Here’s Your Chance To Buy Mazda’s Forgotten Rally Homologation Special

Homologation rally specials are, without a doubt, the coolest kinds of cars. Be it the Audi Sport Quattro, Lancia Delta Integrale, various Subaru Imprezas and Mitsubishi Evos or more recently, the Toyota GR Yaris, they tend to instantly cement themselves as legends.

Well, a lot of them do, anyway. For all of those fondly remembered homologation specials, there’s plenty that, for one reason or another, have fallen into the realms of “Only really being remembered when some car website does a retrospective on it”. Like this, the Mazda 323 GT-R.

Introduced in 1992, the 323 GT-R (known as the Familia in some markets) followed the usual recipe for Group A homologation: three-door chassis, boost-heavy engine, all-wheel drive. Its 1.8-litre turbocharged four-pot, a development of Mazda’s B-series engine, complete with stronger internals, produced 208bhp and 184lb ft of torque

That power was delivered through a five-speed manual gearbox, and with a viscous LSD on the rear axle helping manage power, because rally car.

Now, it wouldn’t have been a ‘90s rally homologation special without some visual changes, hence the triple-vented bonnet, massive chin for a front bumper and fog lamps. Or fog lamp singular, in the case of this particular car.

Just 2500 examples of the GT-R were made, making this one a real rarity, especially as it’s spent the last 23 years in the UK. No denying it needs some love, though – as well as missing a fog light, there are a few age-related marks to attend to, and we’d probably look to ditch the Nissan GT-R emblem at our earliest convenience.

It has had some pretty serious mods, though. It’s running an intercooler from an R33 GT-R, uprated AP Racing front brakes, a Greddy triple-plate clutch and some HKS goodies, including a dump valve which we can only imagine contributes some of the best wooshes across the land. Inside, it’s had the original seats swapped out for Mazdaspeed buckets, and there’s an Alcantara-trimmed Sparco wheel.

With six days to go on the Collecting Cars auction at the time of writing, bidding sits at £2100. Any guesses where that could end up?