When Mazda reminisces with its legendary Cosmo classic car

Back to Life Actually the idea of ​​making a new car that looks classic is not new in the world's automotive, as many automakers and design studios have been romanticizing it for a long time. For example, the Mazda Motor Corporation did this in 2002 when displaying a concept car called the Mazda Cosmo 21. From the name alone, it is clear that the concept car is a representation of the first car model from the Japanese manufacturer that uses a Wankel (rotary) engine.

The Mazda Cosmo 21 is inspired by the legendary Mazda Cosmo Sport of 1967, built based on the Miata 2nd Generation to comemmorate the legend's 35th anniversary in 2002. (Picture from: JapaneseNostalgicCar)

As we all know, the original Mazda Cosmo was a roadster powered by Mazda's famous rotary engine and was produced between 1967 and 1972. The first generation model was the Mazda's flagship in Japan which had two versions, namely L10A (Series I) and L10B (Series II).

The Mazda Cosmo sports was a roadster powered by Mazda's famous rotary engine and was produced between 1967 and 1972. (Picture from: Mazda Motor Corporation)

The two versions above use a 982 cc rotary engine capable of producing around 110 horsepower in the Series I and 128 horsepower and 140 Nm of torque in the Series II. The previous car model was mated to a four-speed manual transmission system, while the later got a five-speed unit. In addition, the Series II car gets powerful brakes and 15-inch alloy wheels. Then the record for the highest speed of each series is 185 kph (Series I) and 193 kph (Series II).

The spiritual successor in modern interpretation of the Mazda Cosmo 21 is debuted at the 2002 Tokyo Motor Show. (Picture from: Roadster)

Nearly two decades after the birth of the legendary Eunos Cosmo model, Mazda has decided to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the legend by embodying the idea of ​​a spiritual successor in modern interpretation. And at one of the biggest annual automotive exhibitions in the world, the 2002 Tokyo Motor Show, the Japanese manufacturer launched the Mazda Cosmo 21 for the first time.

2002 Mazda Cosmo 21's interior looks luxurious in a Cosmo's original two-tone black and white finish, featuring upholstered seats, as well as lots of leather and suede. (Picture from: AllCarIndex)

If you look closely, the concept car clearly inspired by the 1967 legendary roadster because of its retro-futuristic appearance is almost identical to the source of its inspiration. Then the Japanese manufacturer mentioned that the concept car is built based on the second generation of Mazda Miata model, and is powered by an engine taken from the Mazda RX8, namely a Renesis rotary engine capable of producing around 231 hp and 216 Nm of torque.

2002 Mazda Cosmo 21 is powered by a Renesis rotary engine capable of producing power around 231 hp and 216 Nm of torque. (Picture from: JapaneseNostalgicCar)

Then on the exterior appearance, the concept car also still faithfully emphasizes the classic side, but by displaying fewer chrome accents when compared to the source of its inspiration. We can see this on the door handle which is still displayed in chrome accents. For other design elements that are considered iconic design elements, such as the separate taillight design combined with the Miata NB's hardtop which is the only part of the donor car that has not changed.

2002 Mazda Cosmo 21 still faithfully emphasizes the classic and originality side with the separate taillight design such its inspiration source. (Picture from: Roadster)

Meanwhile for the interior, it still uses the donor car's property, but has been refurbished by using top-class materials. Appearance-wise, the interior of this concept car looks luxurious in a Cosmo's original two-tone black and white finish, featuring upholstered seats, as well as lots of leather and suede. Then there's the classically designed instrument cluster with the gauges that have been rearranged to look similar to those in the original Cosmo.

Although in the end the concept car was never get into the production line and left it as the vehicle for the company's study design, it could be that Mazda does not want to interfere the Miata model sales, which has now proven to be a popular compact roadster. However, with the widespread news that Mazda is working on its flagship sports car, it is possible that the Cosmo name can be resurrected for real this time. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | MAZDA | TOPSPEED | JAPANESE NOLTALGIC CAR | ROADSTER ]

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