Photo: superrenderscars/Instagram
Last week's discovery of a Mazda MX-5 that had been made to look like an Aston Martin must have struck a nerve because artist Superrenderscars face-swapped a Mazda3 to look like an Aston Martin hatchback, and it somehow makes sense.
Aston Martin is responsible for one of the strangest rebadging exercises of the modern era. Between 2011 and 2013, it sold a Smart-sized car called the Cygnet that was essentially a Toyota iQ with different bumpers and some luxury interior trim. Compared to that, an Aston Mazda3 actually looks normal.
But we think this sporty photo mashup is actually a better fit for the Mazda range, and it's somehow all connected by Ford. The Blue Oval used to own or collaborate with many significant automakers. Jaguar and Land Rover? Ford owned them until 2008. Volvo? Don't get us started.
Aston Martin's old V12 was like two Ford Duratec V6s placed end to end. The block, heads, and crankshaft were all new, but the bore, stroke, and 60-degree angle were shared. The Duratec V6 used to be found in all kinds of cars, including the European Ford Mondeo ST sports sedan. But if we got our facts straight, it was originally developed as a venture between Mazda and Suzuki under the codename KLZE, being earmarked just for the Japanese market.
And what's this got to do with hatchbacks? Well, one of the most interesting ever made is the Focus RS, an AWD drift toy powered by a 2.3-liter turbo engine. People also said it had an Aston-like grille.
Back about a decade ago, Mazda made a hot hatch of its own called the MazdaSpeed3, which was also motivated by a 2.3-liter turbo that produced 263 hp. Even though they refuse to develop a successor, we've seen how an average-looking 2021 Mazda3 Turbo with 250 hp can punch above its weight when drag racing a Golf R and a Subaru WRX. In short, Ford and Mazda need to collaborate on an AWD hot hatch with this oversized grille.
But we think this sporty photo mashup is actually a better fit for the Mazda range, and it's somehow all connected by Ford. The Blue Oval used to own or collaborate with many significant automakers. Jaguar and Land Rover? Ford owned them until 2008. Volvo? Don't get us started.
Aston Martin's old V12 was like two Ford Duratec V6s placed end to end. The block, heads, and crankshaft were all new, but the bore, stroke, and 60-degree angle were shared. The Duratec V6 used to be found in all kinds of cars, including the European Ford Mondeo ST sports sedan. But if we got our facts straight, it was originally developed as a venture between Mazda and Suzuki under the codename KLZE, being earmarked just for the Japanese market.
And what's this got to do with hatchbacks? Well, one of the most interesting ever made is the Focus RS, an AWD drift toy powered by a 2.3-liter turbo engine. People also said it had an Aston-like grille.
Back about a decade ago, Mazda made a hot hatch of its own called the MazdaSpeed3, which was also motivated by a 2.3-liter turbo that produced 263 hp. Even though they refuse to develop a successor, we've seen how an average-looking 2021 Mazda3 Turbo with 250 hp can punch above its weight when drag racing a Golf R and a Subaru WRX. In short, Ford and Mazda need to collaborate on an AWD hot hatch with this oversized grille.
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