The HC-generation Luce secretly came in two different bodies — a pillared sedan and a larger pillarless hardtop — sharing identical engines and interiors underneath.
Lead trim: 2.0 JF V6 · up to 182 hp
Mazda Luce HC1986–1991
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Mazda Luce HC yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThe HC-generation Luce secretly came in two different bodies — a pillared sedan and a larger pillarless hardtop — sharing identical engines and interiors underneath.
The 1986 Luce was large and luxurious on the HC platform, now with the 13B turbo rotary engine among many options, and was still exported as the 929, differing from the continued Cosmo. At its introduction in 1986 it was offered with Mazda's first V6, the J engine, as a 2.0-litre, a 2.0-litre turbo and a 3.0-litre for the top-level model. The Luce Royal Classic and lesser Limited were pillarless hardtops, the Royal Classic factory-fitted with a turbocharged 13B rotary or the 2.0-litre V6, electric leather seats, a digital speedometer, electronically adjustable suspension and a cool-box. To satisfy Japanese exterior-dimension and engine-displacement regulations it was built in two versions, with the 3.0-litre V6 in the longer and wider hardtop and the smaller engines, including the rotary, in the shorter sedan, and rotary buyers paid a lower annual road tax. 1991 was the last year of the Luce nameplate, and Mazda sold the body stampings to Kia, which produced the HC series as the Kia Potentia between 1992 and 2001 for South Korea. The export 929 began US and Canadian sales in 1987, as a 3.0-litre V6 sedan, and the hardtop and rotary engines were not offered there.
Collectors Spotted in the Mazda Luce Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Mazda Luce yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
5 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13B turbo rotary | 1986–1991 | 1.3 L Rotary | 182 hp | 183 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| 2.0 FE (I4) | 1986–1991 | 2.0 L Inline-4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2.0 JF V6 | 1986–1991 | 2.0 L V6 | 108 hp | 126 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| 2.2 F2 (I4) | 1986–1991 | 2.2 L Inline-4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3.0 JE V6 | 1986–1991 | 3.0 L V6 | 156 hp | 182 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
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Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
The HC-generation Luce secretly came in two different bodies — a pillared sedan and a larger pillarless hardtop — sharing identical engines and interiors underneath.
A taxi-spec LPG version of this Luce kept rolling off the line as the "Custom Cab" until December 1995 — nearly a decade after the HB generation officially ended.
The LA4 Luce Legato offered something almost no luxury sedan did at the time — a genuine choice between a piston engine, a rotary, and from 1980 a 2.2-litre diesel, all in the same body.
In Japan, choosing this car's rotary engine over the piston option wasn't just faster — it also meant a smaller annual road tax bill.
Mazda almost built this Luce in South Africa — 50 cars were shipped over for evaluation in 1967, before Mazda chose to put its local assembly effort into the smaller Familia and pickups instead.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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