After an early flirtation with V-twin engines, Mazda's small cars of the 1960s were powered by OHV straight-4 engines. This family lasted from 1961 until the mid-1970s. Today, Mazda's keicars use Suzuki engines.
Contents |
The 358 cc water-cooled OHV straight-4 DA engine, used in the 1962 P360 Carol had a tiny 46 mm (1.8 in) bore and 54 mm (2.1 in) stroke. This was one of the smallest production 4-cylinder automobile engines in history, only beaten by Honda's 356 cc I4 unit used in the T360 truck. The engine's small size was dictated by Japan's kei car rules which offered special status to vehicles with engines displacing less than 360 cc. Mazda's tiny OHV was the only four-cylinder in the class in the 1960s, but was outperformed by 2-stroke and I3 powerplants from other companies. Mazda also developed a prototype Wankel engine under the limit, but its introduction was blocked by the company's larger competitors. The size limit was raised to 550 cc in 1976, and no other company saw fit to build such a small engine again.
The 586 cc RA engine was a larger version of the 358 cc engine (54.0 x 64.0 mm). It was used in the 1962-1964 P600 Carol and produced 28 hp (21 kW).
The SA, a larger 782 cc engine powered the 1963-1967 Mazda Familia and the 1966 Mazda Bongo. Bore was 58 mm (2.3 in) and stroke was 74 mm (2.9 in) for this water-cooled OHV engine.
The 987 cc PB engine, a separate development, used a square 68 mm (2.7 in) bore and stroke. It was a water-cooled OHV engine and first powered the 1967 Mazda Familia 1000. Output ranged from 52 to 58 PS (38 to 43 kW), depending on the application.
One of the more-popular variants of this family was the 1.2 L (1,169 cc) TB unit found in the Familia/1200. Bore was 70 mm (2.8 in) and stroke was 76 mm (3.0 in). The 1200 Coupé used a Hitachi/Stromberg carburetor and 8.6:1 compression to produce 68 PS (50 kW) at 6,000 rpm and 9.6 kg·m (94 N·m) at 3,000 rpm.[1]