[antiSUV]

I'm pretty sure that some 1st generation got rallied and were supported by the factory. I'm also pretty sure that they won a few races. (This rallying background may be the reason our cars sit so high off the ground with big wheel/fender gaps while the previous generation 626's looked lowered from the factory.) Anyways, I've seen some late 80's vintage Mazda ads where their racing succeses were listed, and the funny thing was the MX-6 was listed as "MX-6 GTX". So my question is this: Were these things 4WD like the 323 GTX??!! If so, it would be really rad to find some leftover rally parts and build up a 4WD MX-6. Does anyone know if they were 4WD or not? Did they produce some 4WD MX6's for the Japan market for rally homologation?

Jus' Wonderin'

 

[anarchyx34]

4wd 1stgen mx-6s actually do exist in parts of europe and I'm pretty sure japan. They had a 2.0 liter twin cam engine instead of the 2.2 sohc we have. I dont know about rallying though.

 

[Manifest]

MX6 Rally

I have an older HKS catalog that has a pic of a MX6 doing Pikes Peek. I know that at the time it was one of the fastest cars. I also remember watching races of the MX6 on TV. It was against things like the Ingegra, GrandAM, Mustang etc. This was a course race. The MX6 won a lot!

The MX6 had speed, but it also had a lot of agility. That was why it did so well. It is always good to remember, that this car is not just a dragster.

 

[Guest]

AWD MX-6

I asked for some info on the http://www.autospeed.com turbo forum, and a guy replied saying that an AWD version of the MX-6 was produced for Japanese and UK markets.

Apparently, at the time, electronically assisted steering was not allowed on vehicles (in the UK), thus the MX-6 with 4WS was 'illegal', however the Honda Prelude, with its mechanical 4WS, was not.

Mazda wanted to have some sort of interesting aspect with their MX-6, so they tacked on an AWD system.

Floor plans most likely differ between FWD and AWD MX-6's, so it is most unlikely that those who are interested in AWD'ing their MX-6 will be able to do so

I am not sure if I got it correctly, but the codename for the AWD MX-6 I understood to be White Whale

 

[hurddawg]

I've actually seen a picture of the AWD unit that stasio was talking about. Here it is...

http://www.digital-reverb.com/pics/626awd.jpg

The transaxle model is FU75Z.

I think this was on the yahoo or MSN message boards, one guy was selling one of these trannies.

It would be awesome to have AWD!!

 

[antiSUV]

thanks for the info...anything else?

I guess the questions that remain now are:

Will the AWD trans bolt up to the 2.2 engine?

and...

Are the floor pans the same or similiar enough to make the conversion?

and...

Can you still get the requisite parts new from Europe or Japan?

 

[hurddawg]

This is all speculation...

The european and Japanese MX6 markets had a 2.0L 16valve engine (FE3) in those GTs. I have been told that the F2/F2T trannies are direct bolts to the FE3. If the cars with AWD had the FE3, it should mean that the AWD tranny would bolt onto the F2/F2T. Make sense? Just need to find out what engine is in these Rally MX6 cars.

You probably still can get the parts NEW from Japan and Europe, at a high price.

About the floor pans.....I have no idea. You may want to contact a club member from the Dutch MX6 club and see if they can help.

 

[antiSUV]

more speculation.

I'll guess that the engine in the rally/AWD ones was the Euro/Jap spec 2.0 16 valve. I'd pretty much bet money on it. I'm sure it would cost thousands of dollars just to collect the parts: tranny, drive shaft and axles, different suspension parts (most likely?), etc.)

....Oh well I just popped outside to look under my car with a flashlight and try to imagine all these parts fitting under there. It's painfully obvious that the floorplan is totally different. The gas tank would have to be changed (it goes completely across the bottom without any space for a driveshaft), the rear suspension crossmember also goes straight across without provision for AWD, and the center tunnel is only big enough to house the exaughst system. It was a nice idea while it lasted...

Only remaining option it seems would be to import an AWD unibody along with all the driveline/suspension parts, add a LHD dash and rack, stick an FE2T in there, and shake vigorously.
I give up. I wasn't ever serious about it anyways...just conjecturing. Thanks for all the info. Feel free to pass along anything else you find.

 

[Guest]

yeah it would have been nice, eh?

at least Mazda thought of it a good five years before 'other' jap manufacturers gained their high accolades!

 

[anarchyx34]

Supposedly it can be done. Prehaps the 4ws unibody is what's needed?

 

[MX-Nick]

actually corksport was going to sell me one from a mazda capella....which is that 2.0 16 valve engine...I think it was $1500? email them about it...it has 160 hp!

 

[91mx6RiceRacer]

yes i remember this i have a pic of a mx6 rallying if anyone wants to see it

 

[Uleepera]

yes i remember this i have a pic of a mx6 rallying if anyone wants to see it

Please post it

 

[Manifest]

This is the only pic I have of it.

http://manifest.nopoc.com/Pictures/00 88 MX6 GT Project/pikespeakmx6.jpg

 

[91mx6RiceRacer]

thats the one

 

[allmazda]

Someone was selling an awd trannie on ebay. It is from a Fe3 he imported from japan. I think it is still there. Howver it is an auto.


was selling-here it is.....http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1832877728&r=0&t=0

 

[FE3T]

Re: more speculation.

I'll guess that the engine in the rally/AWD ones was the Euro/Jap spec 2.0 16 valve. I'd pretty much bet money on it. I'm sure it would cost thousands of dollars just to collect the parts: tranny, drive shaft and axles, different suspension parts (most likely?), etc.)

....Oh well I just popped outside to look under my car with a flashlight and try to imagine all these parts fitting under there. It's painfully obvious that the floorplan is totally different. The gas tank would have to be changed (it goes completely across the bottom without any space for a driveshaft), the rear suspension crossmember also goes straight across without provision for AWD, and the center tunnel is only big enough to house the exaughst system. It was a nice idea while it lasted...

Only remaining option it seems would be to import an AWD unibody along with all the driveline/suspension parts, add a LHD dash and rack, stick an FE2T in there, and shake vigorously.
I give up. I wasn't ever serious about it anyways...just conjecturing. Thanks for all the info. Feel free to pass along anything else you find.

Idont know much about the AWD Cars, but i can tell ya what i know.

626 5 door and Wagoon was aviable in Norway with AWD and a 136hp version of the F2 engine.

My car has a lot of unused brackets and boltholes on the underside (everywhere else too)
Can ut be possible that Flatrock did some changes too the car before the started the production, leaving the MX6 with a shaven flor compared with the cars prodused in Japan?

The gas tank on a AWD 626 are a 2 piece unit with an transferpump betwin the tank halves.

The rear suspension crossmember are different on a AWD.

The easyest way too make an AWD do require following stuff

A car with an AWD compatible bottom.

Complete front/rear suspension (with basically everything who are bolted on the car at front and rear)

Complete drivetrain

 

[hurddawg]

The driver of that rally car is Rod Millen. That particular car won the Production GT class at Pikes Peak for 1989. Another interesting fact is that it is not just a GT, its a 4WS car.

I have another pic of that car, Mazda talks about it in the 1990 showroom brochure.