Great Cars I Have Owned - Mazda R360

"Jonee" (Jonee) 07/25/2017 at 17:58 • Filed to: Mazda R360, kei cars

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Not everyone gets to own their dream car. It’s frustrating to know that it’s out there, but, for whatever reason, one can’t find its way into your garage. I’ve been lucky enough to own mine, even if it was only for a few years, and wasn’t quite the version I really desired.

The R360 was Mazda’s first passenger car. Mazda had built 3 wheeled trucks going back to the 1930's and their Mazdago auto-rickshaw.

After WWII, they shifted to kei trucks like the K360.

That little truck was powered by a 356cc V-Twin engine making 16 horsepower. That doesn’t sound like much, but it was a four-stroke and had enough torque for the K360 to be capable enough for its purposes. It was also quite durable and the little truck became one of the best selling kei trucks. But, Mazda had its sights set higher than just making small commercial vehicles and, in 1960, released the beloved R360. They used the K’s motor and mated it to a little coupe body. It had some unique and innovative engineering. It used magnesium alloys for the oil pan and clutch housing, and aluminum alloys in the crank case and timing cover to save weight. It also had independent trailing arm suspension on the front and rear axles. Plus it featured smooth rack and pinion steering which was a novelty in a kei. Mazda was definitely trying to make a more refined kei car.

I don’t know who designed it. It definitely has some Italian flavor mixed with Japanese adorableness. I’ve always thought it was one of the prettiest little cars ever built and when I first saw one in person at a microcar show, I fell in love. I had to have one. So, in 2004, I had finally saved enough money to import one.

It was a 1960, the first year of manufacture, and had been sitting in a car museum in Japan. And it was the only one for sale that was close to my budget. A connection I had in Japan checked it out for me, and, other than being a little rough around the edges, it was a running and driving car. One thing it had that was extremely rare was a 2-speed semi-automatic. Apparently, they only made a couple hundred automatics over the car’s 9 year run, so this was a special car. Unfortunately, 17 horsepower mated to a torque converter and 2 gears made it slow as molasses. It had an electronic clutch that was activated by a button on top of the gear shift which was an amusing and sometimes confounding system.

My car had also once been in a movie called !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , so it was also something of a celebrity. I actually haven’t seen the movie, but I’ve read some good reviews about it. I think the Mazda only had a cameo. Here’s a photo of it on set.

At the time I got it, I had just started grad school and I used to drive it to class almost every day which made me the guy with the weird little car. I was a spectacle every time I went anywhere in it, and I loved every mile we covered. Most kei cars are powered by whiny two-strokes, but this car’s engine has a throaty growl that, while making it all bark and no bite, was still really cool. Unfortunately, that torque converter ruined whatever oomph the engine could muster.

When school was finished, and real life (aka student loan payments) started, I sold my dream car for financial reasons. I really really miss it, but I don’t regret it. I had several years of living my dream and, one day, I’ll get another one. This time with a proper manual because it really makes a huge difference. They’re actually quite fun to drive with a proper set of gears.

Me and the R360 at the Japanese Classic Car Show. How we didn’t win an award is beyond me. It was the most lovable car at the show.

My friend Joe and I demonstrating how 16 horsepower is plenty.

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RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Jonee 07/25/2017 at 18:27

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Very awesome..hoping when I can finally import my dream 126, I can keep it forever :)

I love stories like this! :D I hope you get one back someday...James May’s time with one on Cars of the People made me love these little Mazda’s too!

Jonee > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 07/25/2017 at 18:38

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I now have my other dream car, a Fuldamobil, and that one I’m definitely keeping forever. Hopefully, it’ll have a Mazda stable mate when my ship comes in one day. Which series of CotP did James see an R360? I don’t remember that, but I don’t think I saw the second season.

I love 126's, too. They’re so cool. Yours will arrive at some point. They even show up on the U.S. side of the pond, so maybe you won’t need to import. Unless you’re in some other country, I can’t remember.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Jonee 07/25/2017 at 20:19

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ISeems cheaper to import them from Poland in some ways, especially with inside help! :) I have about $7200 CAD saved up, which should be enough for a reputable shop in Poland to find and purchase one for me, including shipping to Nova Scotia from my research...not quite sure yet if it will also cover the import duties, etc tho!

James did a R360 segment in CoTP in S1E2, I think?

Berang > Jonee 07/26/2017 at 01:39

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So where is it now? Do you know?

Jobjoris > Jonee 07/26/2017 at 03:26

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Hahaha, that 2nd to last picture got all of my coffee over the keyboard herr Eisen, you owe me a new one!

Great write-up and I sure hope you get another one. Or get that Fuldamobil running. And you should totally have seen that movie by now. Is it that hard to get?

KnowsAboutCars > Jonee 07/26/2017 at 06:47

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Japanese Wikipedia tells me this was designed by a gentleman named Jiro Kosugi. Apparently he was a head of design of some sort at Mazda at the time.

Jonee > KnowsAboutCars 07/26/2017 at 13:55

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Ah, interesting. Thanks. It looks like he left Mazda in 1960, so this may have been the only passenger car he did. I wonder if he had any input on the Carol, Mazda’s next kei car.

Jonee > Berang 07/26/2017 at 13:56

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A guy in Northern California bought it and I haven’t heard a thing about it since. It could have gone back to Japan for all I know.

Jonee > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 07/26/2017 at 13:58

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Sounds like you’re almost there. Exciting. You’re right, folks tend to overprice cars like that that have been imported. And, you’ll probably be in better shape having someone who really knows those cars find one for you.

You know, maybe I did see that episode now that I think about it. I’ll have to watch it again.

KnowsAboutCars > Jonee 07/26/2017 at 15:35

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The Carol was mentioned in an article I read about him so I think he did.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Jonee 07/26/2017 at 17:20

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Go for it, it was a good ep! Yeah, I contacted a classic car place in Warsaw about finding one when the time comes...they are well recommended and seem knowledgable.

Jonee > Jobjoris 07/26/2017 at 23:29

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Haha. Good thing it didn’t have a full tank of gas.

Thanks. I loved that little car. The Fulda is next. Maybe I should bring the cylinder barrel with me to Europe. I don’t think the movie is that hard to get, actually. I think they did release it on DVD here, so I should watch it. It looks a little corny, but the Hula Girls are cute. Too bad the Mazda didn’t make it into the trailer.

Jobjoris > Jonee 07/27/2017 at 05:23

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And music by Jake Shimabukuro! I’ve used my Japanese connection already to get my hands on this epic piece of history!

And who’s the curly dude?

Jonee > Jobjoris 07/28/2017 at 01:38

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Who is Jake Shimabukuro? Well, that was easy. Maybe we can watch it, or fast forward to the Mazda part, when I’m there.

That’s my friend Joe. He went to graduate school with me. Used to be married to a French woman who dumped after he got her pregnant. Now he does production design and prop stuff for movies. He’s the one who directed the balloon movie I wrote in school that I sent you.

Jobjoris > Jonee 07/28/2017 at 05:06

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No idea, just a cool name, part Japanese, part English.

Haha, Joe has amazing hair! French women are terrible. Is she still living in the US?

Jonee > Jobjoris 07/29/2017 at 02:25

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It is a cool name. Seems like a cool dude. Heck of a ukulele player.

Yeah, he has incredible hair. And he’s a strikingly handsome fellow. He looks a little like Johnny Depp. Or, the lead singer of INXS. Girls literally stop him in the street. She still lives here in L.A., yeah. So, he gets to see his daughter all the time. She comes from an incredibly wealthy family and bought a beautiful house here. Her family also owns a vacation home in Saint Tropez.

Jobjoris > Jonee 07/29/2017 at 12:43

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Wow, I need more! While my guitar gently weeps... Definitely one of my favorites from the fab4. Jeff Healey did a great cover of it!

Wow, I only have people stopping me on the streets when I drive the Pao...

Jonee > Jobjoris 07/29/2017 at 15:42

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Yeah, that song is the best. I remember the Jeff Healey version. You sort of can’t ruin that tune. I’ve always loved this acoustic demo version of it. It’s haunting.

Jake does some incredible cover versions on the uke. Check out this Bohemian Rhapsody.

Epic.

Jobjoris > Jonee 07/29/2017 at 17:47

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George is singing it as well, awesome. Better not play it if you’re down though.

Beyond epic. I’m speechless now.