1988 Mazda 323 GTX on Bring a TrailerBring a TrailerHere's Mazda's take on all-wheel-drive compact performance, long before the WRX and EVO.This example is freshly sorted.It's no Subaru STi in terms of performance, but it combines all-wheel grip and turbo punch in a tiny, nimble, balanced package.All-wheel-drive. Turbocharged power. World Rally Championship heritage. Subaru WRX? Wrong. Mitsubishi Lancer EVO? Nope. Instead, it's a plucky hatchback that Mazda sold new in the U.S. market over a decade before the first hood-scooped Subies everstarted to stir up the gravel.Bring a TrailerReady to hit the dirt over at Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos), it's a 1988 Mazda 323 GTX, hailed at the time as an everyman's Audi Ur-Quattro. Relatively inexpensive at the time, especially considering the performance technology onboard, these cars mostly were abused into basketcases, making them extra rare today. Just over 1200 were sold, and who knows how many have survived the intervening decades.Bring a TrailerThis example happens to be one of the earliest cars to cross the virtual block at Bring a Trailer, lot number 55 back in the day. Luckily, it found its way into the hands of a sympathetic GTX guru, who has tidied up all sorts of items from hatch struts to paintwork, and added upgraded coilovers.Bring a TrailerA lot more work has gone into refreshing the turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder under the hood, including a rebuilt cylinder head, various gaskets, belts and hoses, and a custom exhaust. From the factory, the B6T made 132 horsepower, sharing muchof its architecture with the engine in the early Miata. As with that scrappy little roadster, you don't need peak power for maximum fun.Bring a TrailerAdvertisementAdvertisementWhile its looks are relatively subtle, the GTX differed from the standard 323 in some pretty significant ways. Not only does it ride on a track that's wider than the thrift-oriented compact hatch, but the body is also stiffened with stronger side sills to take more gravel-road abuse.The all-wheel-drive system is perhaps not as clever as that in later Japanese performance cars, but a single pushbutton splits the power 50:50 front to rear. Given how small this car is, suddenly you have a little buzz-bomb hatch that's like an early VW GTI crossed with a Suzuki Samurai. Endless fun; just take it easy on that five-speed transmission.With 129K miles on the odometer and lots of refreshing work done, this GTX is ready to hit some of the best back roads in your area. WRX? EVO? Who cares what the whippersnappers in their flat-brim baseball caps are into? Long before them, gravel-shredding performance was spelled G, T, X.The auction ends on August 26.You Might Also LikeGift Guide: Best Ride-On Electric Cars for KidsFuture Cars Worth Waiting For: 2025–2029
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