Based on the equally exclusive 323 Turbo
He drove a Mazda MX-5, but wanted a more practical car. So Koen van Mierlo went looking and he came home with a very special car, a car that no one had ever heard of: a Mazda Familia. A special case, but of solid Japanese origin.
It’s just a Mazda 323, but a Japanese version. “The car was called Familia there,” says Koen van Mierlo. The basis is known, a Mazda 323 GT Turbo and parts from that car fit seamlessly on the Familia. “The 323 GT Turbo has been delivered here, but I have never seen one in real life,” says Koen. And no one here in the room anyway. Koens Familia is equipped with a 1600 engine, a four-cylinder with turbo of 140 hp, which is also exceptional: most of those engines in the 323 of those years came with a power of 150 hp.
Koen came across it and checked: the only one in the Netherlands
Koen went looking for a used car to replace his MX-5, but something Japanese, and at some point came across this Mazda. “I thought it was nice and special. I heard there is another one driving around in the Netherlands, but according to the RDW this is the only one.”
Let’s go back in time, to the mid-80s. It was the time when Japanese brands still came up with playful sporty versions. Right at the front is the 1.6-liter four-cylinder with double overhead camshaft, on paper good for 140 hp maximum power and a torque of 186 Nm at a fairly high speed: 5,000. Those specifications are modest today, but in 1985 they were good for a real GT in the type designation.
But… let’s talk about that steering wheel: it’s on the right! Koen’s girlfriend, Diana, had to get used to that. “From my spot on the left, I saw all the traffic coming towards me,” she says. Her boyfriend had fewer adjustment problems. “It’s quite a narrow cart, that’s how the cars were in those days, so I can get the ticket with my seat belt loosened at the entrance to the parking lot. For the rest, I’m surprised how difficult it is, that right-hand drive. Overtaking on a provincial road is tricky anyway. Now that is only possible if you are really sure of your case.”
‘Not lightning fast, but nice and smooth’
Koen is not an inveterate crack nose, but he does press the accelerator of the Mazda every week. “He is nice and smooth, but not very fast. It runs nicely.” The interior is delicious, really Japanese and 1980s. Also on board: adjustable shock absorbers, adjustable power steering and a boost button. It all still works fine on this 38-year-old.
Better than the factory specifications
Dynamometer chief Ghisbert van Ginhoven has finished the calibration; we can put on the hearing protectors and observe the measurement. We continue to be amazed, hats off to this tough guy from the Land of the Rising Sun. He is still completely alert. Wrong, it does even better than the factory specifications, and that for that age. Disclaimer is the extremely low mileage, but still!
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl