A tiny-yet-bold Autozam AZ-1 equipped with a 64-PS (63-hp / 47-kW) bike-derived engine is up for grabs in the United States right now. It has quite a bit of mileage on it, so how does one explain the $26,500 asking price?
Well, for one thing, Autozam is a fairly exotic automotive sub-brand. Founded by Mazda in the late 1980s for imported Suzuki subcompacts and Kei cars, it found its niche appeal in the States thanks to its combination of small size and low weight. The AZ-1 model debuted in 1992, but this particular example was put together in 1993.
It features a glass-fiber plastic body that’s 3.3 meters (just under 130 inches) long and tips the scales at 720 kilos (1,587 lbs) with a full tank. It also flaunts gull-wing doors and a body kit that makes it look a little bit like some Ferrari classics, namely the F40.
That’s because the original owner opted for the OEM styling package called Mazdaspeed. Out of around 4,000 AZ-1 examples produced in total, only around 150 wound up with a styling package like this. This is also why the asking price is so steep: in can be argued that at this point, Autozam is a collection-worthy brand.
Power for the wheels comes from a 0.66-liter transaxle engine designed by Suzuki. A five-speed manual transmission sends it to the rear wheels. The mileage is considerable at 96,000 kilometers (60,000 miles), so it’s going to be interesting seeing how quickly it sells.