Hooniverse Weekend Edition – A Couple of Mazda Rotary Engine Pickups


On Friday, I did a posting featuring a few Mazda Rotary Powered Fastbacks, and while searching through all the RX-3s, RX-4s and that lone Cosmo, I found a couple of very hot Mazda REPUs. So, will you find them hot, or not?


Our first REPU hails from Florida, and it is afflicted with missing engine-itis. According to the listing:

PROJECT TRUCK MOSTLY COMPLETE EXCEP FOR TEH ENGINE , HAVE CLEAN TITLE AND OEM KEYS AND OWNERS MANUAL. ALL 4 TIRES ARE NEW AND RIMS HAVE BEEN PAINT, NEEDS BODY WORK.

Asking price for this shell of a pickup is $2,000. See the listing here.

This is a 1974 unrestored REPU which also calls Florida home. According to the listing:

1974 Mazda REPU 13B wankel rotary
Nicest unrestored REPU you will ever find.
18,000 original miles on original engine. Starts, runs and shifts beautifully.
This pickup came with the rare automatic transmission.
I purchased in Seattle from the estate of the original owner.

Asking price for this low mileage, unrestored REPU? Try $32,000… Yes, $32,000…. See the listing here.
Are either of these rare pickups worth the asking price? Let me know as you always do….

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  1. Cynic Avatar
    Cynic

    Hm. Now, here's the big question – how/why do you power a truck with an engine that (allegedly) has no torque?

    1. tonyola Avatar
      tonyola

      How? These rotary pickups were sold as fun machines instead of work trucks. They were better for hauling surfboards or bicycles rather than a big load of sod. Why? Since Mazda was having trouble selling rotary cars by 1974-1975, they tried to put them in the trucks in the hope that the truck buyers would be less concerned about the poor fuel economy.

  2. GTXEliminator Avatar
    GTXEliminator

    Those aren't hot for that price.

  3. tonyola Avatar
    tonyola

    Yikes. $32,000 for a not-very-useful-but-fun pickup and it's saddled with an automatic. As I would say on J*******, Crack Pipe.

  4. FuzzyPlushroom Avatar
    FuzzyPlushroom

    If the first guy will take a good bit less, it'd be wicked fun to put some other ridiculous powerplant – probably something small and turbocharged à la Drift Truck, but not Japanese (just to encourage the haters); maybe a blown Ecotec from a Solstice/Sky or Volvo turbo five – in there and repaint the tailgate accordingly.

  5. Jim-Bob Avatar
    Jim-Bob

    $32,000?????!!!! In this market??? No thanks. However, the other one for $2,000 has a lot of promise if you can find an appropriate rotary drivetrain to install in it. I wonder where I can find a wrecked RX-8…

  6. LTDScott Avatar

    That may be the biggest engine size/type advertisement on any light truck.

  7. Mister X Avatar
    Mister X

    Did you know that a Ford 302 V8 will fit in nicely, and makes for quite a Sleeper. Fun as Hell to drive too!

  8. brandon Avatar
    brandon

    not quite a pickup but heres a video of a rotary kombi: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_hkh2Odh9M