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Junkyard Gem: 1988 Mazda 323 GTX

Back in early 2007, when the late Davey G. Johnson got me my first job writing for an automotive publication (well, unless you count writing for the Year One catalogs back in the mid-1990s) and I took on this goofy pen name for real, I didn't quite grasp that any readers might be interested in the stuff I saw during my frequent junkyard trips. So, when I took my crappy Nikon Coolpix 2500 to the now-defunct Pick Your Part in Hayward, California, and saw a super-rare Mazda 323 GTX among all the Tercels and Rabbits in the IMPORTS section, I just took a few shots of this interesting car for my own enjoyment. These days, I'll take more than 100 photographs of a junkyard car of such great historical significance, editing them down to the best couple of dozen, but in March of 2007 I got just three of the 323 GTX. Robert Capa had his Magnificent Eleven at D-Day, and I've got the Magnificent Three of the GTX. Here they are. Any Mazda 323 of the immediate post-GLC era is a real junkyard rarity today, but Mazda sold very few of the all-wheel-drive, turbocharged homologation-special 323s over here during the 1988 and 1989 model years. A mere 1,243 of these cars made it to North American streets. Back in 2007, they weren't worth much (in fact, they still aren't incredibly valuable, if we go by Bring a Trailer real-world sale prices), and so this one showed up in El Pulpo's yard. These cars wouldn't be considered particularly fast by 21st-century standards, now that we've had decades of street-legal Mitsubishi Lancer Evos and Subaru WRXs flinging snow and mud around, and they tended to grind their powertrain components into a costly oil-and-metal-shaving slurry. But they were maniacally cool in the late 1980s, and that's enough. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. "Even with the sun and heavy rain, I made it here faster with my car!"

NHTSA urges owners of recalled Takata airbag vehicles to take immediate action

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Department of Transportation are taking the unusual step of issuing a followup press release urging owners of certain recalled vehicles "to act immediately" to fix their cars and trucks. The problem in question concerns the repair campaigns for rupturing Takata airbag inflators issued in June and covers a long list of models from Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Acura, Mazda, BMW, Nissan, Infiniti, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Oldsmobile and Pontiac.
While NHSTA doesn't specifically say why the recall is vital in the new release, Toyota's own explanation in its newly announced renotification campaign earlier today sheds some new light on the topic. According to the Japanese automaker, in testing, Takata found a possible link between the rupturing airbag inflators and high humidity. NHTSA is advocating that all owners pursue repairs immediately if they haven't already done so already. This is especially crucial for those drivers especially in Florida, Puerto Rico, Guam, Saipan, American Samoa, Virgin Islands and Hawaii because of the humid conditions there.
We don't need to tell you how dangerous an inadvertent airbag deployment could be - even in a stationary vehicle - but adding to the Takata issue is fears that the deployment could lead to shrapnel being sprayed into the cabin.

Mazda Hot Lap Challenge will put simulator drivers in real Miatas

Using a video game as a feeder racing series is nothing new. Sony and Nissan have run the GT Academy for years now, rewarding the best Gran Turismo players with the chance to drive a real car. It seems Mazda wants a piece of the action. This year, it will host an iRacing Hot Lap Challenge, giving the best players a trip to the 2019 Rolex 24 at Daytona. The two fastest drivers will race head-to-head, with the winner earning a test drive in a Mazda MX-5 Miata Cup car. During 2018, Mazda will host events events at select races where participants can lap Daytona in an iRacing simulator. Those who can't attend one of those events will have the chance to compete on iRacing at home. At the end of the year, 35 drivers will compete for a trip to the 2019 race. That winner will be a guest of Mazda Team Joest. The event is open to U.S. residents age 18 and above. Full details can be found on the iRacing website. The event calendar is listed below. Online time attack schedule Week 1: 4/13 – 4/15 – Daytona Road Course Week 2: 5/25 – 5/26 – Lime Rock Park Week 3: 6/29 – 7/1 – Watkins Glen Week 4: 8/3 – 8/5 – Road America Week 5: 8/24 – 8/25 – Gateway Motorsports Park Week 6 9/7 – 9/9 – Laguna Seca Week 7: 10/11 – 10/13 – Road Atlanta TA sessions will be available the entire day(s) based on GMT At-track schedule Week 1: 4/13 – 4/15 – Long Beach Week 2: 5/25 – 5/26 – Lime Rock Park Week 3: 6/29 – 7/1 – Watkins Glen Week 4: 8/3 – 8/5 – Road America Week 5: 8/24 – 8/25 – Gateway Motorsports Park Week 6 9/7 – 9/9 – Laguna Seca Week 7: 10/11 – 10/13 – Road Atlanta Related Video: News Source: Mazda, iRacing Marketing/Advertising Toys/Games Mazda Convertible Racing Vehicles mazda mx-5 mazda mx-5 cup