Through the decades, particular cars stand out, maybe for their performance, the jokes that were said about them, the advertising and even sometimes as a result of so many friends having one at some time or another.
The Mazda 323 has got to be one of those. The small family car was manufactured by Mazda between 1963 and 2003 and our roads saw many of these practical vehicles.
Rebranded as the Ford Laser in some countries, including ours, as a result of platform and assembly line sharing, the Mazda 323 remained a staple of the SA car market for many years.
So when Joe Klein discovered this beautifully restored 1995 Mazda 323 in Strand, he returned to take some kwaai pics, let Bobby in on the news and, well, here’s the cabbie for your scrutiny.
Bobby spoke to proud owner Ethan Bailey of Bailey Motorworx about the job that he did to get this cabbie in such good condition.
It was obvious to Bobby that this guy must have had a good reason to do so, and some skills, too.
Ethan says: “It all started when I was really young, watching my dad build his own engines and do spray jobs. In fact, my brother and I started off by lowering toy cars, nogal, and trying out our mods that way.”
In the 1980s, Mazda made a name for itself, as Ethan corroborates.
He says: “The marque was popular because of the EGI (an early hot hatch that was a cool contender in the early ’80s), as well as the Mazda 323 200i DOHC.”
The 2-litre unit came out after the 1.6-litre version became known as the giant killer in the late ’80s.
He goes on to clarify that people know the 200i as an EGI, “but it’s not really, it’s two different cars”. In any case, they became known “for having a strong engine, not like in racing but in reliability and being light on fuel”.
The great thing about the 323/ Ford Laser mix and continued production of similar cars is that you can get your hands on parts that fit.
Now with that sorted out, here’s how Ethan got his 323 up and running. He says: “This build started when my motor gave up on my way home from work, so it was something of a necessity.
SLEEK: Ethan fitted sleeve coil over suspension and rolls on 15-inch rims
“I decided to do a complete makeover and enlisted the help of my friends, my brother, his girlfriend, my girlfriend and my mom and dad.”
Looks like Ethan wasn’t taking any chances in his team selection, nor is he one for half jobs.
He continues: “It took eight months to get it to where it is today, and that included a complete new suspension, an engine rebuild and, of course, some kwaai wiele.”
The engine is a stock B3 1.3-litre, which is a small-sized, iron block inline four-cylinder with belt-driven DOHC valve train.
Flakes
But it’s the exterior that turns heads. Especially that paint job.
NEAT: The interior is a mix of sections from other Mazda vehicles
Described by Ethan as being a full colour change to “bronze brown with red and silver flakes added”, Bobby was relieved that he didn’t ask: “So, is that a brown you chose?” That could have missed the point.
Ethan added an original Mazda 323 200i lower boot spoiler and dropped the frame with custom sleeve coilovers, which are threaded sleeves that fit with the suspension to allow for height adjustment.
The head and corner lights were smoked, as well as the indicator lights in the bumper.
A Cressida front spoiler was crafted on as well as a custom top spoiler and Midge front stone tray.
SASSY: It took eight months to build the ride which included a new suspension and an engine rebuild
He says: “The car is rolling on a set of WCIs coded in white, with 8.5j rims offset with 15-inch Dunlop tyres.” That is mostly stance-speak for the fitted and stretched look stance koppe like to get with tyres and rims.
When it comes to interiors with older cars, if you can find something more up to date that fits, rather than laborious reupholstering, then it’s a good idea.
FROM A TO B: Clean engine bay is good advertising for Bailey Motorworx
Ethan didn’t get seats, his are the original 1995 ones. But he did manage to score other parts of the interior from a Mazda 2 000 model that he is busy recovering in vinyl. The centre console comes from a 200i 16-valve, while the instrument cluster is from a 160 EGI.
All of this goes to show what a treasure hunt this kind of project can entail, and in fact, you end up with a hybrid of sorts.
For audio pleasure, Ethan installed a Pioneer front loader, four-inch and six-inch mids, a 3 000 watt amp and a JBL 12-inch sub.
Interesting that Ethan doesn’t mention the engine bay, which according to Joe (a well-known judge of these things) is “clean to the max”. Ethan only remarks that he plans for some chrome in the bay, plus some carbon fibre detail and a new boot display, “but all in good time”.
Ethan, who has his eye one day on an RX7, says the strong points of his 323 are that “it takes me from A to B and is low on fuel consumption, while the weak point is that it was eating bearing at one time, especially on the left hand side”.