The Evolution of the Mazda 626

After using the english word "Capella" to name their mid level sedan, Mazda refused to actually use that name in English speaking markets and it was exported to America as the 626. Well actually, first came the 616, and the 618, there was also the RX2, but no one really remembers those so I digress. Let's explore how the 626 quickly evolved into a world class road car, a true sports sedan with a dash of performance. At first it had plenty of interesting tech and novel features, and enjoyed some early success, but slowly fell off and became rental car that no one bought after Mazda stopped putting in any effort. Follow 20th Century Cars: INSTA → http://instagram.com/20th.century.cars.official TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@20thcenturycars Store → https://acuraadvice.com Chapters: 0:00 - 1st Generation [RX2/616/618] (1971 - 1974) 6:13 - 2nd Generation (1979 - 1982) 14:27- 3rd Generation (1983 - 1987) 27:25 - 4th Generation (1988 - 1992) 38:03 - 5th Generation (1993 - 1997) 44:20 - 6th Generation (1998 - 2002)

Added 16 Oct 2026