Autozam AZ-1
Mazda turned a 1989 micro-coupe show idea into a 1992 kei production car with gull-wing doors, a turbo engine behind the seats and light plastic outer panels.
1992 Autozam AZ-1.jpg · TTTNIS · CC0 1.0
Research pending
A matching completed auction sale has not been verified for this exact year, body, trim, engine, transmission and market.
Joyride shows this gap instead of substituting an asking price, unsold bid or mismatched special vehicle.
More than a set of wheels.
The AZ-1 was not merely styled like a miniature supercar: Mazda put the engine behind the two occupants, kept the seating exceptionally low and used lightweight exterior panels. The production run was 4,409 cars over roughly three years, but Mazda’s later restoration feature centers on a one-off unreleased update whose extra airbag and rear spoiler must not be backdated to ordinary cars.
Look a little closer.
Its roof-hinged gull-wing doors make the AZ-1 look like a pocket-size supercar, yet it still fits Japan's kei-car rules.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
A show-car idea became a kei production car
Mazda kept the reference model’s low stance, upward-opening doors and behind-the-seats engine while packaging the road car inside Japan’s kei class. The result was a purpose-built microcar, not a full-size sports car reduced by scale.
Source: Mazda 100th Anniversary — Autozam AZ-1 ↗The restoration car is not an ordinary 1992 AZ-1
Mazda’s heritage project restored a unique unreleased development derivative fitted with an airbag and rear spoiler absent from the production car. The page is authoritative for production total and basic dimensions, but its subject images cannot prove those prototype-only features on a standard 1992 car.
Source: Mazda — AZ-1 restoration project ↗Rarity is factory-documented
Mazda records 4,409 cars built and an approximately three-year sales run in the difficult post-bubble market. That supports a scarcity claim without relying on auction copy.
Source: Mazda — AZ-1 restoration project ↗Where these facts come from
- Mazda 100th Anniversary — Autozam AZ-1
- Mazda — AZ-1 restoration project
- Automobile-Catalog — 1992 Autozam AZ-1
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed October 2, 2026.