1993 Mazda Rx-7 Touring on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Junkyard Gem: 1989 Mazda MX-6 GT Turbo

The Mazda MX-6 is best-known in the United States as the sibling (or maybe first cousin) of the Ford Probe, which almost became the successor to the Fox Mustang. The MX-6 and Probe were well-engineered and very quick for the era, but never enjoyed great American-market sales success. Here's a rare first-generation MX-6 GT that I photographed last week in a Denver self-service yard. 145 turbocharged horsepower was pretty good for 1989, when a new Honda Prelude Si had 135 horses and the far more expensive BMW 325i ($24,650 for the 325i coupe versus $14,499 for the MX-6 GT Turbo) had 168. This one doesn't have the optional four-wheel steering, but it does have the three-way adjustable suspension. If you drove a turbocharged car in 1989, you needed a nine-band equalizer with analog sliders on the radio. It was the law. It's not rusty, but at 205,575 miles it's worn out. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The Japanese-market version was known as the Capella C2, and it boasted some great TV commercials. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. "A better value in high-performance luxury sports coupes comes from our intense commitment to your total satisfaction." As always, the US-market TV ads are less interesting than their Japanese counterparts. Related Video: Featured Gallery Junked 1989 Mazda MX-6 GT Turbo View 21 Photos Image Credit: Murilee Martin / AOL Auto News Mazda Coupe Classics

Toyota delays Mexico plant as it plans U.S. plant with Mazda

TOKYO — Toyota will push back the start of operations at its scheduled new plant in Mexico, to the first half of 2020 from the initial plan of 2019, the company said on Thursday. Japan's top automaker had initially planned to start building the Corolla sedan at the $1 billion Guanajuato plant but said last week it would switch production to a new U.S. factory to be built with Mazda. Toyota said the delay was necessary to adjust its supply chain in Mexico to produce the Tacoma pickup instead of the Corolla compact car. That factory could also build sport utility vehicles, a Toyota spokesman in Mexico said last week. "With the production model change to the Tacoma pickup, the start of production will consequently be in the first half of 2020," a Toyota spokeswoman said. "However, we will make our utmost effort to advance the timing in order to minimize the impact to suppliers and the local community." Until the scheduled start of the joint venture plant with Mazda in 2021, Toyota will supply the Corollas that were initially slated to be built in Mexico from its factories in Mississippi and Japan, the company said.Related: Mazda-Toyota partnership has us dreaming of a rotary hybrid Reporting by Makiko YamazakiRelated Video:

Mazda refurbishing this NFL running back's 22-year-old daily driver

I don't actually care for the Washington Redskins (which is a good thing, considering the start to their season this year), but I love their running back, Alfred Morris. Why? Well, to start with, Morris helped deliver a dominating 10-3 season for my fantasy football team last year after a flash of prescience saw me pick him up off the waiver wire in Week 1 (hit me up on Twitter if you need fantasy sports insight, guys, I'm sort of like the Ruxin of Autoblog).
Morris is also pretty endearing because of his loyalty to his car, Bentley. Hold up - that's not to say the running back has splashed out on a Continental GT or a Flying Spur. No, Morris gave his much-loved 1991 Mazda 626 the tongue-in-cheek name "Bentley" while he was still a student at Florida Atlantic. One 1,613-rushing-yard rookie season and a $2.2-million contract later, and Morris is still using his Mazda as his daily driver. It might be easy to assume that the young player is simply being really prudent with all of his newfound wealth, but the guy really just has a thing for his five-speed-manual 626.
And Mazda, of course, loves the story of Morris' affection. In an effort to keep his 626 running strong and looking good, the company's Washington D.C.-area dealers have agreed to refurbish Bentley back to its original showroom freshness. Rather than spoil the classic (?) lines of the 626, the Mazda folks are essentially restoring the car for Morris. The cracked dash will be swapped out for a factory replacement, the engine and transmission given a thorough going-over and the whole vehicle generally made as fresh as Will Smith circa 1991. Bentley is expected to be completed and rolling through the capitol city by October 15, and in the meantime, Morris has been driving around in a new 2014 Mazda6 loaner car.