Rare Mazda rotary fetches $45,000 at Shannons MotorEx Auction

The 10A rotary-powered R100 was discovered on display at a dealership in Japan with just 37,364km - understood to be genuine - on its odometer. It is believed to have been a one-owner vehicle until 2010 when the vendor acquired it for personal importation into Australia. Presented in wonderful original condition, along with its Japanese delivery books, service history and a spare set of keys, the Mazda was perhaps as close as you could get to an original R100, straight from the showroom floor.

As well as being rare in this condition, the R100 was also a very significant and increasingly collectable vehicle for its role in introducing rotary engine technology to the mass market. Produced from 1968-1973, the two-door, 2+2 Mazda R100 Coupe used a similar 984cc bi-rotor engine to that fitted to the earlier ground-breaking Mazda Cosmo Sport Coupe, but its power was rated conservatively at just 100hp (75kW) due to its single four-barrel carburettor. Nevertheless with a weight of just 930kg it was a spirited performer in its day, with a top speed of 177km/h and acceleration from 0-100km/h in around 10.5 seconds.

Mazda entered factory-prepared R100 coupes in touring car races in Britain and Germany during the 1969-1970 seasons, where they were competitive against Porsche 911s, BMW Alpinas and Alfa Romeos. Finally, Mazda took the Familia home for the Suzuka All-Japan Grand Cup, where it won easily.

The Mazda was one of 36 vehicles and 22 lots of automobilia in the Shannons auction at MotorEx, which was held on Sunday, July 24 at the Sydney Showgrounds.