When all is said and done, there are not too many classic and collectable Japanese cars from the early 1970's. But there is one exception, and that is for anything that came standard with a Rotary engine.
The good folks at Mazda have proven to be rather adept at manufacturing extrodinarily exciting cars -
todays RX8 and MX5 both being brilliant cars to drive while remaining relatively affordable. And back in 1972 the affordable pocket rockets were undoubtedly the Mazda RX2 and RX3.
The RX3 was first released to the Japanese domestic market in March that year, and was initially powered by the 10A Roraty engine, while a higher spec GT came with the 12A engine and 5 speed manual. This engine, taken from the RX2, was fitted to all RX3's sold outside of Japan and Australia.
A year later Mazda released the Series 2 in Japan, the designers having re-styled the entire front end, while at the rear there was a new tail light set-up that featured twin brake lights. Inside there were only a few changes, most obvious being the re-calibration of the speedo to 200 km/h.
As was the case with the RX2, the RX3 was also dropped in favour of the all new RX-7 in 1978 - although in Australia they were not available after 1976. It would have made sense to continue with the rotary powered sedan, however Mazda were moving over 50% of their RX3's as coupe's, meaning the sedan version would not be able to account for sufficient sales, and it was not viable to have two 2-door rotary coupes occupying the same showroom floor.
When production ended the iconic rotary sedan was
sorely missed, which prompted many to convert the more humble Mazda 808 sedan into an RX3 copy. Fortunately, there are a few ways to recognize a copy. The 1300 cc 808's had a very small diff centre compared to the standard RX-3 diff; however the SN3A diff is RX-sized.
If you are looking at a Series 2, look for a cut-out in the front bumper that provided for the oil cooler airflow. All RX fuel tanks were stamped with the letter 'L' and had a capacity of around 60 liters to accomodate the extra thirst of the rotary engine. The standard Mazda 808 however was only fitted with a 45 liter tank.
Again, if you are looking at a Series 2 RX3, check for emission control relays in the cars computer. The engine bay wiring should have a choke control and an ignition relay.
The best distinguishing trait is the exhaust overheat thermo-sensor. Located in the right corner of the boot near the shock tower, this device would short out and illuminate the dash-mounted light when the REAPS (Rotary Engine Anti Pollution System) rear muffler heated up 'beyond safe limits'. If the sensor isn't there, look for the mounting holes and/or the plug in the wiring loom. If there is no evidence of this ever being installed on the car, it is likely you are looking at an RX-808. The REAPS-5 engine was fitted from 1975.
Unfortunately for enthusiasts today, many RX3's found their way onto the racetrack, and so their numbers have dwindled.
