It’s not uncommon for concept cars to end up in a scrap yard or basement after their days spent on the show floor. The latter happened with the Mazda MX-81 Aria, the first Mazda to carry the letter combination ‘MX’. Mazda has now restored the angular hatchback to its former glory.
The Mazda MX-81 Aria was designed by Marc Dechamps and the car was built by coachbuilder Bertone in Italy. In 1981 Mazda brought the hatchback, which has an unmistakable 1980s look with its angular design, to the Tokyo Motor Show. The Aria, which stands on the chassis of the Mazda 323, was particularly notable for its large windows on the side and at the rear. The sloping rear window, pop-up headlights and tail lights that follow the shape of the rear window were also striking style elements. If you also recognize some Citroën BX in it, we do not consider you crazy. In the interior, the steering wheel shines in its absence, instead there is a large TV screen in front of the driver’s nose. Even by contemporary standards, this can be called quite futuristic.
The MX-81 Aria was found in 2019 in storage at Mazda headquarters in Hiroshima. It was decided to restore the car at SuperStile in Turin. After the restoration, even the press photos of the original 1981 car were recreated for Milan Cathedral. The MX-81 marked the beginning of an extensive chapter in the history of Mazda, because now the letter combination ‘MX’ is indispensable in the range of the brand. It started with the MX-5, later the MX-3 and MX-6 were also on the market. The MX-3 and MX-6 disappeared, but the MX-5 has remained since its introduction. The latest addition to the range is the MX-30. Mazda has photographed the latter for the occasion together with the MX-81.