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.
Lead trim: 1500 (SUA, 78 PS) · up to 124 hp
Mazda Luce SU / SV1966–1973
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Mazda Luce SU / SV 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.
FactMazda 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.
The first-generation Mazda Luce was born of an agreement signed with Bertone in April 1962, and the 1965 Luce 1500 show car was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro. The production version (SUA), which started in July 1966 and launched in August, was a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive four-door sedan with a square 1490 cc SOHC engine; it sold poorly at 695,000 yen. The 1500 SS with twin carburettors arrived in June 1967, an estate in April 1967, and a stroked 1.8-litre 1800 in December 1968. It was sold in Australia and most export markets as the Mazda 1500 and 1800, and reached the United States in 1970 as the 1800 in sedan and wagon form, where it was a flop and gone by 1972. A rotary-powered Luce appeared in 1969: the R130, produced from October 1969 to 1972 with a 1.3-litre 13A engine, styled by Giugiaro at Bertone as a front-wheel-drive two-door coupé similar to the NSU Ro 80. It is now a rare collector's item, with fewer than 1,000 built. The 1800 sedan (SVA) was produced from October 1968 to March 1973, a reported 39,401 units.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1500 (SUA, 78 PS) | 1966–1973 | 1.5 L Inline-4 | 77 hp | 84.5 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| 1500 SS (86 PS) | 1967–1973 | Inline-4 | 85 hp | 86.9 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| 1800 (SVA, 104 PS) | 1968–1973 | Inline-4 | 103 hp | 112 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| 1800 (US market, 98 hp) | 1970–1972 | Inline-4 | 98 hp | 108 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| R130 rotary coupé (13A, 126 PS) | 1969–1972 | 1.3 L Rotary | 124 hp | 127 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
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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