The Retro rally bred hatchback: Mazda 323 GTX

The Mazda 323 GTX is a retro rally bred predecessor to the prominent Subaru WRX, featuring in many races such as new Zealand which was left them in 7th. Further becoming more successful in Sweden a year later coming 4th three times. The car was first produced in 1985 and was Mazda's focus to regain a position in Rally racing. But instead of creating a new Group B car such as the 1987 Mazda RX7, they decided to step down a notch and nominated the 323 as their Group A car of choice, giving the trusty model a chance to redeem Mazda's competition with other Japanese rally manufacturers, who were tough competition for Mazda at the time.

The Mazda 323 was also a public sold, road legal car with Mazda producing the GTX and GTR equivalent, with which the GTR was only available in Japan and the GTX widely being available in Europe and the US. The first generation of 323 GTX was produced in 1985, featuring four wheel drive and 140hp from stock contrasting with the GTR that packed a punch with 210hp being produced, respectable for a hot hatch. The road legal 323 was very successful, with the car being popular in the mid 80's, especially the GTX, as the public was amazed with the performance it offered to them, and the four wheel drive only contributed to this enjoyment.

cylinder engine producing 132 hp which was mated to a fivespeed manual transmission. Only 5000 road going examples were produced to meet regulations in order to compete with the car in Group A rally races at the time. The 323 GTX was even more than a standard 323, with wider track, redesigned underbody and extra rigidity, sport seats and even digital instruments if opted for although most were delivered with analogue to keep priced low.

The four wheel drive system meant that the 323 was very stable and controllable on a variety of surfaces either on road or off road and was widely praised by many owners for its handling and grip. Many were upgraded with cold air intakes, aftermarket exhaust systems and boost controllers which could alone increase the vehicles performance by 50hp which resulted in a really impressive car for its day.

The Mazda really is a car that was created for the dirt track, meant to be driven and tuned, with many cars being owned by enthusiasts who passionately drive them, resulting in it being hard to find a stock and serviceable example, with rust being a big issue with many cars which is as a result of them being daily driven in all conditions. The Mazda was sold in the US and sales were as high as they could be because of the high prices which they were sold for at the time, this led to the demise of the 323. Many other Japanese manufacturers followed on in creating turbocharged all-wheel drive sports cars throughout the late 80's and 90's and its likely that the Mazda 323 definitely gave a path to many of todays all wheel drive compact sports cars and hatchbacks. The 323 may have served its life, but it can still be seen as an icon and a symbol in todays modern equivalents.