Words: Todd Wylie Photos: Deven Solanki
Imagine talking to a technophobic old boy in Australia, telling him you’re happy to deposit money to him for a car you’ve never laid eyes on. That was the situation Tauranga’s Toby Richards found himself in three years ago. That seemingly simple transaction would take five months to complete, as the old fella just couldn’t come to grips with the situation. Toby had very good reason to keep at him though, as the ’79 Mazda 626 in question was as original and unmolested as they get.
While his love of rotors — which extends back to his youth — could have seen him switch to a number of other vehicles, the 626 shape was the one he was set on. While that may seem like an odd choice to some, those who were around Tauranga and the Mount in the late ’90s and early 2000s will understand. Back in those days, there were a handful of well-known 626s all vying for their share of attention. With cars being cheap, petrol being even cheaper, and creativity at an all-time high, the battle to have the best 626 saw a handful of cars end up with distinct themes and almost cult-like followings.
Some of the standouts were the black-and-white coloured Sheriff, the camo green MAS*H machine, and the orange General Lee, complete with a Confederate flag on the roof and numbers on the doors. That sentence alone likely evokes memories for those who were involved at the time, and as it happens, Toby very much was, as he was the owner of the General Lee from the ripe age of 16.
In a familiar story, as life evolved, he ended up selling the car and regretted it for decades after. However, that all changed once Covid kicked in, as he decided that rather than having a dirt bike in the garage, maybe he should get back behind the wheel. This plan soon evolved into him going through the motions of tracking down the original car, only to find that a friend had purchased it and was currently restoring it back to how it was. That left him with only one option — build version 2.0, but with a twist. He tells us, “I found this one on Gumtree and saw it as the perfect chance to build a twin brother to the original — just without the stickers. It was my way of bringing back a piece of the past while making it my own.”
When it finally landed in New Zealand, thanks to Azhar and Pac Performance, the car was every bit as good as how it was described. With that, it was soon complied and Toby even rocked around in it in stock form for the next 12 months.
Turning it into something more special was always the plan though, and he used that time wisely to accumulate the parts he needed. When it came time to pull the factory motor, he soon regretted carpeting the garage of the new house, but managed to make it work without getting himself in too much trouble with his wife.
With the 13B into 626 conversion not as common as 13B 323 conversions, finding parts for it was a bit harder, but the engine itself was a relatively easy score. Plucked from the heart of an FC RX-7, the 13B has been bridgeported and fitted with a 51mm Weber IDA carb. For the right sound and function, the carb sits on a Racing Beat manifold, the 50mm spacers ensuring it sticks out of the bonnet to just the right height. Toby’s favourite part of the build are the headers. Built from mild steel, the tuned length system is reminiscent of classic rally cars. During the shoot, he told us, “That sweeping, upswept design has always stuck with me, so I took inspiration from that for this build. Seeing them curve up and tuck back into the car—it’s a detail I’ve always loved, and now I finally have it on my own car.” Off the back of that work of art is a twin 2-inch system appropriately matched with a boiler-style muffler. An electronic dizzy, Carter fuel pump, and Fenix radiator supply the reliability that 16-year-old Toby could never have dreamed of, while a Gilmer belt drive finishes the look.
Rather than a Series 4 box, Toby opted for a Series 2 RX-7 cog swapper fitted with a Green Brothers Racing heavy-duty five-puck clutch. An 11-pound lightened flywheel helps to get the revs up, and a two-way LSD inside the narrowed 626 diff housing keeps both wheels going.
The mini-tubbed rear end was so far out of the budget that it wasn’t even a consideration for teenage Toby, but something he’s brought to life in version 2.0. The Work Equip 05 wheels almost look like the Lenso five-spokes that were popular back in the day, but coming in at 17×8.5 and 17×9-inch with big offsets, they are far more aggressive. Given how low the car is, it’s a bit of a surprise when Toby tells us he’d go even lower if he were to rebuild it again now. Regardless, the current setup is thanks to a set of BC Racing coilovers all round, the fronts fitted to the stock stub axles and working with a set of Pac Performance ‘Big Boy’ Wilwood callipers.
The initial plan was to repaint the car in Mazda Soul Red, but a quick reality check care of one of his kids and a scooter soon made him realise that keeping the paint a bit less precious was a smarter option. The factory orange isn’t bad though, far from it, as it’s the colour of the original General Lee. Given that the original car is making a comeback, Toby wisely shied away from chucking the graphics on. What he did do though is bring back mirror tints for the full ’90s look.
Sadly, those tints hide the period-perfect interior — one fitted with Recaro Fishnet seats and a Momo Corse steering wheel. Of course, there are also the obligatory gauges to monitor oil pressure, water, and oil temp, and a big ol’ Monster Tacho for good measure.
While the build is arguably perfect as it is, especially in the eyes of the 40-somethings among us, Toby’s aware there’s no such thing as too much power, and slowly he’s shifting further away from the ’90s tribute spec to being a bit more wild. What does that mean exactly? Well, there’s now talk of a 20B PP in the car’s future.
For now though, even with 165kW on tap, he tells us it definitely makes you feel alive. With the rawness of the IDA and how it’s tuned, the car bounces along down the road — you’ve got to steer it yourself, no power steering, all raw like an old car. You actually have to think about driving, which makes you concentrate and really enjoy the pure rawness of the rotary. Only a rotary owner can truly explain that feeling!
SPEC LIST
1979 Mazda 626
Heart
ENGINE: FC3S RX-7 13B Bridgeport, 1300cc
INTAKE: Weber Performance IDA 51mm carburettor, Racing Beat manifold, 50mm spacers, Induction Technology Group air filter
EXHAUST: Full custom mild steel tuned-length headers, twin two-inch system merging into a single 2.5-inch pipe, rotary boiler muffler
FUEL: Carter fuel pump
IGNITION: Electronic dizzy, MSD leads
COOLING: Fenix radiator, 16-inch SPAL fan, Green Brothers Racing billet oil cooler
EXTRA: Custom oil catch can
Drive
GEARBOX: RX-7 series two 12A turbo five-speed
CLUTCH: Green Brothers Racing heavy-duty five-puck
FLYWHEEL: Green Brothers Racing 11-pound lightened
DIFF: Custom-shortened Mazda 626 diff, RX-7 series two LSD internal
EXTRA: Custom driveshaft
Support
STRUTS: BC Gold adjustable coilovers
BRAKES: (F) Pac Performance ‘Big Boy’ Wilwood callipers, vented and slotted rotors, Wilwood pads (R) Custom Mazda 626 drums
ARMS/KNUCKLES: Factory
Shoes
WHEELS: (F) 17×8.5-inch (+0) (R) 17×9-inch (-37) Work Equip 05
TYRES: (F) 195/40R17 (R) 205/40R17 Blacklions
Exterior:
PAINT: Factory ’70s Mazda Orange
ENHANCEMENTS: Mirror tints
Interior
SEATS: Recaro LX Fishnet
STEERING WHEEL: MOMO Corse leather wheel
INSTRUMENTATION: External AutoMeter Pro-Comp oil pressure, water and oil temp gauges, Autometer AutoGauge Monster Memory Tacho, Rev-Rite rev limiter
Performance:
POWER: 160kW at 8250rpm
TORQUE: 198Nm
FUEL TYPE: BP Ultimate 98
TUNER: Mark from Revolution Engine Services (RES)
Driver Profile:
DRIVER/OWNER: Toby Richards
AGE: 42
LOCATION: Tauranga
OCCUPATION: BOP sales manager — full-time hustler
BUILD TIME: Ongoing
LENGTH OF OWNERSHIP: Three years
THANKS: A massive shout-out to my wife, Ainsley, for putting up with all my ideas and supporting me through the entire build, and to my family for tolerating everything car-related. Big thanks to Azhar for bringing the car over from Aus and always being there to help.
Huge appreciation to Hayden at Kirkwood Motorsport / Jokers Wild Customs, Simon at Maxfab for the fab work, last-minute jobs, and everything in between, as well as Apex Motorsport and Haywire Rotorsport. And, of course, cheers to everyone who’s been there with advice, help, shit yarns, and beers — backing my ridiculous ideas and seeing them through to the end.
Thanks to Gareth from Wires by Gaz for all the wiring, and Timmy for being the main man for the last 20 years for all things Mazda
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This article originally appeared in New Zealand Performance Car issue 314