That means it's almost not shameful enough for our purposes.
What we need this week, then, is a 1970s import that has enough cool to get you hooked, yet not enough to convince anybody else that you did the right thing in obtaining one. How about a quasi-luxurious Mazda with oddball looks, crushingly low sales figures, and worse fuel economy than a Chrysler Newport?
The RX-4, aka the Luce Rotary, was available in the United States for the 1974 through 1978 model years. It weighed around 2,700 pounds and made a very respectable 110 horsepower from its 13B Wankel engine.
Those were pretty similar numbers to the Datsun 610's, but the 1975 610 listed for $4,169 and the RX-4 hardtop coupe went for $4,597… and then there was the fuel-economy thing. That means hardly RX-4s were sold, and just about zero RX-4s were kept in nice condition. That means you'd need to be nuts to try to restore one today. And, of course, you should.
Image source: Mazda Rotary Enthusiasts Club