Exploring Hiroshima’s Finest in the Mazda Heritage Collection – RX-7 Road Trip, Part II [Video]

In this episode of “Rotary Road Trip”, we visit the Mazda Heritage Collection and share examples of the brand’s history.

If you missed Part I of our Rotary Road Trip series, click here to watch it now!

Driving a Mazda RX-7 a third of the way across the country to Los Angeles is a remarkable event in itself. While the RX-7 is over 30 years old with more than 50,000 miles on the clock, what’s more remarkable was its total reliability on the trip. Rotary engines consume oil by design, as they mix small amounts of oil into the fuel to lubricate the rotor’s seals. However, this particular RX-7 didn’t consume as much oil as you’d think on the journey.

Better than all that, and better than all the sights along the way, is the destination. In Part II of our Rotary Road Trip video series, Roman and Tommy head to Mazda’s Heritage Collection. Inside Mazda’s research and development center in Irvine, California resides over 50 years of Mazda history. For Mazda enthusiasts out there, this collection is an awe-inspiring display of the company’s history.

Top 10(ish) Mazdas in the Heritage Collection

From humble beginnings with the R360 Kei car (not shown) to its sports car roots with the 1967 Cosmo, Mazda’s history spans nearly sixty years in all forms of automobile. We were fortunate to have Jacob Brown, Product Communications Specialist, take us through the expansive collection. As he narrates our walk through Mazda’s rich and diverse heritage, he also counts off the top 10 Mazdas in the collection. If you’ve wanted to see the true breadth of Mazda’s motorsport and automotive heritage, you have to watch the video above.

There’s the Cosmo and the Rotary Pickup (REPU) to document the company’s first efforts with the rotary engine. Then there are the legendary 767 and 787, of Le Mans fame, taking that technology to whole new levels. Mazda’s also known for making humbler cars as well. To that end, there’s the GLC (Great Little Car) that came along after the oil crises of the 1970s. By the way, if you think that’s Mazda’s only car with a wacky name, look up the “Bongo Friendee”. I’ll bet you didn’t know that existed!

Of course, no Mazda collection would be complete without its two most iconic cars. First, there’s the RX-7. Spanning 24 years and three generations, this is the first car everyone thinks of when the name “Mazda” pops into conversation. There’s our 1985 FB model in which we made the journey to Los Angeles, and the Mazda Heritage Collection has several more on display. The coolest among them has to be the left-hand drive, Titanium Gray Spirit R – a send-off for the iconic model. There are also plenty of Miatas in the collection, one of the biggest autocross cars out there.

Check out the video above for more! Let us know what you think in the comments. Subscribe to The Fast Lane Car and TFLnow on YouTube for more news, views, and real-world reviews!