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Hiroshima, July 2008 - In the 1970s, Mazda developed the RX500, a dream supercar that amazed a multitude of car fans around the world. After sitting dormant in a warehouse for the last 30 years, the legendary RX500 has now been fully restored. In July 2008, it was put on display at the Hiroshima City Transportation Museum, 38 years after it was first exhibited at the 1970 Tokyo Motor Show.
Powered by rotary engine, which has been successfully commercialized only by Mazda, the Mazda RX500 recorded a top speed of 240 kilometers per hour. It also adopted butterfly wing doors even before the Lamborghini Countach. As part of his plans to hold a supercar exhibition, Hisahiro Akimasa of the Hiroshima City Transportation Museum approached Mazda and received its blessing to restore and exhibit the RX500. The restoration work was carried out at a garage in Hiroshima, and it was by no means an easy task. The car was missing its key and gasoline tank lid, and these and many other parts had to be remade by hand. One of the engineers who worked on the RX500 said, “We wanted to reflect the forty years of history in the car. We didn’t want it to appear brand new.” The restoration project was carried out by some of the engineers from the original development team with the support of Mazda.
It had long been believed that there were three RX500s, one green, one yellow, and one silver. However, when a damaged door was being repaired, someone spotted three different colored layers of paint. The restoration work proved that there had only ever been one RX500 and that it had been repainted in different colors.
Mazda’s spokesperson Shinichiro Uetsuki said, “Nowadays, when kids draw a picture of a car, they always draw practical cars like minivans. The RX500 was made to be the stuff of dreams, and even though it’s 40 years old, I am sure kids these days will still find it wonderful.” The exhibition runs from July 19 through August 31, 2008 at the Hiroshima City Transportation Museum.
