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.
Median 94 hp across 246 similar cars
Lead trim: Luce 1800 (export, 83 hp) · up to 133 hp
Mazda Luce LA2 / LA31972–1977
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Mazda Luce LA2 / LA3 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.
FactIn 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 released the second-generation LA2 series Luce in November 1972 as a rotary-powered model that was later exported as the Mazda RX-4, with the piston-engined Luce sedan (LA2VS) following in Japan in April 1973. It was available as a hardtop (coupé), a "formal sedan", a "custom sedan" and a station wagon, which was also sold as a van in Japan; the LA3 facelift from 1976 used a single, more square front design. The RX-4 used the Luce chassis, replacing the R130 in October 1972, and was produced through October 1977, with a 130 or 120 PS 12A rotary at first, replaced by the larger 13B in December 1973. In the United States the RX-4 was sold from 1974 through 1978, when the RX-7 debuted. The first Mazda 929 was introduced in 1973 as an export name for the piston-engined second-generation Luce, powered by a 1769 cc VB engine, and updated in 1975 with an optional 1970 cc engine.
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
8 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 929 2.0 (1970 cc, 103 PS) | 1975–1977 | 2.0 L Inline-4 | 102 hp | 123 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| Luce / 929 1.8 (VB, 94 PS) | 1973–1977 | 1.8 L Inline-4 | 93 hp | 101 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| Luce 1800 (export, 83 hp) | 1973–1977 | 1.8 L Inline-4 | 83 hp | 101 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| Luce Rotary 12A (120 PS) | 1972–1973 | 1.2 L Rotary | 118 hp | — | — | — | — | — |
| Luce Rotary 12A (130 PS) | 1972–1973 | 1.2 L Rotary | 128 hp | 115 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| Luce Rotary 13B AP (135 PS, Japan) | 1973–1977 | 1.3 L Rotary | 133 hp | 138 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| RX-4 13B (110 hp, United States) | 1974–1977 | 1.3 L Rotary | 110 hp | 117 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| RX-4 13B (127 hp, export) | 1974–1977 | 1.3 L Rotary | 127 hp | 138 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
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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