Old 10-25-2009, 04:35 PM
  #37  
dpassmore
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Birmingham Al.
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Close but no.
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The Mazda Rotary Engine Pick up or REPU for short, IS a quick and agile small pick up truck with cargo capcity to hold well over half a ton. In its day it ran circles around the other Japanese imports in ever catagory from braking and handling to its bold and unique exterior apperance.. While other imported trucks at the time owed their interior styling cues to the inside of a refridgerator, the REPU's looked similar to the sportier cues found in cars. But how could they make a 1.3 liter motor with very little torque work in the REPU ? Why thats almost 300cc. smaller than the most anemic little four bangers in the Datsuns and Toyotas at the time. Well as some of you know it worked like magic. Coupled with a 4.6 rearend a 1974 REPU w/4-speed blew the doors of every imported truck of the time in a quarter mile timed event. Yeah, so what you say. Well they then brought out the small block V8 American trucks, lined them up and preceeded to have their doors blown off. Only when they brought out big V8 power (over 400ci.) did they find something that would beat the little hummer. (Pickup,Van &4WD magazine, July 1974.)
The Rotary Pick up was imported to the U.S. starting in 1974 and ending sometime in 1977. I am not sure what Mazda had in mind with this decision but, they didn't send it anywhere else in the world ? They came with only basic factory options like 4 speed ( 5 speed the last two years) or a 3 speed automatic. A/C, center console, rear bumpers, stripes and towing mirrors were dealer options. Mazda manufactured roughly 15,000 of them, most coming in 74 and 75. With many different colors offered in the line up I really can't say how many exterior colors the REPU came in. I do know that for the first couple of years interior color was a choice of either black or white, with tan and blue coming later in production.
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