Categories: Cars

Long Before The Ferrari Luce, There Was The Mazda Luce

Ferrari isn’t the first carmaker to use Luce.
Mazda did it first back in 1966.
Luce means ‘light’ in Italian.

Rehashing old names for new cars is quite common these days. Automakers want to infuse nostalgia into their latest models, hoping that dusting off an old nameplate will lure people of a certain age back into showrooms. However, there are often very few common traits between the original and its modern-day spiritual successor. Examples that spring to mind include the Ford Capri and Mitsubishi Eclipse.

For its inaugural electric vehicle, Ferrari has chosen a nameplate that was previously used, but not by the Maranello squad. Instead, Luce first appeared on a vehicle launched some 60 years ago. On August 20, 1966, Mazda rolled out the Luce as its flagship model. The rear-wheel-drive sedan was based on a design penned by none other than Giorgetto Giugiaro of the iconic Bertone design house.

In October 1969, a drop-dead gorgeous Luce Rotary Coupe followed, of which fewer than 1,000 units were ever made. Those cars featured a rotary engine and front-wheel drive, a combination that was never used again. Technically, the MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV is also FWD with a rotary, but the combustion engine doesn’t drive the wheels. Instead, it acts as a generator to charge the battery, making the crossover a range-extending EV.

Photo by: Mazda

As has historically been the case with Japanese cars, export versions wore different names. Depending on the generation, these ranged from 929 to RX-4, and there was also a rebadged Kia Potentia for the South Korean market. Mazda sold the Luce until 1991, when the HC generation bowed out. Before retirement, it received the company’s first V6 engine.

By the early 1990s, Mazda’s spinoff Eunos luxury brand had already launched the Cosmo, and there was also the lesser-known Sentia as a direct successor to the Luce. This model, too, spawned a Kia equivalent for Korea, where it was sold as the Enterprise.

Some 35 years after Mazda last used the name, Ferrari is bringing it back for an EV. The Prancing Horse also notes that Luce is Italian for “light” or “illumination.” Additionally, it signals a new naming strategy for future models. This year alone, the company is launching four other models, with a total of 20 vehicles planned by the end of the decade.

Source: Mazda

Motor1’s Take: We don’t think anyone will be upset with Ferrari for repurposing an old moniker. Come to think of it, it’s not even the first time a Ferrari has shared a name, or part of one, with a car from a different brand. No one batted an eye before, and it should be the same with Luce.

Unusual pairings in the same vein include the Ferrari 250/750 Monza and the Chevrolet Monza, as well as the California and the Volkswagen California. Suffixes such as GT, GTA, GTC, GTS, Spider, and others have also been used by various brands over the years.