One of the most interest-generating vehicles in the Kei car class is the Autozam AZ-1. It’s a weird amalgam of Mazda design, Suzuki build and bespoke branding, as it was developed at the time when the Japanese bubble economy hadn’t yet burst and Mazda had a ton of different brands under which to do trade.
The minuscule, mid-engined personal spaceship with gullwing doors wasn’t a great success, but as cult cars come, all the passion the AZ-1 attracts is justified. It looks wonderful.


Even the promotional material just makes me fawn. They hit the ball right out of the park with the graphic design here. You could also buy the AZ-1 as a Suzuki Cara, as Suzuki built the cars and they needed to move all they built. Less than 5000 were built, compared to 33600 Honda Beats, as the Honda was somewhat cheaper and the early-1990s recession had just hit.

Turbocharged DOHC triple producing 64 horsepower, as was par for the course in Kei car business. If you wanted, there were Mazdaspeed add-ons for the car as well: cosmetic enhancements as well as handling parts.

What is it with round lights that just look right? The design team was the same as with the NA MX-5.

I imagine this happening every time an AZ-1 hits anything bigger.

Inside, it’s obviously spartan and space is limited, but it looks inviting. Colour-coding is obvious.
And yes, there were other colours available. Do you prefer electric blue to classic red? Want some Cibies while you’re at it? Are steelies fine?


Here are the two other developments from the same base structure: the AZ550 Type B and the Sports Type C. The latter is like a miniature 787B!