I read some stinkers in the comment talking shit about how they like watching the higher end cars. I disagree. I love, ABSOLUTELY love these videos with cheaper cars that have some cool shit that not many people know about. Keep doing what you're doing. That said, they just don't make Japanese cars or engines like they did back in the mid 90's. Just amazing variety that came out of that decade from all the greats. Subaru, Mitsubishi, Honda, Toyota, Yamaha, Suzuki etc. So many cars, so many awesome things. Many of them handled like a dream and had motors you could revv to the moon. These days it's just all emissions and cost cutting and boring shit.
AlternateSteve90 For sure man. So many awesome cars. I think we're all lusting after them now that they're somewhat hard to find. Which is sad, because finding cars like that today is a pain. They're either far too expensive or just not the same at all.
RegularCars If you're in Victoria Australia sometime, I'll let you drive my Mazda Mx6 with the 2.5L version of this engine and a loud exhaust. Fun times will be had.
Me as a guy who loves FWD cars (don't know why) I really like these 2.0 V6s in FWD cars. I think thats something only the japanese did. I mean its really cool. And they rev really high.
This reminds me of my MX6 with the 2.5 KLZE; one of the best engines I've ever driven. The 2.5's sound was the perfect mix of a VW VR6 and a Honda 4 cylinder VTEC engine.
The 323F was a very big seller in Ireland. Both the BG & BA versions. Also very reliable. They were almost like a cross between a Celica and a Civic in terms off looks and appearance. . The BA V6s were called GT in Ireland and ZXi in the UK. But they had less HP than the JDM Lantis versions . Around 146 BHP, while the JDM Lantis Type R being 175 BHP
I had a ford probe GT with the Mazda 2.5 KLDE engine. Thing reved to 7.5k and sounded like a GT-R or an audi V6. That was a sleak little car, I miss it.
Awesome Matt, I love the One Take vids...And as a north american living in NZ, I'm super stoked to see you here!! Keep up the AWESOME WORK TheSmokingTire
Gota love the death traps in NZ, Matt hopefully while your there you can see some to the tuner cars that are around and get a taste for the NZ car scene
These videos are great!!! I like watching these budget minded owners critique there own vehicles, and not think that they are on top of the world thinking that they can compete with anyone anywhere. These are much better than those super car videos that Matt previously made. It's nice knowing what other budget minded car owners own and do to make perform there liking! Keep up the good work Matt!!!
I'm so glad that the makers of Automation are car guys. Great game, by the way. I haven't bought it yet, as I'm waiting a bit into production. (I've been burned by buying super-early access before)
...I seriously thought I was tripping when they were talking about this car like it was something unique (and apparently even "nicer than 323") while all I saw was a freaking 323 :D
Having owned three V6 Mazdas (two Xedos6s and a Eunos 30x/ Mazda MX3), I'm pretty sure Andy has given Matt the wrong engine specs. The 170bhp engine was fitted only to the Lantis Type R, which also had a deeper front air-dam, side skirts, and a rear spoiler. None of these is apparent on this car and, anyway, the Type R was sold only in Japan. I suspect, therefore, this engine is the same as in my Xedos6: a two-litre V6, red-lined at 7,000 and yielding 140-147 bhp, depending on model year. Here in the UK, the car was sold as the 323F ZXi. Whatever, this motor does make a lovely noise and is very smooth (although the VW narrow-angle V6 is even better in that regard). If you really want it to frighten the horses, fit a straight-through back box: the resulting snarl is pretty satisfying !
Both the Lantis and Lantis Type R were popular used imports in NZ... NZ is full of dealerships that exclusively deal in used Japanese imports, and they will also source vehicles specifically for you. Theres likely to be more used imports on the road in NZ than vehicles that were registered and sold new. I owned both a Lantis and a Lantis Type R and not all type Rs had the body kit. This is definitely a Type R, you can tell by the wheels as the Type R had the 5 spoke alloys with 5 nuts, vs the 1.8 litre engine which came standard with steel wheels and 4 nuts, normally fitted with hubcaps.
SWEET!!! I have one of these. It's called the 323F Sport in my country (Caribbean), and has a 1.6L BA engine with 4 speed auto. The 1.6 is actually a gem of a motor too... it has variable intake lengths (controlled by a butterfly) and creates a sonorous intake note esp with a cone filter. The 4 speed isn't bad either... shifts pretty slick and has a sport mode. Twisty coastal road drive on a sunny day with the windows and sunroof open is blissful. Best car I've ever owned
This car would be comparable to a Mazda MX-3, they are 1.8 liter V6 DOHC (KLDE I believe) but with 2 doors, TheSmokingTire try driving one when you are back in US.
My mom had an MX-3 for about 10 years, but it wasn't a V6... I didn't even know there were V6's. It had a 1.6 in line 4. It was fun, but SLOW. Had problems getting out of our garage if you stopped in the middle of the hill. We had to reverse back down and power up hahaha...
To my ears it sounds very similar to BMWs 2 liter inline six (never sold in US) - short stroke, happy to rev, silky smooth. I'm glad to see people getting the charm of these small displacement, cool architecture engines. The craziest I know of is Alfa Romeo's 2 liter V8!! made for 33 Stradale. Wish I could hear that thing.
Don't listen to the haters, Matt. These "One Takes" are a lot of fun because most of the time they are cars that I could afford to own. I also enjoy your "feature reviews" but keep up these fun little videos!
The sound you get from those Mazda V-6's is from the camshaft drive train and four cams. Get a drive in an MX-6 or last Gen Ford Probe Their v6 is a bigger displacement version. Then, IF you can find a running, Supercharged, Miller cycle Millenia S You will be even more enamored with the 90's Mazdas. I miss being a Mazda Senior tech even if it meant dealing with Rx-7s and RX-8s
I spent $1400 on a 1992 Acura Integra Gs-r a year after getting out of high school. The downside was the abs pump module was dying so it would lock all 4 disc brakes up. IIRC it was quite expensive to replace with a new abs module back in 2007. I ended up turning it into a non-abs car. It ended up working fantastically with a nice sticky rubber tire. I also put a Competition Clutches clutch in the car. The 1.7L DOHC Vtec was a great engine (B17a1). I installed a intake manifold, air intake, header and had a shop weld up a nice exhaust on a vibrant muffler. The muffler made the exhaust note sound great. It was very deep. The car came stock with 170 hp so I would say those few modifications added probably 10-15 hp. Unfortunately it rained extremely hard one night and water leaked down one the ecu and fried it. On the good side I had drove the car for probably 40k miles before this happened. I know I could buy another ecu and have a shop tune it and it would run again but the motor needed to be freshened up. It was burning a little oil so I probably needed to put new seals or rings in it. I ended up buying a new car after. I still have the car though. Every so often I will see it and it makes me remember how much fun I had with such a cheap car. Fwd cars are a lot of fun to drive around. Maybe one day I will rebuild the motor, buy a new set of injectors, a new ecu and have it tuned.
The Mazda k series really are incredibly smooth and sound insane. I have a MX-3 with the 1.8 V6 (essentially the cousin of the Lantis) and even though it's kind of slow, it is definitely one of the most enjoyable cars to drive. I really can't think of many other cars within the same price range that drive as well it does.
i did not seek a lantis out either. i was all gloomy about how id never get to drive a rotary car, then just randomly today, i saw a strange looking, red, 80s-90s jdm car with that weird circular logo on the front. being a mazda fanboy, i said wait, is that a fucking mazda right by my house??? it looked similar to an rx7 fc, but it obviously wasnt. when i came back from school, it was still there. i took pictures of it. it had a v6 badge. i immediately fell in love because im a shitbox addict. (the special type of shitbox, those that are cheap but are surprisingly well made at just the right portions, making them driver's cars) and i was just looking for a shitbox i could love. it found me instead. also, theres a really big possibility that that car is tuned. it had brand new interiors. and i support it to the moon. i even have my own list of mods: coilovers, exhaust, smol turbo (just to give that boost feeling to make it even more fun, not looking for great power), possibly wheels and definitely tyres, maybe seats, maybe some sort of steering upgrade, because listening to guys on youtube talk about how precise and direct their rx7 steers makes me extremely jealous.
Wow! What a surprise! I've been playing Automation for like fucking... 2 YEARS NOW. Been playing since the beginning! Huge fan. You just never know who you'll see on TST, but wow was not expecting this lol Awesome car too. Good luck on your Steam launch.
The Lantis was a race car in the 90s JTCC, so the engine is almost race car purpose build, so maybe that's the reason why it gave you such fun on the road.
Thanks for this episode! I always wanted to see the real version used in Tokyo Extreme Racer. The engine looks just like the 2.5L one used in the Probe GT.
My 1996 Buick LeSabre was awesome... It was the first year of the newer 3.8 V6 and it's horsepower and torque rose by quite a but. That thing was so surprisingly quick. If you had it in second gear at about 20-25 and floored it, it just TOOK OFF. it was so surprising. If you ever have a chance to do that Matt, then do it was awesome. I miss that car.
TheSmokingTire Oh man.. early 90s Commodore 3.8s.. felt like they were spinning a massive unbalanced weight, sounded like a piece of agricultural equipment and made about 170hp. I guess they were reasonably reliable at least.
Ya i know about those, I guess i go lucky. plus, they were fairly fuel efficient considering it had a 4 speed and was a large V6. It also was a Wards 10 Best Engine. Also, I love what you and the guys that help you film do. I have been watching you for a long time already, would find it awesome to meet you one day. Thanks for the awesome videos you bring to us.
oh man ... I used to love these, but never got the opportunity to own one ... they were badged with special M-Edition badges. great to see one in good running shape.
Hi Matt, Mazda did make left-hand-drive versions of the Lantis, although not with that engine. For a few years it was officially sold in the Philippines, an LHD country, with a 1.6L four-banger. The Lantis (aka "323F") was always a quiet favorite of mine. It was the best-looking 323 platform variant of the 1990s for sure.
Welcome to NZ Matt, great videos. Yep the car scene is pretty cool here, you can get pretty much any performance make you want, 2nd hand of course. I have a jdm spec xt forester and wife has mk5 gti golf, both for $16k nzd
Matt awesome video. I really really really like these videos. I can't afford 99% of the fancy cars you drive, yes it's still fun to watch crazy expensive cars reviewed but this is alot more fun. E.g. this car isn't something you think is good but it is. It's also fun to see these sort of cars reviewed to our standards and not the usual you can fit golf clubs in the boot. Also it's interesting to see how older cars stack up against newer ones. I don't know if your camera could do it but 60hz would be sweet. Keep up the good work anyways.
This car was sold new in New Zealand as the Mazda Astina. It was offered with either a 1.6 or 1.8 litre four cylinder, or the 2.0 litre V6. In the rest of the world the four cylinders were badged the 323, while the V6 was called the 323F.
Awesome that you're in NZ, I'm sure i'd have know that If i kept in touch on other social media I assume? So cool nonetheless. I never actually knew this car had so much power, I always overlooked it, as i thought it was just another 4banger. It's amazing what you can get in NZ for $1500-$1600, surprising a lot of car for the money!
I tried some early demo of the game they're making. That old version basically had little more than the engine design part but just that was enough to entertain me for a couple of hours even if the free demo only allowed inline 4 engines. The sound engine really produced accurate sounds for the engines and it was neat to recreate the engine from my CRX and see that the power and sound was very close to the real thing =)
Automation is an utterly fascinating game for anyone who's into building cars, in general. Hell, I've built dozens of cars myself, already. I've even invented a few fictional car companies; lots of fun to be had all around. Believe me, if you're a gearhead, you won't want to miss out on this game. =D
If you go read "Mazda K engine" from wikipedia, it says the JDM version (ZE) produced 162 PS. There is an applications list there too mentions the Lantis.
Over here in the UK they sold the Mazda MX3 coupe with a 1.8 v6 engine great little car but not easy to work on. They also sold a 4 door saloon called a Xedos that had a 2 litre v6 engine. I was a trainee mechanic at a Mazda dealer at the time 😉.
I have a Lantis Type R that I race here in NZ. They aren't really the mad sports hatch, Integras and Levins eat me all day but it is fun to drive! Made my day seeing TheSmokingTire taking one for a spin!
AutomationGame Get as much weight out of it as you can. I dunno what else. I can't change much in 2kCup! Just drive it like it's a rental, or company car! Sort of works for me. ;)
I watch all of the One Take's. High quality cameras and fancy editing does nothing for the content. I don't even remember what your old videos were about. Love these, keep them coming.
Matt, these cars were built for homologation in certain touring car championships. I'm thinking that's a Lantis Type R since he said it was 170 PS and has a VLSD.
There is a kp61 Starlet near my house than has been an occasionally driven for over 18 years. Growing up (and to this day) I always took a look at it whilst driving past at 45mph. Guess I have New Zeland dream car aspirations in my blood.
I love New Zealand. The idea of a dream car here is like a Starlet with a 4-rotor in it or some crazy shit. I've asked every one of our subjects down here what their dream car is, and not a single one has mentioned something expensive from Europe.
That is so refreshing to hear. I forget how much rally culture can make people fanatics for such unique cars. Keep us updated on the trip dude, and most of all have fun on those lil roads.
We had them in the UK, they were sold as the "323F", my dad had a 1996 with a 1.8i engine. He told me once that "if [your mother] knew how much this thing costs in fuel, she'd make me sell it." I always thought that car was coming to me, but I couldn't afford the insurance. He sold it with 66,000 miles about 5 years ago for £300.
I read some stinkers in the comment talking shit about how they like watching the higher end cars. I disagree. I love, ABSOLUTELY love these videos with cheaper cars that have some cool shit that not many people know about. Keep doing what you're doing.
That said, they just don't make Japanese cars or engines like they did back in the mid 90's. Just amazing variety that came out of that decade from all the greats. Subaru, Mitsubishi, Honda, Toyota, Yamaha, Suzuki etc. So many cars, so many awesome things.
Many of them handled like a dream and had motors you could revv to the moon. These days it's just all emissions and cost cutting and boring shit.
Don't forget Mazda, and the 3rd gen RX-7s, either. =)
AlternateSteve90 For sure man. So many awesome cars. I think we're all lusting after them now that they're somewhat hard to find. Which is sad, because finding cars like that today is a pain. They're either far too expensive or just not the same at all.
Hiiiii Aaaaaandy
Daaaannn Arrrrnets.
I is best bro. (Pretty sure that's how I'm supposed to respond, right?)
RegularCars If you're in Victoria Australia sometime, I'll let you drive my Mazda Mx6 with the 2.5L version of this engine and a loud exhaust. Fun times will be had.
Hi Mr.regular ;)
Hiiiii Mr Regulaaaaaar.
Me as a guy who loves FWD cars (don't know why) I really like these 2.0 V6s in FWD cars. I think thats something only the japanese did. I mean its really cool. And they rev really high.
One of my favorite cars in Grand Turismo 6, and one of my favorite cars of the 1990s. Great find!
Don't forget about NFS Hot Pursuit
This reminds me of my MX6 with the 2.5 KLZE; one of the best engines I've ever driven. The 2.5's sound was the perfect mix of a VW VR6 and a Honda 4 cylinder VTEC engine.
The 323F was a very big seller in Ireland. Both the BG & BA versions. Also very reliable. They were almost like a cross between a Celica and a Civic in terms off looks and appearance. . The BA V6s were called GT in Ireland and ZXi in the UK. But they had less HP than the JDM Lantis versions . Around 146 BHP, while the JDM Lantis Type R being 175 BHP
New Zealand!!!
Hey look, it's the Kiwi man. Hi Nick.
Pedro Silva what
Pedro Silva Got to love TheSmokingTire, Matt is always outstanding.
Nick Murray who
Needles Kane I am another car reviewer on UA-cam
We also got it in Europe as the 323f V6 , so not only RHD.
Great vid as always :)
That was dope Matt! And now im headed to C-List to find an old MX-3
Love the One Take format!! Real cars that people actually drive!
Awesome video , let's get more unique cars like this!
I had a ford probe GT with the Mazda 2.5 KLDE engine. Thing reved to 7.5k and sounded like a GT-R or an audi V6. That was a sleak little car, I miss it.
Yea learned how to drive stick on one of those. easy to forget your driving a lil ford
They were awesome, I had a 94 black GT.. Loved it
I miss mine too.
Brian Lavin It was easy to forget the Probe was a Ford because it was actually a Mazda MX-6.
Bob Hope Yep, you can look at those cars and see the Mazda in them, the rear end always gave me Rx7 vibes...
Awesome Matt, I love the One Take vids...And as a north american living in NZ, I'm super stoked to see you here!! Keep up the AWESOME WORK TheSmokingTire
Automation is amazing, very cool to see one of the guys behind it
It messed my head up to see you driving on the correct side of the road! Hahaha, hope you enjoy the rare cars they have to offer!
Keep it up Matt! These direct, raw videos are great.
Would love that engine in an NA miata...
I still can't fathom why that wasn't a factory option.. would have been amazing.
Here ya go! Nutty built NA - forums.mightycarmods.com/showthread.php?4032-Andrew-s-1993-MX-5
AutomationGame I can't fathom why the KLZE wasn't the R engine, just swap it in and it runs. 30 more hp 30 tq na, way more aggressive sound too.
Gota love the death traps in NZ, Matt hopefully while your there you can see some to the tuner cars that are around and get a taste for the NZ car scene
These videos are great!!! I like watching these budget minded owners critique there own vehicles, and not think that they are on top of the world thinking that they can compete with anyone anywhere. These are much better than those super car videos that Matt previously made. It's nice knowing what other budget minded car owners own and do to make perform there liking! Keep up the good work Matt!!!
New Zealand! So great to see you down here. :)
I'm so glad that the makers of Automation are car guys. Great game, by the way. I haven't bought it yet, as I'm waiting a bit into production. (I've been burned by buying super-early access before)
We sure are car guys, though don't have anything that impressive yet.
I love the game.
That´s not true that it is only came in right hand drive.. You can get it too in EU were its called 323F (F for four-door)
***** nice! good tip.
Also Matt, they made a Coupe version too. Named 323C
TheSmokingTire mi first i saw i though a 323.
...I seriously thought I was tripping when they were talking about this car like it was something unique (and apparently even "nicer than 323") while all I saw was a freaking 323 :D
Canada, too. There's one about a block from me. They used a slightly different nose on it, though.
This guy created a game I didn't even know I wanted. I found it about a year ago and I love every bit of it.
1:08 32 valve in a V6? Matt, I'm sure you meant 24 valve?
YourName ugh, I stink. Yeah, 24 valve.
Having owned three V6 Mazdas (two Xedos6s and a Eunos 30x/ Mazda MX3), I'm pretty sure Andy has given Matt the wrong engine specs. The 170bhp engine was fitted only to the Lantis Type R, which also had a deeper front air-dam, side skirts, and a rear spoiler. None of these is apparent on this car and, anyway, the Type R was sold only in Japan. I suspect, therefore, this engine is the same as in my Xedos6: a two-litre V6, red-lined at 7,000 and yielding 140-147 bhp, depending on model year. Here in the UK, the car was sold as the 323F ZXi.
Whatever, this motor does make a lovely noise and is very smooth (although the VW narrow-angle V6 is even better in that regard). If you really want it to frighten the horses, fit a straight-through back box: the resulting snarl is pretty satisfying !
Shane Norman in nz we can direct import cars so cars made for jdm only isn't an issue for us if you really wanted the car ;)
Both the Lantis and Lantis Type R were popular used imports in NZ... NZ is full of dealerships that exclusively deal in used Japanese imports, and they will also source vehicles specifically for you. Theres likely to be more used imports on the road in NZ than vehicles that were registered and sold new.
I owned both a Lantis and a Lantis Type R and not all type Rs had the body kit. This is definitely a Type R, you can tell by the wheels as the Type R had the 5 spoke alloys with 5 nuts, vs the 1.8 litre engine which came standard with steel wheels and 4 nuts, normally fitted with hubcaps.
Another interesting 2.0 v6 to look out for. The 6A12 2.0 V6 Twin Turbo from a Galant VR-4
Yeah but why would you when the earlier one had a 4G63T?
Samuel Brown Because small displacement V6's are fucking awesome. Way more unique than a crank-walk prone 4G63.
New Zealand looks stunning.
So cool you chose NZ. South Island really is that good, glad you loved. Christchurch to Queenstown via the West Coast is crazy good.
I have the non v6 version of this mazda, and im from new zealand, thank you for the video!!!!!
I knew it was you guys, saw u outside Auckland Skycity last week.
SWEET!!! I have one of these. It's called the 323F Sport in my country (Caribbean), and has a 1.6L BA engine with 4 speed auto. The 1.6 is actually a gem of a motor too... it has variable intake lengths (controlled by a butterfly) and creates a sonorous intake note esp with a cone filter. The 4 speed isn't bad either... shifts pretty slick and has a sport mode. Twisty coastal road drive on a sunny day with the windows and sunroof open is blissful. Best car I've ever owned
it is called mazda 323f in Europe. Had 2 of these. Very agile cars, fun to ride. Engines unbeatable.
Good to see some NZ on here, wicked vid
This car would be comparable to a Mazda MX-3, they are 1.8 liter V6 DOHC (KLDE I believe) but with 2 doors, TheSmokingTire try driving one when you are back in US.
I had MX3 V6 5 or 6 years ago. Man that thing was fun to drive. It also revved to 7,800.. I miss that sound
Yeah, they are awesome little cars, very underrated, and the KLZE 2.5 swap makes them little sleepers
My mom had an MX-3 for about 10 years, but it wasn't a V6... I didn't even know there were V6's. It had a 1.6 in line 4. It was fun, but SLOW. Had problems getting out of our garage if you stopped in the middle of the hill. We had to reverse back down and power up hahaha...
*****
KLZE MX3s are amazing. An engine like that should have been put in the new Miata.
***** 2 doors.
@TheSmokingTire killing it with one takes.. keep up the good work.
To my ears it sounds very similar to BMWs 2 liter inline six (never sold in US) - short stroke, happy to rev, silky smooth.
I'm glad to see people getting the charm of these small displacement, cool architecture engines. The craziest I know of is Alfa Romeo's 2 liter V8!! made for 33 Stradale. Wish I could hear that thing.
Don't listen to the haters, Matt. These "One Takes" are a lot of fun because most of the time they are cars that I could afford to own. I also enjoy your "feature reviews" but keep up these fun little videos!
The sound you get from those Mazda V-6's is from the camshaft drive train and four cams.
Get a drive in an MX-6 or last Gen Ford Probe Their v6 is a bigger displacement version.
Then, IF you can find a running, Supercharged, Miller cycle Millenia S You will be even more enamored with the 90's Mazdas.
I miss being a Mazda Senior tech even if it meant dealing with Rx-7s and RX-8s
I loved the idea of the high compression Miller Cycle, it is a shame what a turd they actually are though.
I spent $1400 on a 1992 Acura Integra Gs-r a year after getting out of high school. The downside was the abs pump module was dying so it would lock all 4 disc brakes up. IIRC it was quite expensive to replace with a new abs module back in 2007. I ended up turning it into a non-abs car. It ended up working fantastically with a nice sticky rubber tire. I also put a Competition Clutches clutch in the car. The 1.7L DOHC Vtec was a great engine (B17a1). I installed a intake manifold, air intake, header and had a shop weld up a nice exhaust on a vibrant muffler. The muffler made the exhaust note sound great. It was very deep. The car came stock with 170 hp so I would say those few modifications added probably 10-15 hp. Unfortunately it rained extremely hard one night and water leaked down one the ecu and fried it. On the good side I had drove the car for probably 40k miles before this happened. I know I could buy another ecu and have a shop tune it and it would run again but the motor needed to be freshened up. It was burning a little oil so I probably needed to put new seals or rings in it. I ended up buying a new car after. I still have the car though. Every so often I will see it and it makes me remember how much fun I had with such a cheap car. Fwd cars are a lot of fun to drive around. Maybe one day I will rebuild the motor, buy a new set of injectors, a new ecu and have it tuned.
The Mazda k series really are incredibly smooth and sound insane. I have a MX-3 with the 1.8 V6 (essentially the cousin of the Lantis) and even though it's kind of slow, it is definitely one of the most enjoyable cars to drive. I really can't think of many other cars within the same price range that drive as well it does.
Patrick Krenz could post or videos, I really want one
i did not seek a lantis out either. i was all gloomy about how id never get to drive a rotary car, then just randomly today, i saw a strange looking, red, 80s-90s jdm car with that weird circular logo on the front. being a mazda fanboy, i said wait, is that a fucking mazda right by my house??? it looked similar to an rx7 fc, but it obviously wasnt. when i came back from school, it was still there. i took pictures of it. it had a v6 badge. i immediately fell in love because im a shitbox addict. (the special type of shitbox, those that are cheap but are surprisingly well made at just the right portions, making them driver's cars) and i was just looking for a shitbox i could love. it found me instead.
also, theres a really big possibility that that car is tuned. it had brand new interiors. and i support it to the moon. i even have my own list of mods: coilovers, exhaust, smol turbo (just to give that boost feeling to make it even more fun, not looking for great power), possibly wheels and definitely tyres, maybe seats, maybe some sort of steering upgrade, because listening to guys on youtube talk about how precise and direct their rx7 steers makes me extremely jealous.
Wow! What a surprise! I've been playing Automation for like fucking... 2 YEARS NOW. Been playing since the beginning! Huge fan. You just never know who you'll see on TST, but wow was not expecting this lol Awesome car too.
Good luck on your Steam launch.
I knew this was coming for a while now, but its still so weird to see Daffy in the car with Matt...but its got me grinning ear to ear.
G'day Cone.
Awesome ya came here to NZ, love your work :)
Aw damn. I quickly scrolled and thought it was a VW Corrado at first glance. Can't wait to see a VR6 Corrado on here. :D
+1 that's one of my favorite cars
Yeeeeah! Same.
Would love someone to offer a Corrado. Hasn't happened yet.
TheSmokingTire
Sadly I sold my Corrado VR6 turbo, but you would have had to come to England anyway...it was a damn fun car, I miss it.
TheSmokingTire vr6 pah needs to be a g60
Matt, I think you're becoming a Mazda enthusiast.
first time I've ever heard of this car and I know I want one
my god i love NZ!
This is down the road from my house! Love taking my cars and motorbikes down there..
There were cars in Japan in the late 80's with auto climate control and power folding mirrors.
Can't wait to see more Kiwi videos!
The Lantis was a race car in the 90s JTCC, so the engine is almost race car purpose build, so maybe that's the reason why it gave you such fun on the road.
the 2.5L version of these engines is bloody amazing mounted in an mx5.. i wish it had been a factory option!
Love your reviews man! Keep it up.
I like this little thing, it's SWEEET!
Thanks for this episode! I always wanted to see the real version used in Tokyo Extreme Racer. The engine looks just like the 2.5L one used in the Probe GT.
Yup!
Sold in Europe as 323F. Cool car back then. We had the 323 models that were the Pulsars in US and then also this. The 2.0 V6 was really unique.
Saw the Automation shirt and then you said hes a dev for it.. Started cracking up.
Small world. Never thought I'd see it mentioned here.
My stepbrother had a 323F V6, pretty good fun.
This is so much better! Yall showed what we wanted, Thank you! Lol
This makes me want to move to NZ even more :D
My 1996 Buick LeSabre was awesome... It was the first year of the newer 3.8 V6 and it's horsepower and torque rose by quite a but. That thing was so surprisingly quick. If you had it in second gear at about 20-25 and floored it, it just TOOK OFF. it was so surprising. If you ever have a chance to do that Matt, then do it was awesome. I miss that car.
by the end of the 3800's run, they had it figured out. The ones from the 80's were dreadful though.
TheSmokingTire Oh man.. early 90s Commodore 3.8s.. felt like they were spinning a massive unbalanced weight, sounded like a piece of agricultural equipment and made about 170hp. I guess they were reasonably reliable at least.
Ya i know about those, I guess i go lucky. plus, they were fairly fuel efficient considering it had a 4 speed and was a large V6. It also was a Wards 10 Best Engine. Also, I love what you and the guys that help you film do. I have been watching you for a long time already, would find it awesome to meet you one day. Thanks for the awesome videos you bring to us.
Much appreciated.
I was looking for one of those but could never find one :/
oh man ... I used to love these, but never got the opportunity to own one ... they were badged with special M-Edition badges. great to see one in good running shape.
This entire video is making me feel like I'd fit in really well in New Zealand
Anyone that says the Mazda K series doesn't sound fantastic has never been around one. The one thing I will miss most from my KL/KLZE days.
seems like a cool little car
Thats a wicked little car!
Hi Matt, Mazda did make left-hand-drive versions of the Lantis, although not with that engine. For a few years it was officially sold in the Philippines, an LHD country, with a 1.6L four-banger.
The Lantis (aka "323F") was always a quiet favorite of mine. It was the best-looking 323 platform variant of the 1990s for sure.
I have ut with that engine, it's a gt variant, officially sold with 2.0 V6 in Europe
Welcome to NZ Matt, great videos. Yep the car scene is pretty cool here, you can get pretty much any performance make you want, 2nd hand of course. I have a jdm spec xt forester and wife has mk5 gti golf, both for $16k nzd
Matt awesome video. I really really really like these videos. I can't afford 99% of the fancy cars you drive, yes it's still fun to watch crazy expensive cars reviewed but this is alot more fun. E.g. this car isn't something you think is good but it is. It's also fun to see these sort of cars reviewed to our standards and not the usual you can fit golf clubs in the boot. Also it's interesting to see how older cars stack up against newer ones.
I don't know if your camera could do it but 60hz would be sweet. Keep up the good work anyways.
This car was sold new in New Zealand as the Mazda Astina. It was offered with either a 1.6 or 1.8 litre four cylinder, or the 2.0 litre V6. In the rest of the world the four cylinders were badged the 323, while the V6 was called the 323F.
Cool little car!
Haa - My mate just sent me me the link. This was my old car. Glad your enjoying it.
Loving it! Will soon be turned into my autocross/hillclimb car :)
Had no idea that car had any sporting potential at all. That's pretty cool.
Andy's car!!! That's awesome!!!
Awesome that you're in NZ, I'm sure i'd have know that If i kept in touch on other social media I assume? So cool nonetheless.
I never actually knew this car had so much power, I always overlooked it, as i thought it was just another 4banger.
It's amazing what you can get in NZ for $1500-$1600, surprising a lot of car for the money!
A lovely 323f Mazda. I own one too :)
I tried some early demo of the game they're making. That old version basically had little more than the engine design part but just that was enough to entertain me for a couple of hours even if the free demo only allowed inline 4 engines. The sound engine really produced accurate sounds for the engines and it was neat to recreate the engine from my CRX and see that the power and sound was very close to the real thing =)
I had this same engine in all 3 of my Xedos 6's.. Silky smooth
Automation is an utterly fascinating game for anyone who's into building cars, in general. Hell, I've built dozens of cars myself, already. I've even invented a few fictional car companies; lots of fun to be had all around. Believe me, if you're a gearhead, you won't want to miss out on this game. =D
Thanks! :)
Neat little car.
Wiki thinks the only 2.0 V6 in a Mazda Lantis had 147bhp, (KF-DE)?
If you go read "Mazda K engine" from wikipedia, it says the JDM version (ZE) produced 162 PS. There is an applications list there too mentions the Lantis.
Over here in the UK they sold the Mazda MX3 coupe with a 1.8 v6 engine great little car but not easy to work on. They also sold a 4 door saloon called a Xedos that had a 2 litre v6 engine. I was a trainee mechanic at a Mazda dealer at the time 😉.
It was also made as a left hand driver model and sold under name 323F in Europe. 1.5-1.8 four cylinder engines + V6 shown here.
No, this take was sweet!
This guy is my next door neighbor !! Haha you'll have to do another video on this car again. It's a totally different beast now 😅
Sweet ride. Its oddities are like a Japanese Citroen.
17 minutes? Fuck yeah!
I have a Lantis Type R that I race here in NZ. They aren't really the mad sports hatch, Integras and Levins eat me all day but it is fun to drive! Made my day seeing TheSmokingTire taking one for a spin!
Nice! Any tips on building a good Lantis race car? (although we'll be spending a bit more than $2k cup money)
AutomationGame Get as much weight out of it as you can. I dunno what else. I can't change much in 2kCup! Just drive it like it's a rental, or company car! Sort of works for me. ;)
Sounds alot better than my POS 1.8 323 astina
my mum actually had one of these cars. Im quite sad that she didnt keep it. but it was getting quite bad. this brings back the memory's
Holy shit that road is amazing.
I watch all of the One Take's. High quality cameras and fancy editing does nothing for the content. I don't even remember what your old videos were about. Love these, keep them coming.
i like these videos mostly cause we see daily cars and alot of diffrent kinde cars from GTI/s to bmws and all kinde cars its realy cool :)
Now the south island of New Zealand has to go on my bucket list. I like their way of thinking, get an old car and drive it into the ground.
Ermahgerd, I love Automation!
Looks like the valve covers on my old Probe GT 2.5L, but the styling looks less like an MX-3 and more like a Nissan NX2000. I loved that engine.
Matt, these cars were built for homologation in certain touring car championships. I'm thinking that's a Lantis Type R since he said it was 170 PS and has a VLSD.
My first car was a 1994 Mitsubishi Galant with a 2 litre V6 that revs out to 8250 RPM. It was a unique little car.
I debated on getting one of those at a dealership near me. It wasn't a VR4 so that stopped me from getting it, interesting car none the less
There is a kp61 Starlet near my house than has been an occasionally driven for over 18 years. Growing up (and to this day) I always took a look at it whilst driving past at 45mph. Guess I have New Zeland dream car aspirations in my blood.
I love New Zealand. The idea of a dream car here is like a Starlet with a 4-rotor in it or some crazy shit. I've asked every one of our subjects down here what their dream car is, and not a single one has mentioned something expensive from Europe.
That is so refreshing to hear. I forget how much rally culture can make people fanatics for such unique cars. Keep us updated on the trip dude, and most of all have fun on those lil roads.
We had them in the UK, they were sold as the "323F", my dad had a 1996 with a 1.8i engine. He told me once that "if [your mother] knew how much this thing costs in fuel, she'd make me sell it." I always thought that car was coming to me, but I couldn't afford the insurance. He sold it with 66,000 miles about 5 years ago for £300.