Happy Smiling Dog
The year was 1989, Roadhouse, The Abyss, and Major League were in the theaters, Billy Joel, Cher, and the B-52’s were topping the charts and the water gun company Entertech was in hot water for incidents where criminals were using their products to rob retail and -- the 80’s were a wild time. While all of this was happening, my family had just moved back to Hong Kong for third time. The Pearl of Asia, where east and west, old and new, city and gorgeous island landscape come together in harmony, a real ying and yang in the flesh. My father was in the market for a second car; something small, fun, practical, something to get around the congested city with ease yet a blast on scenic island roads. He was set on getting a red Peugeot 205 GTI and I could not have been more excited. The 205 GTI as you may or may not know is a car people lust after. The presence alone, with its aggressive styling and staunch appearance, seemed to scream, “I’m more fun than a bachelor party in Monte Carlo with unlimited funds and party favors.” OK, may not that fun but a great time. With its front-wheel driving dynamics it would dominate and become legend on the rally circuit. It had that certain French smugness that says I am better than you…and it was right. So, you can understand the excitement a young kid would have with the anticipation of possibly being able to drive it in a few years. But alas, after hearing some horror stories about reliability and maintenance issues and costs, my dad nixed he 205 GTI and my dreams of coasting on the twisty roads to Central while going “over the top” of the island were dashed. Needless to say, I did not take it well. I was like a child losing a balloon at a fair watching it gracefully whisk and float away in an almost taunting dance with no hope of ever retrieving it. It was a sad moment in time.
Peugeot 205GTI - I always look good
We ended up with the Mazda 121 LX Fun Top. At first glance, the Mazda had none of the Peugeot’s grace, elegance, or flair. The Mazda just sat there like a dog, the kind of dog that when you threw a frisbee towards him it would hit him in the face and he would just keep giving you that dumb idiotic smile back right at you. Think of the Dog from the movie “UP.” There was no design in this Mazda, no lines that represented wind or some ancient Japanese way of thinking. It was ordinary and lame. There was no bigger picture from what I could see; this car was just an economy box on four wheels. It was just a happy smiling dog.
Now years later, when I hear the word Mazda, I automatically think of fun, happiness, and design. There is something different and unique about why they make their cars or a specific car. Most manufactures design a car based on raw data from the previous generation in where it had excelled or worked on improvements, or from consumer in outs in the form of how many cupholders they desired. This is not by any means a bad way to design a car, it sells well and most consumers are not enthusiasts, they are just looking for means of transportation to get them between two points in time. This also keeps the shareholders happy, the stock in the green and hopefully funds the company to have some cushion on some more ambitious projects or investment in technology. I believe Mazda takes more of teachers or coaches’ approach, they find the fun in learning and then passes that knowledge on to the student which then makes the student more involved and eager to learn and have fun and, in this case, enjoy their experience with the car more. Having said all of that, not everyone is made for a Mazda, some people just want that Camry or Malibu and there is nothing wrong with those choices, not in the slightest. The Camry just might be the best car ever made, if you measure such things based on sales stats, reliability, and the fact they can be found all over the world and in any year. Mazda might even owe a measure of its success to the Camry and Malibu. I am here to tell you about one overlooked Mazda that was to what I can only interpret as a Happy Smiling Dog, you know the type, the ones that are so full of life all they experience is joy and lust for fun.
(Sidenote- This car is impossible to find in mint condition let alone pictures. I had to purchase a number of brochures off of eBay to get some pictures, so be forgiving with the crease lines)
I’m Fun, Let’s Play
If unfamiliar with the Mk1 Mazda 121 it was developed from 1987-1991 alongside the Mazda 323 as a subcompact, Mazda needed something smaller for the European market, ironically enough it was never sold in Japan. It was mainly used in the UK, Australia and other British colonies such as Hong Kong. It was sold with two engine choices a 1.1liter which was only offered in Australia with 56hp and 65lb-ft of torque mated to a 4-speed manual when pushed would reach the subsonic speed of 93 mph and healthy 34mpg. Sporting a 1.3liter 5-speed manual was later on was very much appreciated in all markets. Producing an upgrade of 11hp and 11lb-ft for a total of 67hp and 76lb-ft, and yes, the top speed was improved to 99mph, one less than the milestone and still achieving 35mph. At the time Ford had a large stake in Mazda and already the Fiesta on the market, which is what the bones of the 121 rides on. The reasoning to introduce the 121 to the European market was due to is practically, small size and the inexpensive cost both for the company and consumer. The interior is what you would expect inside there were only a few options to choose from, an elegant adjustable steering column, A/C and some features not even offered today such a cassette stereo, can’t’ beat those mix tapes.
Open to the World
After about a month of engagement it started to reveal some of its secrets to me as one does in a relationship. If you show all your cards at once you have nothing to build on, very much like any relationship with a human and the 121 was no different, the more you engaged with it the more it let it expressed itself and the gem that it was and had over the all-star prom king Peugeot. it had heart, fun to be in and drive. Without question the one touch motorized retractable roof was the defining aspect of the car. Let’s be honest the Peugeot was a better driver’s car in every universe created or yet to be created. However, it did not have a sliding roof. The entire roof would disappear with a touch of button and you could have access to the world, and for a child no car could do better. I would be standing on the backseat with my friends feeling the wind and screaming in pure ecstasy something only a few open top SUVs could do but not to the extent as they did not have the dancing shoes of the 121. With it only weighing 1708lbs it was much lighter on its feet, had poise and was surprisingly agile in the turns. The surprises did not stop there. Not by a long shot. The backseats could slide forward and reclined, let me say that again, the backseats were on a track to slide forward or back and reclined in an entry level economy car so people in the back could feel like royalty. You would never find that in a modern car, would not be cost effective. But the plucky 121 secrets did not stop there, the backseats could also fold flat for those larger items, and if you needed to carry two kegs to a party as one does, the rear hinges would disengage from the rear and the entire seat would fold forward to essentially giving you the room you would find in today’s modern day mid-size SUV.
Fit for a King
Once I became old enough and was able to drive, I saw its charm, its wisdom and saw that smiling dog and I in return started to smile. It was by no means the fastest car and it was not designed to be, but with its front wheel drive and 5-speed manual going driving on coastal mountain roads with the ocean on one side a and that top open I could not have been in a better car. Sure, a Miata would have been sublime, a Lotus Esprit would have been Nirvana or even the 205, but all of them were restricted in one way or another, practically, the lack of not experiencing openness of world that the Mazda 121 offered. Think of it as the center circle of a Ven diagram, it has all the attributes of the circles. The practically and enjoyment packed into an economy car, no there was no better car in my opinion. It did everything I needed it to plus more. I could park anywhere in the city, drive on the beach, throw anything in the back at any moment and still have convertible option. I could also push and drive the car to its limit thanks to its small 1.3-liter engine, it was never going to get ahead of me and its Hong Kong you could not drive that fast anyway. The fact that it was a 121 no one ever gave it a second look which I also enjoyed, it felt like I knew something no else did or had figured out yet. This is when I started to understand you should always buy or do something that makes you smile and happy. This was the first time I started to understand relationships between owners and their vehicles. One could say, that I am bias because of where I was living at the time, and that could very well be true. I am living in LA now, one of the car mecca locations of the world and I still crave this vehicle living here, I think it would be perfect because of its uniqueness, practically, mpg, and of course fun.
Happy and Smiling
A second generation was created but lost the charm and brilliance, it tried too hard to be a designer car. The three-door hatch back was replaced by an odd four-door compact that looked like a turtle from Super Mario Bros. The pop top or retractable top was there, but was not as large and did not fit the design as well and looked more like a bad toupee. The sliding back seats and useable trunk were slashed by a trunk/boot that you could only could fit some airline size salt shakers in. I miss that happy dog smiling at me.
ENGINE SPECS - 1.3L 5MT (67 HP)
Cylinders: L4
Displacement: 1324 cm3
Power: 49.3 KW @ 5500 RPM
67 HP @ 5500 RPM
66 BHP @ 5500 RPM
Torque: 76 lb-ft @ 3000 RPM
103 Nm @ 3000 RPM
Fuel System: Carburetor
Fuel: Gasoline
PERFORMANCE SPECS
Top Speed: 99 mph (159 km/h)
Acceleration 0-62 Mph (0-100 kph): 11.6 s
TRANSMISSION SPECS
Drive Type: Front Wheel Drive
Gearbox: 5-speed manual
BRAKES SPECS
Front: Discs
Rear: Drums
TIRES SPECS
Tire Size: 165/70 R12S
DIMENSIONS
Length: 136.8 in (3475 mm)
Width: 63.2 in (1605 mm)
Height: 59.3 in (1506 mm)
Front/rear Track: 55.1/54.3 in (1,400/1,379 mm)
Wheelbase: 90.4 in (2296 mm)
Ground Clearance: 7.1 in (180 mm)
Cargo Volume: 6.7 cuFT (190 L)
Aerodynamics (Cd): 0.36
WEIGHT SPECS
Unladen Weight: 1708 lbs (775 kg)
Gross Weight Limit: 2800 lbs (1270 kg)
FUEL ECONOMY (NEDC)
City: 29 mpg US (8.1 L/100Km)
Highway: 34.1 mpg US (6.9 L/100Km)
Combined: 35.1 mpg US (6.7 L/100Km)
