Luce 1500/1800

The Mazda Luce had some unquestionably unusual proportions for its day: the passenger compartment is quite long with respect to the car body; the window surfaces rise up in a strongly vertical position, almost equalling the sheet metal on the side. On the whole the result was sound and definitely innovative, but perhaps not a complete success. At this point in time Giugiaro was comfortable with sports car shapes, but clearly less so with sedans. His first really successful three-box model came only with the Alfa Romeo 1750 (1967). It must be said, however, that the Mazda Luce clearly anticipated the proportions of European sedans of the Seventies, while it was to remain the only example of a modern three-box sedan in Japan for many years.