The Autozam AZ-1, known by the framecode PG6SA, is a
mid-engined
In automotive engineering, a mid-engine layout describes the placement of an automobile engine in front of the rear-wheel axles, but behind the front axle.
History
The mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive format can be considered the original layout of ...
kei-class sports car
A sports car is a type of automobile that is designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as Automobile handling, handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving, and Auto racing, racing capability. Sports cars originated in ...
, designed and manufactured by
Mazda
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima (town), Fuchū, Hiroshima Prefecture, Hiroshima, Japan. The company was founded on January 30, 1920, as Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd. ...
under its
Autozam brand.
Suzuki
is a Japanese multinational mobility manufacturer headquartered in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Shizuoka. It manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a va ...
provided the engine as well as the inspiration for the design.
Manufactured from October 1992 to October 1994, the AZ-1 was noted for its
gullwing doors.
Power came from the same
Suzuki
is a Japanese multinational mobility manufacturer headquartered in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Shizuoka. It manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a va ...
-sourced 657 cc
turbocharged
In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the ...
engine used by the
Suzuki Alto that produced at 6,500 rpm and at 4,000 rpm.
Suzuki later produced its own
badge engineered version named the Suzuki Cara (PG6SS).
History
Pre-production
Suzuki prototypes
The proposal for the AZ-1 goes as far back as 1985 when Suzuki created the ''Suzuki RS/1'' as a
mid-engine
In automotive engineering, a mid-engine layout describes the placement of an automobile engine in front of the rear-wheel axles, but behind the front axle.
History
The mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive format can be considered the original layout ...
sports car project for volume production.
[ Suzuki's design for the Tokyo Motor Show was a fully functional car with a front/rear ]weight distribution
Weight distribution is the apportioning of weight within a vehicle, especially cars, airplanes, and trains. Typically, it is written in the form ''x''/''y'', where ''x'' is the percentage of weight in the front, and ''y'' is the percentage in t ...
of 45:55, powered by a modified 1.3-liter G13B engine borrowed from the Cultus GTi.[
This was followed up by the Tatsumi Fukunaga-designed RS/3, unveiled for the 1987 Tokyo Motor Show. This version of the car retained many of its design features of the predecessor, but many of its design features were modified to meet Japanese safety regulations as well as for practicality. However, the project was abandoned in favor of the roadster project they had been working on, named later the ]Cappuccino
Cappuccino (, ; from German ) is an espresso-based coffee drink traditionally prepared with steamed milk, including a layer of milk foam.
Variations of the drink involve the use of cream instead of milk, using non-dairy milk substitutes ...
.
Mazda's design team, led by Toshihiko Hirai, who was also responsible for the MX-5, took over the design project, despite having a limited budget and capacity.
Mazda prototypes
The redesigned cars, constructed in tube frame with floors and bulkheads constructed from aluminium honeycomb
A honeycomb is a mass of Triangular prismatic honeycomb#Hexagonal prismatic honeycomb, hexagonal prismatic cells built from beeswax by honey bees in their beehive, nests to contain their brood (eggs, larvae, and pupae) and stores of honey and pol ...
, clad in three different body styles constructed in fiberglass. The cars were constructed around the Kei car
Kei car is the smallest category of Japanese expressway-legal motor vehicles. The term ''kei'' is a shortening of , (kanji: ), which translates to English as "light vehicle" ().
With restricted dimensions and engine specifications, owners ...
regulations of the time (maximum length , maximum engine capacity 550 cc), until this was changed for the following March, hence its model name, AZ-550 Sports.
First introduced at the 1989 Tokyo Motor Show
The , called (TMS) until 2023, is a biennial auto show held in October–November at the Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo, Japan for cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles. Hosted by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), it is a recog ...
as the AZ-550 with three versions.
The ''Type A'' is a red sports car with pop-up headlights
Hidden headlamps, also commonly known as pop-up headlamps, pop-up headlights, flip-eye headlamps, or hideaway headlights, are a form of automotive lighting and an automotive styling feature that conceals an automobile's headlamps when they are no ...
, front air vent and gull-wing door
In the automotive industry, a gull-wing door, also known as a falcon-wing door, McLaren anhedral door, or an up-door, is a car door that is hinged at the roof rather than the side, as pioneered by Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, first as a race car in ...
s.
The ''Type B'', themed as "High-tuned pure sports",[ was inspired by the trends in the tuning industry and in current concept car design, featuring greenhouse pyramid roof without a rearward sweep to the C-pillar. It had a racing car inspired interior, unlike Type A, it was aiming for the rough and spartan look and was the only model that had a more conventional forward door hinging.][ It featured a pair of bulging headlamps and incorporated dual ]muffler
A muffler (North American and Australian English) or silencer (British English) is a device for reducing the noise emitted by the exhaust of an internal combustion engine—especially a noise-deadening device forming part of the exhaust syst ...
s.[
The ''Type C'', has a more distinctive body design as it was inspired by Mazda's ]Group C
Group C was a category of sports car racing introduced by the FIA in 1982 and continuing until 1993, with ''Group A'' for Touring car racing, touring cars and ''Group B'' for Grand tourer, GTs.
It was designed to replace both Group 5 (motorspor ...
sports prototype racers, incorporating its signature colour scheme of blue on white and the number it bore at the 24 hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...
.[ Featuring a bigger air intake than the former two, venting to the forward-positioned radiator and exits it along the front rim of the cowl. There are many design cues typical to an endurance racer such as the wing mirror and BBS style brake-cooling wheel discs. Compared to the Type B, this version is far more spartan.
]
Pre-production
As the cars were well received by the visiting public and the motoring press, Mazda executives decided on production of the car. Although Type C was the better received of the three, Type A was given the green light by executives as they believed that it would be the one most commercially accepted by the buying public.[ The Type A would only receive a minor design alteration prior to production, as the pop-up headlights were dropped in favour of fixed units, purely for structural rigidity reasons.][ The front air vent was the other design alteration made to the car prior to production.
Nonetheless, the car took three years to get into production as the engineering team changed the car's internal skeleton frame to steel to allow for further rigidity.][ The dashboard design was also changed, to a less futuristic but still sporting look.]
Much of the development work was carried out in the United Kingdom, undergoing extensive testing at Lotus' Millbrook Proving Ground, despite the fact that the car was never intended for sale outside Japan.
Production
The car was made available to the buying public in January 1992, with two color options, Siberia blue and classic red. Both colors came with Venetian gray lower panels. Each car was sold through the Autozam dealer network in Japan.
Unfortunately by the time car came into production, the recession in Japan had just come into force. Selling for 1,498 million ¥ (the equivalent of $12,400), it was slightly less than a Eunos Roadster, but marginally higher than its competitor, the Honda Beat, selling at 1,388 million ¥ and the Suzuki Cappuccino at ¥1,458 million, the AZ-1 was considered to be both too expensive and too cramped for a kei car. The car failed to sell within its target of 800 per month, in the midst of an economic recession. Production of the car ended after the following year, but Mazda had plenty of stock to sell off.
With a total production of 4,392 over a year, plus 531 Suzuki Cara, compared to 28,010 Cappuccinos and 33,600 Beats (both with production reaching into the latter half of the 1990s).
Alternative versions
In a bid to shift unsold stock, Mazda made an effort to produce special versions. First to come was the ''Type L'' option, featuring an enhanced audio system including a sub-woofer in the boot. There were no exterior changes made to the car.[
]
Mazdaspeed
Mazda also introduced the Mazdaspeed version to showcase the parts that were available for the car, the ''A-spec'', the body kit features an enhanced hood, front spoiler
Spoiler or Spoilers may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Spoiler (media), something that reveals significant plot elements
* The Spoiler, DC Comics superheroine Stephanie Brown
Film and television
* ''Spoiler'' (film), 1998 American ...
and rear wing. Unlike the production version, the car came in an all-red or blue body color. It also came with a host of options including shock absorbers with sports spring sets, strut bars for the front and rear, mechanical LSD, enhanced air filter
A particulate air filter is a device composed of fibrous, or porous materials which removes particulates such as smoke, dust, pollen, mold, viruses and bacteria from the air. Filters containing an adsorbent or catalyst such as charcoal (carbo ...
and a stainless steel
Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...
and ceramic
A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcela ...
muffler. It also came with its own brand of alloy wheels as opposed to the production's steel wheels.
M2 1015
For 1994, There was also the ''M2 1015'' by M2 Incorporated. The most distinguishing part of the car is the front fog lights incorporated into the bonnet, and the all-new front bumper and rear spoiler. The car came in three different colours: white, black and silver. Like the Mazdaspeed version, the car was painted entirely in a single color.[
Originally, only fifty units were to be produced by M2, then sold through Autozam dealers. They were so popular, production continued and estimates of between 300-350 were ultimately sold.][ A genuine "M2 1015" can be identified by the rear emblem stating the version name. More details can be found in “M2 Voice” (linked below)
]
Suzuki Cara
:''See Suzuki Cara in Japanese Wikipedia''

The AZ-1 was also sold by Suzuki as the ''Cara'', with only minor detail changes including the addition of fog lamps.
References
External links
The Suzuki Cara Enthusiast Website
M2 Voice
AZ-1を楽しもう にっしゃのガレージ
{{Suzuki timeline 1980 to 2009
AZ-1
Kei cars
Sports cars
Coupés
Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicles
Automobiles with gull-wing doors
Cars introduced in 1992
OEM Suzuki vehicles