantis Type R Mazdaspeed, which is the Lantis Type R plus a sweet bodykit. Check out the towering wing on this unit:

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As DrivingLine notes, the Lantis has even enjoyed success with grassroots racers and was even turned into a JTCC car with the Castrol JTCC Lantis. The Lantis/Astina/323F sold until 1998. Once again, I haven’t found any production numbers, but it does appear that there are few of these in America, at least.

From the sounds of it, these are fun sedans that Americans missed out on. Thankfully, every vehicle in this article is old enough to import and some of them are getting across the border. Here’s a review of a Lantis/323F from Chicago area YouTuber Zack Pradel from Shooting Cars:

In terms of finding these for sale, well, it can get a bit difficult. I found just a single Mazda Astina for sale. It’s due to roll across the USS Nagoya auction block in Japan soon. Contact an importer in the United States for further details. I did not find any Familia GT-Rs for sale, but it seems if you did find one, you could probably get one for under $20,000. I could not find any Lantis Type R Mazdaspeeds, but I did find a Lantis Type R in Japan for roughly $9,041.

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No matter which one of these cars you choose, you’ll certainly be getting a sweet car from a time when money seemed to rain in Japan and automakers were cranking out crazy enthusiast rides. Sure, none of these are legends like the Nissan Skyline, but they’re far more attainable for a regular person and at least here in America, probably even rarer. So, if you want to play around with some Mazda JDM equipment, look at these forgotten Astina Familia.

Do you know of or own a car, bus, motorcycle, or something else worthy of being called a ‘holy grail’? Send me an email at mercedes@theautopian.com or drop it down in the comments!

(Images: Mazda, unless otherwise noted.)

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56 thoughts on “These 323s Are The Coolest Bubble Era Mazdas To Never Make It To America: Holy Grails

  1. Both of these 323 models were common as muck in Ireland at the time and, having had a lift in a 90s turquoise pop-up headlight version when they were long in the tooth but I was only in my early teens, I remember it being quite comfortable.

    There actually WAS a three-door version of the 323F. It was a much less common sight, and were very weird looking. https://www.cars-data.com/en/mazda-323-1994/1341

  2. OK, you got me, finally signed up to comment!

    I absolutely love and daily a BA over here in Switzerland. That it was never sold in the US really blows my mind, and I dove right in after coming across one on FB Marketplace a few years back. Had long wanted a Protege5, which is ostensibly its successor. Until I bought one, and found it tall and ponderous, sorta blobby and blah. But it led me to my BA, and I haven’t looked back.

    Also just recently fulfilled a longtime dream and made a great friend by exporting my teal one to the US!

    Its balance of size (compact but the other day swallowed 10 wheels and tires no prob, and it tows reasonably well), technical bits (the 2.0 V6 is delightfully exotic but shares many common parts, has all the mod cons without the complexity of later electrics) and questionably timeless ‘90s style (reportedly yawns at the time, now just makes me smile) really is like nothing else I’ve experienced.

    Though it is a hilarious mishmash of parts in different markets and Mazda eras, and pre- and post-facelift is a vital distinction, which makes finding definitive answers a hobby in itself!

    https://imgur.com/gallery/dOGOLzI

  3. I irrationally love these as an owner of a BMW 335ix GT, their German 4 door hatchback from the midthousies that was somehow tainted by the ugliness of the 5 series GT and not offered with a manual. That left them generally overlooked/not considered disireable although the extra 1.7 inches of clearance compared to a regular 3 series makes it a Winter champ. It even has a fancy wing that pops up at speed, albeit not as bold as this flying contraption on the Mazda hatch that looks slick as Radwood comes.
    Super cool Mazda gem.

  4. I’m my teens I remember seeing plenty of the 323fs (or whatever they were called here) in that 90s turquoise colour almost invariably with the clear coat lifting off the bonnet and roof. Intellectually I understand their appeal now but my mind will always jump to when they were at their lowest ebb of desirability.

  5. “We still have to wait to buy something like a Renault Avantime …”

    My kid saw a Renault Avantime last year at the Lane Motor Museum, and has been campaigning for it as a new family hauler ever since. According to the arguments, it is much, much cooler than my car or my spouse’s. I can’t say I haven’t been eyeing the overseas prices and the calendar every once in a while.

    Also, I would happily daily any of these 323s.

    1. My parents told me of the time a salesman in Modesto took them for a test drive in one, when they were looking for a new car. He took a 90deg corner at 60mph like it was no big deal. Scared the crap out of them. Though I think they still bought a 626 from him.

  6. I’ve known about these for years. This kind of thing makes me hate the US automotive culture.

    “But look at all the big tuff trucks we have here that them furriers can’t have because their commie gub’mints tax their gas too much”

    I don’t WANT a big tough truck. I want a sleek 5-door liftback like this, and more importantly I want actual variety in the marketplace again instead of utility vehicles and trucks all the way down.

    1. You are correct, sir. I not long ago got a set of alloys with the short-lived predecessor, the Renault-in-an-oval, on the center caps. Sent me down a rabbit hole, now I’m obsessed with the “Eternal Flame”.
      

  7. I have a holy grail suggestion: 2015.5-2016 Volvo V60 R Design. There was a magical year and a half where Volvo sold a toned down Polestar wagon with the Turbo-6 cylinder before going to exclusively 4 cylinder only. It came with the sport suspension instead of the Ohlin’s and regular brakes instead of the Brembos. There were less than 300 made, they are dead-nuts reliable (compared to the T5, etc.), fast and comfortable. https://www.swedespeed.com/threads/v60-sales-in-usa.237533/page-2
    The 2015-2016 V60 and S60 Polestars are also SUPER rare, but those are better known. The rarest of the rare are the KPAX R design S60 and V60, but have fun finding those (I’ve seen only 2 for sale in the last year!)

    Another holy grail that people often overlook is the 1995.5-1997 Single Cab V6 Tacomas. They made the Single Cab with the pretty unkillable 5VZFE for 2.5 years. After that, they were 4 cyl (2RZ/3RZ) powered only. Some of them were also fairly loaded with bucket seats, tachs(!), power windows, rear locker, etc. Those were also the only years that you could get a 2WD 5 Lugger with the V6 (until the S and X runners, of course!) The real holy grail of those trucks was the 1997 as that was the only year that had an ECU that could accept the boost from the optional TRD (Magnuson) supercharger. There is a guy on Tacomaworld (1997tacomav6) who has something like 700,000 miles on his supercharged example.

    1. Ope! I also forgot about the other fun Volvo Holy Grail. There was one magical year (2010) where you could get a manual, AWD, Turbo-5, R Design V50. The are super neat, drive well, and are hard to come by. There is currently one on C&B

    2. I’ll periodically look for these for sale. I figured they didn’t sell a ton to begin with, but didn’t realize there were so few of them. Guess that explains why they are still so expensive when you do see one.

  8. Pretty sure I “had” a Lantis with all the performance parts I could stick on it back when I was playing the first or second edition of Gran Turismo. Good times!

  9. Great stuff here Mercedes! Thanks. I learnt a ton of things from your article. A lot to take in. I hope that there won’t be a test though.

    The familia models look very cool. The body work reminds me of the Toyota Starlet and the Toyota Corolla FX. Makes me wonder if MAZDA and Toyota had any design/engineering collaboration going on back then?

    Appreciate your hard work and the chance to learn more stuff.

  10. I loved these growing up, they were part of my childhood. Especially the 323F with popup headlights. It was the only car I remember that had popup headlights. I was mesmerized by them as they went up and down.
    They were almost exotics in the grey sea of Eastern Bloc boxes.
    Unfortunately they rusted out really quickly and there are not many of them left these days.

  11. Yeees! I approve, those were sweet little cars. I’d like to see the later Lantis/323f parked next to a FD RX-7, I think they would work pretty well together.

    Here in Europe another interesting oddity was the 1991-1998 MX-3, with a 1.8 liter V6, even smaller variant of the 2.0 V6 from the 323. Rare and odd even by our standards!

    Also, on this note, please, please have more stuff from EU, maybe a regular feature, or a local correspondent, for all us across-the-pond folks.

  12. Thank you so much for featuring my suggestion, Mercedes! Your write-up really did it justice. 🙂

    The Astina was truly one of a kind. I mean, it’s almost a Miata in family car form. What’s not to like?

    1. I’m just learning that was a thing, but it turns out that was Familia Neo/323C/323 Neo, which is sorta similarly bubbly in styling but a mechanical mishmash. Mazda was trying absolutely everything at that time! Those are not as loved over here in Europe, sorta unserious little things. Though I just saw they could be had with the 1.8 V6. Might have to look again.

  13. I absolutely love the 323F/Lantis. The KL-series V6 is such an interesting little motor. I have literally zero need for any more cars on my property (8 as of this comment), but I would strongly consider importing a Euro-spec LHD Lantis.

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