Mazda RX500 Concept - 1971
Seen here for the very first time in the UK, this astonishing RX500 prototype was developed by Mazda in 1970 as a 'mobile test bed for high-speed safety'. Tipping the scales at just 850 kg, thanks to lightweight plastic panels, this concept car was powered by a mid-mounted 491 cc single rotor Wankel engine, developing a staggering 247 bhp, and capable of propelling the Mazda on to a stop speed of 125 mph.
Access to the sci-fi style interior is via front-hinged doors, popularized in the Lamborghini Countach some years later, with the engine and rear boot accessible via gullwing doors, as seen four years earlier in the De Tomaso Mangusta. The multicolored rear lights were intended to turn green under acceleration, orange when cruising at a constant speed, and red when braking !
The Cartier Style et Luxe
Festival of Speed 2014
Goodwood
Chichester - West Sussex
England - United Kingdom
June 2014
Mazda RX500 Concept - 1971
Seen here for the very first time in the UK, this astonishing RX500 prototype was developed by Mazda in 1970 as a 'mobile test bed for high-speed safety'. Tipping the scales at just 850 kg, thanks to lightweight plastic panels, this concept car was powered by a mid-mounted 491 cc single rotor Wankel engine, developing a staggering 247 bhp, and capable of propelling the Mazda on to a stop speed of 125 mph.
Access to the sci-fi style interior is via front-hinged doors, popularized in the Lamborghini Countach some years later, with the engine and rear boot accessible via gullwing doors, as seen four years earlier in the De Tomaso Mangusta. The multicolored rear lights were intended to turn green under acceleration, orange when cruising at a constant speed, and red when braking !
The Cartier Style et Luxe
Festival of Speed 2014
Goodwood
Chichester - West Sussex
England - United Kingdom
June 2014