A JDM Mazda Autozam AZ1 just went under the hammer at a US auction. The AZ1’s exterior size and 657 cc capacity were limited by kei-car rules. Bidding stalled out, but the gullwing-door micro sold after for $23,500. If someone told you they’d just paid $23,500 for a car with only 63 hp (64 PS) you might assume they’d misplaced a decimal point in one of those figures. But when you see an Autozam AZ1 with its doors aloft, those 63 horses might as well be 600, and the price seems kind of reasonable. This 1992 Autozam AZ-1 recently changed hands on Cars & Bids for a strong $23,500, proving that one of Japan’s strangest sports cars remains one of its most desirable. And unlike many collectible performance cars, the AZ-1 doesn’t rely on big horsepower numbers to win people over. Related: Mazda’s Autozam AZ1 Sports Car Finally Gets The Rotary Power It Deserved Quite the opposite, in fact. The AZ-1 arrived in 1992 during one of the most gloriously weird periods in Japanese automotive history. Carmakers were competing to build the most entertaining machines possible while staying within strict kei regulations that limited size, engine displacement, and power output. The result was a golden era that gave us cars like the Honda Beat, Suzuki Cappuccino, and this tiny wedge-shaped Mazda. Photos Cars&Bids Officially sold through Mazda‘s now-defunct Autozam sub-brand and assembled by Suzuki, the AZ-1 looked like a miniature exotic. Its dramatic gullwing doors, low-slung profile, and mid-engine layout gave it proportions that seemed inspired by Italian supercars rather than economy cars. The effect is something close to a kei supercar, a shrunken exotic built to fit Japan’s tightest class rules. Also: Subaru’s Cheapest New Car Is A $7,200 Kei Van With Three Pedals Under the rear hatch sits a turbocharged 657 cc three-cylinder producing 63 hp and 63 lb-ft (85 Nm) of torque. That figure wasn’t random. It was effectively the maximum output allowed under kei-car regulations at the time, meaning engineers squeezed every last legal horsepower from the little turbo triple. Not Fast, But Feels It Performance wasn’t exactly supercar-like, with zero to 60 mph (96 km/h) probably taking around 10 seconds. But at only 1,587 pounds (720 kg) and with a five-speed manual gearbox and the engine mounted right at the back, the AZ-1 earned a reputation for agility. This example showed around 33,400 miles (54,000 km) and featured a handful of modifications, including 14-inch wheels, a Mazdaspeed steering wheel in terrible condition, aftermarket gauges and shift knob, and a Sony head unit. Fewer than 4,400 examples were sold before production ended in 1995, making the AZ-1 relatively rare even in Japan. But a glance at auction sites like Bring a Trailer reveals that quite a few have been imported to the US, where it was never originally sold. Would you take one of these over a Miata? Photos Cars&Bids
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