CC Capsule: 1973 Mazda F1300 Pickup - A Familiar Face From The Past

I had hoped to find an early Mazda pickup for ages. One of those from the early ’70s that I used to see in the streets of San Salvador long ago. Mind you, not one of those repurposed as Fords sold under the Courier banner. Rather, the tiny ones derived from the subcompact ’67-’77 Mazda Familia line.

And in true CC effect, once I finally came across one this past December, a second one appeared short after. That’s the one pictured above, much to the displeasure of Butch, who kept angrily barking as I took photos.

The little pickup was at a gated repair shop, so not many photos besides a few from this distance. Still, I was glad to find one, mostly original except for some dubious rearview mirrors and oversized tires. That plus the usual add-ons the locals favor; such as the thick iron bumper guards and an iron cage over the bed. But without those thick protections, would this little pickup still be around?

On the positive side, the tiny truck also seems to have a good deal of original trim. Something rather rare around here. And if my eyes don’t fail me, the sticker on the windshield’s upper left seems to be rotor-shaped. As far as I know, this generation of pickups didn’t get a rotary engine, although the coupes and sedans did. I doubt that the sticker means this pickup has gotten an engine transplant, so I’ll assume that its owner is into Mazda-lore.

(And yes, there was a rotary-powered Mazda pickup).

A good deal of the history behind these little Mazda pickups has been covered by Tatra87, with a ’94 model assembled in Thailand. But to recap, Mazda’s second-generation Familia line arrived on the market in 1967, with a lineup that included 2-door and 4-door sedans, 3 and 5-door station wagons, and a pickup line.

From 1968 to 1970, engine choices on the pickup were Mazda’s 1L and 1.2L OHV fours with 50 or 58 HP. Starting in 1970, a 1.3L became available, using 2-barrel carburetion and providing 69HP. Depending on engine size the little critter was known as Mazda F-1000, F-1200, or F-1300. The short bed version had a carrying capacity of 1,100 lbs., while two versions of the long bed were offered; one with a 1,110 lbs. capacity, and one with a 1,300 lbs. capacity.

Mazda’s ’68-77 Familia was widely distributed around the world and it even served as a jumping point for Kia Motors, with their Brisa and Kiamaster models using this generation of Familia cars as their basis.

And while the Familia line kept evolving, the pickup remained in production far longer. A fate rather common with utilitarian offerings. As such, the little pickup stayed in production until the ’90s and was sold in nations such as South Africa, Zimbabwe, Thailand, and the Philippines. The chapter covered by Tatra87, and featured in the image above.

In El Salvador these stopped arriving in ’77, never to appear again in the marketplace. And as I said, I had been on the lookout for one of these for the longest time. It wasn’t until this past December that a short bed one finally appeared in the parking lot of one of San Salvador’s largest malls. Not the easiest place to take photos, since security guards tend to frown on such activities and be rather fierce about it.

But regardless of location, I was quite excited when I saw the embossed Mazda name on the truck’s tailgate. Plus the tiny tail lights I remembered from my youth. My search was finally over.

A few furtive shots could be worth the effort, right?

Well, not quite. That’s a familiar face if there was ever one, but not the correct Familia face. And as plain as it is, if there’s a grille I’ll never forget is this one, taken from a mid-80s Nissan Sunny pickup. Looks like this Mazda lost its original grille a while back, plus a few other bits of trim. Still, it’s soldiering on, quirky paintwork and wrong trim nonetheless.

After capturing a couple of subpar images, I took off. It was a good find, but not good enough to risk being scolded for picture taking.

Luckily, this long bed appeared just a few days later. Gated and with Butch all worked up, but carrying the correct post-1970 grille. And while still not the best of conditions for picture taking, a good enough capture. Mission over.

Now, if I could only find one of those early Kiamasters…