- 84,445
- Rule 12
- GTP_Famine
No, really though, there was a weird little Japanese vogue in the early 1990s for coupe-styled models based on existing hatchbacks - the CR-X (and del Sol) that already exist in the game are a good example, but most of the manufacturers had their own.
The MX-3 was Mazda's. Based on the BG 323 (which is itself in Gran Turismo), the MX-3 was a pretty light (1100kg) thing that drove and rode well and, from most angles, looked pretty good. The 1.5 and 1.6 litre four-pots - based on existing units in the range - were not world beaters, but as a 2+2 fixed-head coupe package, provided a pretty reasonable alternative to the MX-5 if you needed extra space or were frightened of a soft top.
But cars for Gran Turismo must be interesting and for all its laudable qualities the MX-3 could be just another forgotten footnote, if it wasn't for the other engine choice...
The 1.8 litre V6 - 307.5cc/cylinder - was a peach. 135hp is, again, not a figure to light up the timing sheets, nor is the 120lbfft available across the bulk of the rev range (which was up to 7,250rpm), but this oversquare and overengineered unit formed the basis of every Mazda V6 produced since - all of which slot right into the MX-3's engine bay as a result. The smallest capacity world production V6 ever seen, it made the MX-3 silky smooth on the cruise and, with a glorious little bellow, quite alert and urgent when prodded.
Though rarely seen, due to packaging reasons, they take to forced induction like a pregnant woman takes to cake - modifiers prefer to go the route of plonking the MX-6's 200hp 2.5 litre V6 into the front instead though and it becomes a pace-for-pace rival to Mitsubishi's FTO GP Version R, the Alfa Romeo GTV 3.0 V6 and the VW Corrado VR6. Indeed some say the larger 2.0 and 2.5 V6s were never offered in the MX-3 because it would have eclipsed Mazda and Ford's KV6 coupe offerings in the MX-6 and Probe.
And here's one on track, just because:
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