This is a 1976 Mazda RX-3 Wagon Custom. Nicknamed "FURSTY", the RX-3 was a rotary-engined version of the Grand Familia series of automobiles produced by Mazda from 1971 to 1978.
The Grand Familia was intended to be a replacement for the smaller Familia to better compete with the Toyota Corolla, Nissan Sunny and Mitsubishi Colt. It was available in a number of different versions, such as the rotary engine-powered RX-3 and was sold in various export markets under different names. The Grand Familia and RX-3 were also taken racing with success. Production ended in 1978.
FURSTY is owned by New Zealand drifter Mad Mike Whiddett, this being stated to be his first "street weapon". It started life as a Mazda 808, the only wagon version of the Grand Familia family offered in the region; the car was given a RX-3 front end facelift, an Alec Bell Mazda 1.3L 13B peripheral ported rotary engine, Weber IDA carb and K&N air filter poking out the hood. FURSTY was later sold in 2005, with Whiddett later creating MADBUL, his RX-7, which would become one of his signature builds.
FURSTY changed hands a number of times, with Whiddett buying it back in 2023. The car was then rebuilt by IMR Fabrication with a custom chassis and fitted with a Rocket Bunny body kit among other modifications. Further modifications were conducted by TCP Magic in Kobe, who fitted it with a custom 2.6L 26B 4-rotor engine; the car rides on Toyo Tires Proxes and custom Rotiform rims. Unveiled at the 2024 Tokyo Auto Salon, FURSTY was used in competition for the 2024 D1GP series, driving for Toyo Tires × RedBull TCP Magic; it is also used for Whiddett's various showruns.
Now this casting was designed by Ron Wong and introduced in 2025. This is currently its only release.
