I was thinking of tracking down and restoring one of these cars. Are they super rare like the Toyota 2000GT. I just started my research on these cars. Had anyone already down this path?

 

unless you are super lucky don't even bother.

 

I'm starting to see that. I'm not super luckly or super rich.

 

This guy can sell you his.... or Jay Leno

 

In that case I will take two,

 

There's one rusting to death in the uk. Maybe for 20,000$ you can get it. Then find a 10a...

 

I was offered one in trade for an FD 15 years ago. It had 9000 kms on it and used to belong to Curtis Wright.

Paul.

 

Isn't there only like 3 in the U.S.? ^He probably used that car to help develop the experimental rotary Mustang.

 

i've seen -on internet- some car (seems restored) by dealers.

http://www.carsensor.net/usedcar/map...073/index.html (click on blue hypertext, 4 cars available)

expensive BTW....around 50 k $

but you can found some less expensive Cosmo Sport in Japan IMHO

 

I tracked one down near Seattle around 2007 (IIRC). Pristine. Japanese expat brought his car over.

Oil change every 1000 miles. It was the stronger (but less rare) 130hp series 2.

He was asking $35k. I didn't have an indoor garage at the time and couldn't find alternative protected parking options within my budget, so I let go.

They can be found. I think there are more than 3 definitely in USA, but likely less than 10.

 

40\45k$ is the price in japan for "decent" ones.
Around what we'd pay for that UK one after a full 3 years restoration probably.
Vintage and classic jap cars aren't worth the stress if you're a collector. Our markets are too stubborn and "national" product oriented

 

There are a scant few in the US. There was a Jamaican gent who had one many years back who is friends with the owners of our company. I don't remember his name presently, maybe Charlie. The founder of my company had one (Jim Downing) which I drove once under instruction from Mr Engman. What a terrible life I live . That one was featured in Car and Driver back 15 plus years ago. it was running the original unopened engine too.

Paul.

 

That's a nice way of saying that you're one lucky folk
Anyway finding and restoring an rx2\3 should be easier and more affordable, if i'm not mistaken they shared some more common mazda platforms... right?

 

I do not think the Cosmo is rarer than that 2000GT. Both are still a rich man's game.

 

Globally they are not as rare, but in the US, I think they are rarer than the 2000GT.
Many Americans don't even know about the Cosmo. They are more likely to know that James Bond car.

 

The 2s and 3s are definitely out there. I'm a big RX-2 fan but the older I get the more I think I'm not the right person the restore and maintain a classic.

The RX-2 is the same as the Mazda 616 and the RX-3 is the same as the 808. My classic at the moment is an 89 RX-7 GTU-S which is a super rare bird itself.

Paul.

 

at 7stock we accounted for 5. there was one there that drove in morning of that i/we had heard rumors of but hadnt seen. i think except for Jay all of the other owners were actually represented in one way or another. Glen was there for example and Mazmart was there etc etc

 

I used to own a Triumph Spitfire 1500, and i shouldn't have sold it to my co-worker back in California. A month later, the timing chain broke and he just junked it on his backyard. So sad, and i told him to restore it, but he has no money for it on that time. Anyway, i don't know now what he did or what happened to it. Damn...i should have kept it. The only thing i have of it are pictures taken when i was stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia.

 

my buddy's mazda dealership in Ottawa On has ( a 1976 i think ) mazda cosmos sport i think it was called.. i'll double check...

edit: I found the pic just like that one same color, its in such great shape

 

finding a 10a was impossible for me to find. have fun finding a classic cosmo.

 

http://www.fa-automobile.fr/liste-pa...o&id=111&m=522
47000gbp for one, 24000jpy for the other one...

 

Jay Leno's Cosmos has a later 13B engine in it. No one seems to want to even try to rebuilt a 10A. There are no parts available.The one in Mazda's museum in Hiroshima does have a working 10A, but is never really started up anymore.

 

there are 10a engines sitting on the shelves at Racing Beat. or at least there were the last time I was in there. one of them leaked oil all over my hands when i picked it up to show someone the differences in rotor sizes.

 

As far as I know Jay Leno's car is 12A equipped. We have 10A parts here but the 10A in a Cosmo from that period is not the same as that found in an R100. The early ones were all aluminum. I even have 6mm ceramic seals for rebuilding 10A engines.

Paul.

 

wow, really? hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

but I already have a 8 ... a FC NA ... soon FD ... if another rotary ... where can I find parking ?