Happy Hundredth: Mazda Rolls Out Commemorative Models

While buying a new car has recently fallen in popularity in the Western world, taking a backseat to things like experimenting with rice in the kitchen, watching your neighbor’s dog through a sealed window, and repairing that antique pencil sharpener you bought 8 years ago, the business of selling cars continues.

In Japan, where social distancing measures (and the coronavirus itself) have thus far proven not as severe as in the U.S., there’s a lineup of special editions incoming from Mazda. U.S. customers, however, will have to wait in their homes for updates.

Mazda Motor Corporation blew out the candles on its 100th birthday cake back in the happier month of January, spawning a range of 100th Anniversary Special Edition models revealed Friday. Upper-level trims all, the models were developed “with an aspiration to look ahead, while also remembering and respecting the rich Japanese heritage that has guided the brand,” Mazda claims.

They were also developed with an eye on a particular car: the tiny R360 Coupe, a two-cylinder vehicle that bowed in 1960 with 16 raging horses under hood (that hood being where one would normally find a trunk). Modest in size and output, the R360 was the company’s first true passenger car.

As such, elements of the R360 appear on the 100th Anniversary vehicles — a group that seems to span the entire gamut of Mazda’s range. Among the additions are Snowflake White Pearl Mica paint and red accents that recall the R360’s original two-tone paint scheme. On the front fender of each ride, you’ll find a “100 Years 1920 – 2020” badge, while the wheel center caps carry the red-and-black anniversary logo.

Inside, both seats and carpet come in Mazda’s favorite color (red), contrasting nicely with the black dash, console, and doors. Headrests, floormats, and even the key fob carry the anniversary logo.

As for pricing or a timeline on when customers can get their hands on one, Mazda was tight-lipped. The automaker issued a disclaimer stating, “In the midst of the global crisis, U.S. availability of the 100th Anniversary Special Edition models has not been announced.”

[Images: Mazda]