In the late 1980s, if you really wanted to buy a definitive hot hatch, you would cut a check to Volkswagen for its Golf GTI. Here, you’d get a car with perfectly balanced performance as well as ...

Cars with turbocharging and all-wheel drive have been commonplace for decades now, but such was not the case back in the 1980s. Mazda wanted to compete in Group A rally competition back then, though, ...

The little turbocharged Mazda 323 GTX that helped kick off the hot hatchback market slipped into the U.S. market almost under the radar, selling less than 1,300 units here. The GTX was introduced to ...

Hidden under Mazda's R&D center in Irvine, California, is a hidden collection of strays—everything from John Finger's ex-IMSA MX-6 to a lemon-yellow 1978 GLC with just 7000 miles on the clock. There's ...

Within the ranks of the Mazda 323 lurks the GTX, a car that could be mistaken for a small economy car. But only once. Indeed, the 323 GTX is a fooler – it’s a nifty pocket rocket that can not only go ...

Several automotive brands are synonymous with the racing events they compete in. When someone says “NASCAR” your mind will likely jump to Ford or Chevrolet. Utter “Formula 1” to any racing fan and ...

Detroit's sporty front-drive compacts of the early 1980s meet many of the qualifications for serious Hell Garage inmates, but where's the racing heritage? Oh, sure, the Citaion X-11 competed in SCCA ...

I have a particular soft spot for the Mazda 323 GTX — it was a WRX before there was a WRX, a little late '80s turbo homologation special that did reasonably well in Group A rally. I have an even ...

Nigel first entered the world of automotive journalism in the mid-80s, working for what was then the “bible” of weekly automotive content - Motoring News. Those were the days of tip-tap typewriters, ...