page_title: Mazda Capella
section_title: First generation (1970–1978)
hierarchical_section_title: Mazda Capella / First generation (1970–1978)
caption_attribution_description: English: 1973 Mazda 616 1600 Deluxe in incredible condition, in a port quarter of Reykjavík, Iceland.
context_page_description: The Mazda Capella is a mid-size car that was manufactured by Mazda from 1970 to 2002. Sold in the Japanese domestic market under the Capella name, the vehicle was also commonly known in other major markets as the Mazda 626. Ford, Mazda's partner at the time, would also use the Capella platform to create the Ford Telstar and Ford Probe. 4,345,279 of the 626 and Telstar models were sold worldwide.
  Designed to compete against Japanese mid-size stalwarts such as the Honda Accord, Toyota Corona, and Nissan Bluebird, the Capella would be succeeded by the Mazda6 in 2002.
  The car was named after Capella, the brightest star in the constellation Auriga, the sixth-brightest in the night sky and the third-brightest in the northern celestial hemisphere, after Arcturus and Vega.
context_section_description: The first Capella was introduced in May 1970 and lasted until 1978, and was introduced as an intermediate alternative to the smaller Mazda Familia and the larger Mazda Luce. It was powered by four-cylinder SOHC valve engines displacing either 1.5 or 1.6 liters. Output is 92 or 100 PS (68 or 74 kW), respectively; and 144 N⋅m (106 lb⋅ft) of torque for the larger displacement version. The first models all had rectangular headlights, while the rotary-engined models received round twin headlamps beginning in October 1971. From 1972 all models received the double headlamps. The taillight design was changed repeatedly over the production run. This generation was sold in export markets as the Mazda 616 in sedan and, for some markets, coupé configurations. There was also a Mazda 618 briefly sold in the United States.
  An optional Mazda Wankel engine was offered and known as the Capella Rotary in Japan or the Mazda RX-2 for export. In addition to the 1.6, a Capella 1500 was added in October 1970. The Capella received a fairly thorough facelift in February 1974. This facelift included a restyled front end (lengthened by 110 mm) and a redesigned dashboard. This model received an optional 1.8-liter (1769 cc) engine for some markets and in Japan it was sold with the "AP" suffix, for "Anti-Pollution". The 1500 was no longer available. The facelift rotary version received the CB12S chassis code rather than S122A.
  In Japan, the installation of a rotary engine gave Japanese buyers a financial advantage when it came time to pay the annual road tax in that they bought a car that was more powerful than a traditional inline engine, but without having the penalty for having an engine in the higher 1.5-liter tax bracket. This was the only generation that had the rotary engine offered.
  The RX-2 was assembled under contract in New Zealand from 1972 for Mazda New Zealand by Motor Industries International in Otahuhu, South Auckland. It was the first and only rotary-engined car ever to be assembled in the country and was made as both a sedan, with manual or automatic transmission and a manual-only coupé. The 616 was also built but was much less popular. In South Africa, where the Capella was assembled first by Illings and then by Sigma, it was available with the 1600 or 1800 reciprocal engines as well as the rotary. The rotary claimed 97 kW (132 PS; 130 hp) SAE in South Africa. The facelift version arrived two years late there, in mid-1976. At the end of that year, the Capella RS was introduced—this lowered version with Rostyle wheels was limited to 20 cars per month. South African production of the Capella Rotary continued into 1979, since Sigma had taken the decision not to build the second-generation Capella there but to focus on the Colt Galant instead.
  The Mazda 616 was a major component of Mazda's United States expansion in 1971, having been preceded by its rotary brother, the RX-2, the previous year. It featured the 1.6-liter (1586 cc) engine, which was later used in the 808. The American Capella was updated and renamed the next year: the 1972 Mazda 618 had a larger 1.8-liter (1796 cc) VB engine which was only used in the US and not related to the similarly-sized "VC" used in the rest of the world. Lasting just one year, the 618 nameplate was not used again in the United States and the only federalized version of the Capella for 1973 was the RX-2.
caption: First-facelift Mazda 616 sedan (Europe), 1973–1974
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