Inside the world’s best Mazda museum

A hidden gem

Where would you expect to find the finest collection of Mazda vehicles in the world?

In the company’s home town of Hiroshima, perhaps? Or maybe in the capital, Tokyo, to take advantage of the greater footfall?

Guess again, because it isn’t in Japan at all but in the historic university town of Augsburg, Germany, in the heart of Bavaria.

Passion project

The story of Automobil Museum Frey begins in 1971, in the nearby town of Gersthofen, when entrepreneur Walter Frey began buying and selling Ladas under the banner of Auto-Frey – here he is (centre) with sons Markus (left) and Joachim.

Seven years later, he decided to become one of the country’s first Mazda dealers. “I started with Mazda because it was the only company doing rotary engines and I liked the technology,” says Frey. “NSU had gone bankrupt and sold out to Audi, who cancelled the Ro80 – but I do have three of them, plus an NSU Wankel Spider.”

In fact, Frey has around 100 non-Mazdas, joining some 120 running examples of the Japanese marque and another 80 or so for spares or restoration.

Stunning setting

With such a vast collection, the obvious thing to do was to put on a display so he could share his passion with the public.

In 2017 the project opened its doors with the help of his sons Joachim and Markus, who are both key players in the family business.

Housed in an old tram depot, a beautiful building that dates back to 1897 and was acquired with the help of the town’s mayor, the museum can display up to 55 vehicles at any one time, with a strong bias towards the rotary-engined machines that have always been Walter’s passion.

Across the ages

“The museum is my baby,” he smiles. “My best thing is to come here when it’s empty – no music, no people. Then the cars talk to me!”

Joining that conversation is a representative of every model and series launched by the manufacturer, ranging from its very first vehicle, the motorbike-based three-wheeler Mazda-Go truck of 1930, right up to the new MX-30 EV.

Cosmic attraction

Frey’s first classic purchase was a 1969 110S Cosmo Sport, discovered and bought in New Jersey in 1980, and he now has several examples of the wild rotary supercoupé, which remains one of the most popular exhibits.

This Mazda Cosmo Sport was restored on the German Mazda Garage YouTube series for the 2017 Hamburg-Berlin-Klassic rally.

R360 Coupé

But that Cosmo wasn’t the farthest-flung purchase, and new additions to the collection are often discovered in unusual circumstances – such as this impossibly cute R360 Coupé, Mazda’s first passenger car.

“They weren’t sold in Europe,” explains Joachim, “but we were visiting some friends and one of them had a two-year-old newspaper that had an advert for an R360 in it. My father called and they still had it!

“We buy cars from all over the world – our Familia 1000 came from an Australian auction, and the RX-5 Cosmo AP 60th Anniversary Edition was bought on eBay in the UK.”

Autozam AZ-1

Not every car arrives in such good condition, however.

The gullwing-doored Autozam AZ-1 with MazdaSpeed bodykit was shipped from Japan in pieces for reassembly upon arrival, and many purchases require full restoration. “It’s important for us that every car in the museum runs and gets used,” explains Joachim.

R100 coupé

This neatly styled R100 from 1971 was Mazda’s second rotary-engined car, and sold more than 100,000 examples in saloon and, as here, coupé forms.

The model was also the marque’s first to be sold in the UK, powered by a 100hp twin-rotor engine from the Cosmo and priced at £1649.

Luce 1500

This pretty Mazda Luce 1500 dates from 1966.

And if you think it looks more European than many Japanese classics, that’s because it was styled with the help of the outrageously talented Giorgetto Giugiaro at Bertone – who was still not yet 30 when the Luce left his drawing board.

This saloon version features a traditional overhead-cam piston engine, but there was also a sensational coupé version with rotary power.

RX-2

You can’t miss this RX-2, which was a rotary-engined version of Mazda’s 616, powered by a 12A 115bhp twin-rotor engine driving the rear wheels.

Known as the Capella in Japan, production of this cute two-door started in 1969 and no RX-2s were imported into the UK after 1973.

616

Resplendent in green is this 1976 Mazda 616, the piston-engined version of the RX-2 or Capella. This was Mazda’s first true ‘world car’, aimed at international markets and achieving its first real success in the USA.

The model was sold as a two-door coupé or a four-door saloon, with a four-cylinder engine of either 1.5 or 1.6 litres.

RX-4 Station Wagon

The RX-4 was the first car to meet Japan’s stringent 1973 emissions regulations – and indeed the 1975 Federal regulations – thanks to its efficient rotary powerplant.

Most of the 220,000 RX-4s built were the handsome two-door coupé version, but there were also four-door saloons or, as in the case of this 1975 example, a usefully roomy estate.

Mk2 MX-5 Coupé

If you’re thinking this exhibit looks familiar but not quite right, then you’re spot on.

This is one of fewer than 200 Mk2 (NB) Mazda MX-5 Coupés produced for the Japanese market from 2002-’03, though sadly this model never came to the UK.

Mazda-Go truck

The Frey collection contains a representative of every model and series launched by the Japanese manufacturer, beginning with its very first vehicle, the motorbike-based three-wheeler Mazda-Go truck of 1930.

The museum’s example dates from 1950, and has been fully restored to better-than-new condition. Remarkably, after the Mazda-Go it would be another three decades before Mazda produced its first passenger car, the R360.

Carol P360

This Mazda Carol P360 once dominated Japan’s kei car class, sired at the dawn of the 1960s by the Japanese government’s encouragement of smaller, more efficient vehicles.

These tiny four-seaters boasted no more than 360cc – a 358cc four-cylinder unit in the case of the Carol, which was revealed at the 1961 Tokyo Motor Show and was the first in its class to offer four doors.

This 1962 example demonstrates its Ford Anglia-style reverse-rake rear windscreen, designed to boost headroom in the back seat.

Group B rally RX-7

This Group B rally RX-7 was taken to ninth overall in the 32nd Rally Acropolis in May 1984 by German driver Achim Warmbold and French co-driver Michèle Espinosi-Petit, known as ‘Biche’.

The works machine featured the usual rotary power, but was outclassed on the tough Greek rally by the mighty Audi quattros, which took a 1-2 with Stig Blomqvist/Björn Cederberg winning from Hannu Mikkola/Arne Hertz.

Parkway

Now for a change of pace…

Here we have a rotary-engined coach: one of only 47 examples built, the 26-seater 1976 Mazda Parkway once served the schools of Hiroshima, and with its twin-rotor engine producing 135bhp and a 75mph top speed it was one of the world’s fastest buses.

The Parkway was also available as a luxurious people-carrier, with just 13 seats and first-class appointments to match its smooth engine.

Pick-up truck

Of course, a collection so dedicated to all things rotary even has a tow truck that follows the same theme.

And it is needed: “Our mechanics are kept busy working on new cars for the garage, so a restoration can take up to five years. We are currently working on the original Le Mans Group C car, the 727C: it will be the highlight of our museum when it’s finished,” says Joachim.

RX-3

Yes, you guessed it – this quad-headlamp 1975 RX-3 is also rotary powered. Popular with tuners in the UK and Australia, the RX-3 boasted a 108bhp twin-rotor unit, but the addition of a more potent RX-7 engine is a common upgrade.

Successful in saloon-car racing, the Stateside-inspired RX-3 sold to the tune of nearly 300,000 examples from 1971-’78.

RX-5

Believe it or not, this rare and luxurious 1977 RX-5 60th Anniversary Edition was sourced in the UK via eBay.

Also known as the Cosmo AP, the RX-5 was launched at the 1975 Frankfurt motor show and featured a new, more efficient version of the twin-rotor engine ahead of Japan’s even stricter emissions regulations, introduced a year later.

Pathfinder XV-1

From 1972 is this Austin Gipsy-alike Pathfinder XV-1, another model that was never offered for sale in the UK.

This 90bhp, four-cylinder, four-wheel-drive Land-Rover rival was produced in Myanmar from 1970-’73 in both military and, as here, civilian forms, and was used by the police and government as well as the armed forces.

It was available with a soft-top or a hard roof, with up to nine seats in long-wheelbase station-wagon form.

626 Coupé

The original Mazda 626, which was sold as a coupé (as pictured) and a saloon, might be a little more familiar to British readers – even if the majority of examples such as this 1978 car have long-since rusted away.

Designed to take on the German ‘premium’ establishment, the first-generation 626 lasted four years from 1978-’82.

K360

Mazda’s automotive origins lay in three-wheeler commercial vehicles with the first Mazda-Go of 1930, and this colourful 1962 example is the ultimate expression of the genre.

It featured pioneering features such as dual-circuit brakes, safety glass and a mid-mounted, 11bhp 356cc engine.

Bongo

The name ‘Bongo’ is well known to today’s British Mazda enthusiasts thanks to the Bongo Friendee minivan and camper of the 1990s, and the model has a cult following in its homeland.

This first-generation pick-up from 1966 is where the name of the long-running line of commercials originated. It featured a rear-mounted engine of just 782cc, yet still managed to carry a 500kg payload.

1000 Coupé

Also from 1966, the pretty Mazda 1000 Coupé – known as the Familia in Japan – was designed to appeal to younger buyers with its Italianate looks, sporty performance and affordable price-tag.

Along with the practical saloon and estate versions, the model gained a 30% market share in Japan.

323 Cabriolet

The original Mazda 323, launched in January 1977, was the firm’s first modern hatchback. This third-generation 1987 version of the model, also known as the Familia, is a rare sight in Europe, being one of the Cabriolet models that was not originally sold on our shores.

The open-top 323 proved popular in Asia and Australia, however, particularly when the 85bhp standard 1.6-litre version pictured here was joined by a potent 140bhp turbo model.

RX-7 Cabrio

Continuing the cabriolet theme, and this time with a model that was available in Europe, we have this 1989 RX-7 Mk2.

Like the original RX-7, the second-generation car took its influence from contemporary Porsche design, this time going head to head with the 944 cabriolet.

In turbo form it boasted a 200bhp version of the 13B twin-rotor engine.

Eunos Cosmo

Combining two of Mazda’s best-known nameplates to create a two-door coupé definitely gives this 1992 car a certain aura.

Lined with wood and leather, the third-generation Cosmo was launched in 1990 and was the world’s first mass-production vehicle to have a three-rotor engine and a sequential twin turbocharger – at the time it was also the most powerful engine made in Japan at a reputed 300bhp, even if Mazda only claimed 276bhp at the time.

Other claims to fame for the model include electronic chassis control and being equipped with the first mobile GPS navigation and touchscreen display in the world.

MX-3

Famous for its tiny V6 engine – its 1840cc made it the world’s smallest production V6 at the time – the 130bhp MX-3 offered sparkling performance mated to surprising efficiency.

Its 2+2 styling was little changed over a seven-year production run from 1991-’98.

Chantez

Our final slice of colourful, pint-sized motoring comes in the form of this 1972 Chantez, powered by a 359cc two-stroke, twin-cylinder engine.

Sadly, protests from domestic rivals prevented Mazda from offering the Chantez with its powerful rotary engine, though we suspect that the 71mph top speed of the standard car feels more than fast enough in this diminutive classic.

The Chantez was built between 1972 and 1976, and when launched it was the most spacious kei class vehicle thanks to its 2.2m wheelbase squeezed into an overall length of just under 3m.

Roadpacer AP

You might expect choosing a favourite from the collection to be like picking between his sons for Walter Frey, anticipating something rare and exotic.

But, as ever, this enthusiast is full of surprises: “The Roadpacer is my favourite because I used to live in Australia and knew all the Holdens, but didn’t know there was a rotary version! It’s not a very good car, but I love it because it’s different.”

Only 800 of these Roadpacer APs were ever built, mating the body of the Holden HJ Premier with the twin-rotor Mazda engine.

R130 Luce Coupé

Could this be the prettiest Mazda of all? Little known outside of the Japanese domestic market, the beautiful R130 Luce Coupé blended gorgeous Giorgetto Giugiaro styling with generous 2+2 seating and rotary power.

Unlike the high-revving Cosmo 110S, however, the Luce boasted a new 13A version of the engine, which is unique to this car and tuned for the torque required by a luxury GT rather than outright power.

Sadly, fewer than 1000 examples of these 119mph coupés were ever built, and they rarely stray outside of Japan.

RX-7 Turbo

This late, turbocharged version of the Mk1 RX-7 coupé boasts a unique claim to fame: the 1984 car was presented to Felix Wankel, the ‘father of the rotary’, as a gift.

Some 80% of RX-7 production went to North America, where the model won more than 100 IMSA races, with the Turbo model introduced in 1983, some four years after the original car was unveiled.

323 GT-R 4WD

Created to homologate the 323 hatchback for Group A and Group N rallying, the GT-R 4WD was the most powerful 323 ever made, with a mighty 185bhp, along with centre and rear differentials.

The Frey collection contains both a rare roadgoing example and a full-on rally car, displayed side by side.

929 coupé

A 1975 929 Coupé stands outside the impressive 1897 tram shed that houses this fabulous collection, which we’re sure you’re going to want to see for yourself.

You will find Automobil Museum Frey in Augsburg, Germany, around 50km west of Munich and, subject to COVID restrictions, it is open Thursday-Sunday, 10am-6pm – find out more here.

The 929 was also available as the RX-4, with rotary power, and was one of the models that helped to establish Mazda in the European market.