Rare Car Archive

Makes › Mazda Japan › Luce Rotary Coupé (R130) · Rare production · 1969–1972 Very Rare

Mazda
Luce Rotary Coupé (R130)

Giugiaro (then at Bertone)-styled front-wheel-drive rotary coupé, Japan-only.

Still being researched: full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.

Mazda Luce Rotary Coupé (R130) (Wikimedia Commons search)
Mazda Luce Rotary Coupé (R130) (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: TTTNIS · CC0 1.0
976BuiltIndependently researched
0Chassis documentedin this archive
?SurvivingNot yet verified
Contents
  1. 01Overview
  2. 02Production & history
  3. 03Specifications
  4. 04Colours & options
  5. 05Individual cars
  6. 06Reference

01Overview

At a glance

Built
976 Built
Years
1969–1972
Engine
front-engine, front-wheel drive, twin-rotor Wankel · 655 cc / 0.7 LFactory: 655 cc
Power
92.7 kW / 126 PSFactory: 126 PS
Top speed
190 km/hFactory: 190 km/h
Body
Not yet verified
Designer
Bertone (original design), modified by Mazda's designers
In this archive
Not yet verified
Surviving
Not yet verified

Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.

Why it matters

The Luce Rotary Coupe was the first Mazda to use the compact rotary engine in a front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout. Mazda built it as a high-priced luxury coupe, and the car was known in Japan as the 'Lord of the Road' for its price, body and speed.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Model rarityVery Rare 976 · Built1
Specification rarityNot yet assessed
Colour rarityNot yet assessed
Individual rarityNot yet assessed
Historical rarityNot yet assessed
Survival rarityNot yet assessed

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Photos

Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.

  • Mazda Luce Rotary Coupé (R130) (Wikimedia Commons search)Mazda Luce Rotary Coupé (R130) (Wikimedia Commons search)
    Photo: TTTNIS · CC0 1.0
  • Mazda Luce Rotary Coupé (R130) (Wikimedia Commons search)Mazda Luce Rotary Coupé (R130) (Wikimedia Commons search)
    Photo: Motokoka · CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Mazda Luce Rotary Coupé (R130) (Wikimedia Commons search)Mazda Luce Rotary Coupé (R130) (Wikimedia Commons search)
    Photo: TTTNIS · CC0 1.0

02Production & history

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

What is countedFigureBasisStatus
Total model productionunits built (Mazda's own story: 'fewer than 1,000') 9761 Factory production Independently researched

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

The Luce was introduced on 20 August 1966 as Mazda's flagship, with a body based on a Bertone design that Mazda's designers modified. The hardtop Rotary Coupe, with a 655 cc x 2 rotary engine, followed in October 1969 at 1.45 to 1.75 million yen, when a new graduate hire earned 30,000 yen a month.

Mazda showed the car not only in dealerships but also in 35 major department stores across Japan. A dealer description says the coupe had low production, that the Super De Luxe was the most expensive Mazda in the passenger range, and that fewer than 200 are thought to survive.

Variants

How each version differs from the standard Luce Rotary Coupé (R130).

No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.

03Specifications

Technical specifications

Engine

Engine familyNot yet verified
Engine code13A2 Independently researched
Layoutfront-engine, front-wheel drive, twin-rotor Wankel3
Displacement 655 cc / 0.7 LFactory: 655 cc3Per rotor chamber; two rotors.
BoreNot yet verified
StrokeNot yet verified
Compression ratioNot yet verified
Fuel systemNot yet verified
Power 92.7 kW / 126 PSFactory: 126 PS3
Power atNot yet verified
TorqueNot yet verified

Transmission & drivetrain

Gearbox4-speed manual, front-wheel drive2 Independently researched
GearsNot yet verified
Driven wheelsfront3

Chassis, body & dimensions

ChassisNot yet verified
Front suspensionNot yet verified
Rear suspensionNot yet verified
BrakesNot yet verified
SteeringNot yet verified
Body constructionNot yet verified
WheelbaseNot yet verified
LengthNot yet verified
WidthNot yet verified
HeightNot yet verified
Front trackNot yet verified
Rear trackNot yet verified
Kerb weightNot yet verified
Dry weightNot yet verified

Performance

Maximum speed 190 km/hFactory: 190 km/h3
0–100 km/hNot yet verified
Fuel tankNot yet verified

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

04Colours & options

Factory colours & interiors

Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Factory options & codes

Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

05Individual cars

Chassis register

Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Competition history

Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Auction & sale history

Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

See one in person

Museums where an example of this car can be seen.

No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.

06Reference

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

The Rotary Coupe has the 'A line' body of the Luce with a rotary badge; the dealer description names the top Super De Luxe grade with RX-87 badging, air conditioning, power steering, power windows and power brakes, and only white and yellow body colours. Headlights tuck into the front bumper. The engine is the 13A twin-rotor mounted longitudinally.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

  1. 1
    Car Enthusiast: Retro drive – 1969 Mazda Luce R130 Level C
    • 976 units built (Mazda's own story: 'fewer than 1,000')
    Accessed 2026-11-11
  2. 2
    1969 Mazda RX4 (Luce Rotary Coupe R130) Level C Classic Driver Market
    • 13A 126Hp twin-rotor Wankel in a longitudinal mounted layout
    • Coupled to a 4-speed manual transmission
    Accessed 2026-11-12
  3. 3
    Luce (1966-) Level A Mazda Motor Corporation
    • 655cc x 2 new rotary engine ... front-engine front-wheel-drive format
    • 655cc x 2 new rotary engine
    • delivered 126ps maximum power
    • front-engine front-wheel-drive format
    • accelerated the car to 190 km/h maximum speed
    Accessed 2026-11-12

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