Mazda Luce
The Mazda Luce is an executive car that was produced by Mazda in Japan from 1966 until 1991. It was widely exported as the Mazda 929 from 1973 to 1991 as Mazda's largest sedan. Later generations were installed with luxury items and interiors as the Luce became the flagship offering. The Luce was replaced by the Sentia in 1991 which was also exported under the 929 nameplate.
Etymology
The name "lu'ce" was taken from the Italian word for "light".SU/SV series (1966–1973)
Following an agreement signed with Bertone in April 1962, the 1965 Luce 1500 show car was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro of Italy. It was low and sharp, looking more like a contemporary BMW Bavaria than its smaller Mazda companion models, the Familia and the kei car Carol.The production version, started production in July 1966 and launched in August, had a higher roofline but retained the BMW-esque look. It was a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive four-door sedan, and featured a square 1490 cc 1500 SOHC engine, producing at 5500 rpm and. It sold poorly at. The 1500 SS version with twin carburettors was introduced in June 1967, producing at 5500 rpm and at 5500 rpm. A stroked 1.8-liter 1800 engine was added in December 1968. This new model, the Luce 1800, produced at 5500 rpm and at 2500 rpm. To accommodate the taller 1800 engine the bonnet on this model has a slight bump in the middle with an air inlet on the leading edge.
An estate was also added in April 1967, with the same engine as the sedan. Unlike most commercial vehicles at the time, it was also available with a three-speed automatic transmission.
1500/1800
The Luce Mark I was sold in Australia and most other export markets under the names "Mazda 1500" and "Mazda 1800". Mazda considered assembling the Luce in South Africa and brought in 50 examples for evaluation and company use in 1967, but they instead chose to focus on the 1200 and compact pickup trucks.The Mazda brand entered the United States market in 1970 with just the small R100, but expanded to a full line in 1971. This included all three of the company's piston-powered models, the compact 1200, mid-size 616, and full-size 1800.
The US-market 1800 produced and and cost. Performance with the three-speed automatic transmission was sluggish, with a time of 17.5 seconds and a 20.5 seconds and quarter-mile. Unlike the rotary cars, the 1800 was a flop. Road & Track magazine said it was solid to the point of being overly heavy, with pleasant handling but poor performance. It was gone from the market for 1972.
Opposite to what happened in the US, in Europe the 1800 was considered as having a better performance with at 5500 rpm and maximum torque of at 3000 rpm, for a time of 13.4 seconds. The poor performance of this engine in USA was probably due to fact that in USA, the gasoline had an octane index of only 85 RON, while in Europe, the gasoline at the time had an octane index of 95 RON. Also the manual transmission with four gears used in Europe contributed to a much better performance than the three-speed automatic transmission usually used in the US. The 1800 also sold in small numbers in Australia.
The number of Mazda 1800 automobiles imported into the US are as follows.
- 1970 – 1,058 sedans, 937 wagons
- 1971 – 1,020 sedans, 1,639 wagons
- 1972 – 100 sedans, 0 wagons
R130
A rotary-powered Luce appeared in 1969. The Luce R130 was produced from October 1969 to 1972. It used a 1.3-liter 13A engine, which produced and. Quarter-mile performance was 16.9 seconds. This model was styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro, then working for Bertone, as a front-wheel-drive two-door coupé with front disc brakes, which was similar to the NSU Ro 80. This model, Mazda's only front-wheel-drive rotary, is now a collector's item and very rare. Less than 1,000 were built.LA2/LA3 series (1972–1977)
Mazda released a second generation LA2 series Luce in November 1972—a rotary powered model that would be later exported as the Mazda RX-4. The conventionally-engined Luce sedan would not arrive to the Japanese market until April 1973, after starting production in March. It was available as a hardtop, "formal sedan", "custom sedan", and as a station wagon which was also sold as a van in the domestic Japanese market. The original hardtop coupé received a longer, more aggressive front design, which was also installed on the custom sedan. The formal sedan and the van/wagon received a somewhat shorter front end which was also used on the export versions. For the facelifted LA3 model from 1976, only one front design was used—one with a more square design.While the Luce was a large, luxuriously equipped sedan, it still complied to Japanese Government dimension regulations, and it wasn't the largest sedan Mazda sold in Japan. That honor went to the short-lived Mazda Roadpacer, which was based on GM Australia's Holden Premier.
The LA2VV station wagon entered production in September 1973. The wagon lasted until 1979, until being replaced by the LA4 wagon.
Two rotary engines were offered, the regular 12A and low-emission AP 13B. There were also piston models available, and van models for the Japanese market.
Engines:
- 1973–1979 1.8 L 1800 I4, 2-barrel, 83 hp /101 lb·ft ,
- 1974–1977 13B, 127 hp /138 lb·ft
RX-4
The RX-4 was initially available as a hardtop coupé and sedan, with a station wagon launched in 1973 to replace the Savanna Wagon. Under the hood at first was a 12A engine, with the higher-powered version reserved for the five-speed GR-II and GS-II models. The extra power was due to a different exhaust and adjusted ignition timing. The emissions scrubbed "AP" models had five horsepower less, although after June 1973 they received the same power as the regular versions. This was complemented and then replaced by the larger 13B in December 1973 producing. This model has, for export. This engine was Mazda's new "AP" version, with much-improved emissions and fuel economy, but somewhat worse cold-starting behavior. In South Africa it was produced until 1979, all years only with the AP engine.
The car used a strut-type independent suspension in front with a live axle in the rear. Brakes were discs in front and drums in the rear. Curb weight was low at and the wheelbase fairly short at. The body was freshened in 1976.
;United States
For the United States market, the RX-4 was sold from 1974 through 1978, when the RX-7 debuted. The 13B produced and in United States emissions form. Base pricing was $4295, with the automatic transmission and air conditioning the only expensive options. All three bodystyles were on offer in the United States.
Road & Track magazine was impressed, noting the car's improved fuel economy and price compared to the RX-3. This was notable, as the Wankel engine had suffered by the mid 1970s with a reputation as a gas-guzzler. Performance was good in a 1974 comparison test of six wagons, with an 11.7 s sprint to and an 18 s/77.5 mph quarter-mile. The magazine noted that the wagon's brakes suffered from the extra weight compared to the coupé.
The RX-4 was on Road & Track magazine's Ten Best list for "Best Sports Sedan, $3500–6500" in 1975.
929
The first Mazda 929 was introduced in 1973, as an export name for the piston-engined second generation Mazda Luce. The first generation Luce had been called the "Mazda 1500" or "Mazda 1800" in export markets, but as engines of different displacement were beginning to be used across lines, such a naming philosophy would have soon become confusing. The 929/Luce was a large coupé, sedan, and station wagon powered by a 1769 cc Mazda VB engine. Output was and.The Luce/929 was updated in 1975 with an optional 1970 cc engine which produced and from a two-barrel carburetor.
Engines:
- 1973–1977 1.8 L VB I4, 2-barrel, /
LA4 series (1977–1981)
This generation sedan was not sold in North America. It was originally designated as the Luce Legato, but the Japanese automobile industry authorities would not allow for what they considered a name change and so it was officially sold as simply the Luce. The "L" for "Legato" suffix hung on though, with export models receiving the new car as the "929L". Legato is a musical term meaning "to make a smooth transition from one note to another"
The rebodied Mazda Luce Legato became the second generation 929 in 1978 for export markets, often called the 929L. There was no coupé version developed of this generation, although a four-door hardtop body was available in Japan and some other markets including France. A station wagon was added in February 1979. The design was American-inspired, with stacked rectangular headlights and a large chrome grille. The rather heavy and old-fashioned exterior was made to look even older by having a very up-to-date interior and dashboard. In Europe, a more efficient 2.0-liter inline-four, producing with a single-barrel carb replaced the existing engines.
First presented in Japan in October 1979 was a facelifted LA4 version with large, rectangular headlights and a more orthodox and European front appearance. The final addition was a 2.2-liter diesel engine produced between August 1980 and July 1981 for the sedan from November 1981 for the wagon. Its output was and. In October 1980, a fuel injected version of the 2-liter engine was also introduced for the Japanese market; it was only available with the hardtop bodywork and full equipment. The 929 was replaced after November 1981 by the next generation Luce/929, although the second generation station wagon continued in production until March 1988 as no wagon replacement of subsequent generations was ever developed. At the time of the generational change, the diesel engine was also installed in the van model, only available with the GL equipment level.
Aside from the regular piston-engined variants, the 12A or 13B rotary engines were on offer. The piston-engined variants were exported as the Mazda 929. A rotary-engined version was exported to "general issue" countries and sold as an RX-9. Most RX-9s were sold with the smaller 12A engine.
Engines:
- 1977–1981 1.8 L I4, 2-barrel, /
- 1977–1981 2.0 L F/MA I4, 1-barrel,
- 1977–1978 12A
- 1977–1981 13B, /
- 1980–1981 2.2 L diesel, /