Meet The Owner – Mark Ashbridge and his Mazda 1800

To say Mark Ashbridge is an enthusiast of Japanese cars would be an understatement. However, owning a 1968 B10-Series Sunny 1000, one of the original Datsun press cars in the UK, was not enough, so he acquired a 1971 Mazda 1800. 52 years ago, this was the sort of transport for motorists with BMW 2000 aspirations and a Ford Cortina GXL income. Mark describes his reasons for buying it as: “Obscurity, naturally, is my usual main reason for owning a car, but also that fabulous Italian styling, of course. It had to be an original UK-sold car, too, not a later import. The very high build quality has impressed me – it feels like a contemporary BMW."

The Toyo Kogyo company made its first Mazda three-wheeled vehicle in 1931. By 1967 the new British concessionaire took a stand at the London Motor Show to attract potential dealers as much as customers. The rotary-engine S110 Coupe may have been the firm’s most famous model, but the 1500 ‘Luce’ saloon and estate looked more practical for British suburbia.

The Luce entered production in 1966. One of its most notable attributes was its appealing Bertone styling, which contrasted with the Pan-Pacific lines favoured by Nissan and Toyota. In 1968 the Sunday Mirror highlighted the estate’s “easy column gear change and an impressive list of standard fittings”. When Bill Boddy tested the saloon for Motor Sport that same year, he concluded: “Apart from needing a rather stiffer body shell to cope with stiff conventional suspension; and better steering, road-holding and braking, this Mazda is an uncommonly good car, which will probably sell here on sheer individuality or ‘different-ness’”.

At nearly £934 for the saloon and £1,093 for the estate, the 1500 was not especially cheap but possessed a faintly exotic appeal. The 1800 version made its bow towards the end of 1968, and when Motor tested one in 1970, the price was £1,219 14s 6d. They regarded it as “a pleasant, unexciting car at a reasonable price for a rare and attractive import” – in other words, a saloon that would not be out of place at that sales conference near Croydon.

The A2 series replaced the 1500/1800 in 1973, and today you are more likely to see a first-generation Luce in the background of George and Mildred than at a car show. The Ashbridge Mazda dates from September 1971, and Mark is working hard on its restoration. We look forward to featuring the completed 1800 in the future. To quote the 1969 advert, owning such a Mazda could “boost your reputation, as well as ours”.

With thanks to: Mark Ashbridge.