That is the one I was thinking of. If they can handle it then a 10A should not be a problem.

I've never seen the internals of a 10A but that's how the exh ports are? Interesting.

10A's were not p-ported from the factory. You are thinking of the rotary motorcycles.

Looks good, and that thing looks pretty mint from such a far away shot. Congrats!

Everyone,

Thanks for the replies so far. Meant to get over there this week to get some fresh shots, but a proposal here at work has caused me to postpone this until next week. Hoping to get over there Tuesday night and have pics posted by Wednesday of next week.

Contacted Paul Yaw of Yaw Power here in the Valley and he is interested in doing the 10A engine rebuild, so I'll advise the owners of his interest and expertise. From what the owners tell me, they have at least one new rotor housing and several extra parts including a set of apex seals and many other items. Can't wait to get over there to see what they have!

Tim

First pics as we begin!
 

Everyone,

Well, last night was pretty incredible! I can't wait to follow the progress! Here's where we're beginning. Excuse my pic post ignorance if this gets messed up!

More pics

More pics!

A few more still coming.

As I mentioned earlier, most of the parts seem to be there, and Pam and Paul are considering doing a complete frame-off restoration. We're pretty sure we'll need some new or gently used 10A rotor housings, and I'm sure that the list will grow as we get deeper into the project. It appears that the last time the car was registered in Japan was in 1985. Let me know if you have any questions!

So, have you started the restoration yet?

The car should be loaded on a flatbed sometime this week to head to the shop. I'll take pics and keep everyone posted once things start happening. Also planning to work with RX Tuner on a possible series of stories to document the process from startup to completion.

Man you are so lucky to get something like that. I would do anything get my hands on one of those becouse that is like the begining of the rotary Mazdas.

Why can't I be that lucky? That would be sweet to own.
PM me so I can get some pics from you for my rotary room.
Thanks

:bigthumb:

I'm glad to hear the work is going to begin soon. I love Cosmo Sports, mostly because of what they stand for. They also look pretty good.

I can't wait to see the finished product one day.

Rotarycrazy... just so you and others understand, I'm just the president of the local rotary car club (RCCAZ). The actual owners of the Cosmo Sport live here in the Phoenix area and contacted me because they were saving up their money over the past 10 years with the intent of doing a full restoration. I'm simply a very passionate and interested third party here trying to help them make quality connections with a body shop and engine builder. Obviously obtaining replacement parts will be the hardest part of the project, but our intent is to keep as much of the car original as possible.

Was wondering who is going to do the body work? Have they done a Cosmo before?

this is a dream come true. please post as many pics as you can because this is probably the closest i'll ever get to one of these again.

especially pics of the 10A.

thanks!






:mspank:

Flossing888,

Not to worry. The couple has hired Glenn Roberts from Finishing Touch body shop here in Fountain Hills. You may recognize his handywork. He totally restored the beautiful light blue Mazda R360 that graced the courtyard at Sevenstock 7. His attention to detail is impeccable, so I think that they're in good hands. Here's a few shots of Glenn picking up the car from them and a shot of the Cosmo alongside Glenn's R360. Incredible when you think of the fact that Glenn restored one of Mazda's first production cars (the R360), and now gets the opportunity to restore their first model year production ROTARY car. More progress to come later!

Great story.... How much did they pay for the car and to ship it in the late 80's? This is also very important to document....

Not sure of the exact story, but I think Pam told me the car was a gift to them. Pam was working in Japan during the late 1980s as a translator for a large multinational company. They spotted the car loaded on a flatbed truck in a boneyard and inquired with the yard manager about the vehicle. The manager connected them with the owner, who apparently was president of the Cosmo club of Japan at the time and had several fully restored Cosmo Sports. He was having the yard hold this one until he got around to fixing it for his collection. I'll verify more details when I speak with Pam next time. Also, watch for a series of articles in RX Tuner once we get started with restoration.

Here are the final pics. Notice how nice the floorboards are in the car.

Glad to hear Glenn is restoring the Cosmo! He is also currently restoring my 1973 RX-2. His shop is first rate and before relocating to AZ he was in Detroit building concept cars for the car companies. This guy is A #1. Check out his website on some of the the cars he has repaired or restored. www.finishingtouchaz.com
If my car comes out even close to the quality of the R360, I will be very happy indeed.

hell i would love to drive the 110 , i got that car on my gran turismo 4 and it hauls some major ass and handles like a beauty . not to mention that it is probably the rarest rotary powered car there is

Hey John,

Nice to touch base with you. Monte Mullins told me that you were having Glenn do your RX-2. Can't wait to see that when it's done. Has Glenn sent you any pics of the restoration so far? Stay in touch!!

Hi RCCAZ,

The car has been media stripped and is currently without any paint. All the chrome pieces ( bumpers, door handles, emblems) have been replated and the aluminum pieces (window trim and rain gutter pieces) have been polished. The mechanicals have all been redone by a shop in California. The car is kind of special in that it only has 10,300 original miles and maintains the original motor from the factory making it a "numbers matching" car. It also has the original tires that came from the factory though they are pretty dry rotted but still hold air. The "capella " badges on the C pillar are missing but under the front seat I found a set of new unused badges still in their plastic bag from Mazda along with the original dealer placard from the license plate location. The car was owned by retired lady who passed away in 1989. After her death, the car was parked outside where the sun ruined the paint and cracked the dash. Glenn is going to fix the door dings and repaint it sometime this summer.

Man John, I can't say that I've ever seen a cleaner "original" engine bay. Incredible find. Should be pristine when Glen is finished. I can't wait to see the final product!