Mazda 626 GT Turbo Sport Coupe
A family-sized Japanese coupe that hid a turbocharger, adjustable dampers and four-wheel disc brakes beneath its tidy 1980s shape.
1985 Japan Mazda 626 GT 2.0i Turbo · FotoSleuth · CC BY 2.0
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.
Mazda's 1986 U.S. brochure placed the GT Turbo at the top of the 626 range and offered the package as a Sport Coupe, Sport Sedan or five-door Touring Sedan. The car remained a practical front-driver, but added a 120 hp turbo engine, firmer suspension hardware and stronger brakes. Its identity needs care: Europe received a 2.0i GT at about the same time, yet the examined Dutch record identifies that car as naturally aspirated. This profile therefore follows the U.S. Sport Coupe, not an invented European turbo GT.
Look a little closer.
Its electronic suspension switch had seven positions, so the driver could tune the ride from softer to firmer without getting out of the car.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
The word Turbo settles the market question
Mazda's U.S. brochure repeatedly names the flagship “626 GT Turbo,” gives it a turbocharged 120 hp engine and shows three body styles. The Dutch-market 626 Coupé 2.0i GT arrived in October 1985 with the same 1,998 cc basic displacement and 120 PS, but its record explicitly says “turbo: no.” Similar names and output do not make them the same market variant.
Source: AutoWeek Netherlands · European 626 Coupé 2.0i GT record ↗A sporty package, not just an engine swap
The brochure pairs the turbo engine with four-wheel disc brakes, 15-inch alloys, performance tires and electronically adjustable dampers. Mazda also describes independent suspension and variable-assist rack-and-pinion steering. That combination explains why the GT Turbo was presented as a complete chassis-and-powertrain package rather than a normal 626 with extra boost.
Source: Mazda brochure · GT Turbo performance and chassis page ↗Where these facts come from
- Mazda Motor of America · 1986 Mazda 626 sales brochure scan
- Mazda brochure · GT Turbo performance and chassis page
- AutoWeek Netherlands · European 626 Coupé 2.0i GT record
- Automobile Catalog · 1986 North American 626 GT Turbo Coupe
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed 2026-10-02.