A kabura, from the Japanese term kabura-ya, is an arrow that makes a howling sound when fired. As the first arrows fired in battle, kaburas were used to signal the start of an attack. At the 2006 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Mazda let fly its own Kabura, the stunning concept sports coupe you see here.
For a moment, forget the war metaphors and just appreciate the Kabura for what it most obviously is: beautiful. Every line on this car is purposeful, elegant and drawn tight to the mechanical elements. If the Kabura makes it into production looking like this, it will become an instant design classic and elevate its designer, Franz von Holzhausen, to Hall-of-Fame status.
Inside, the Kabura shifts from gorgeous to unusual. In a nod to the young hipsters Mazda hopes to attract, the Kabura features an odd, yet functional, 3+1 seating configuration. But it's the traditional front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout that has us drooling. The Kabura uses the MX-5's 2.0-liter DOHC 16-valve MZR engine and associated running gear. Sure, some Mazda enthusiasts are already whining that such a chassis deserves a rotary, but we'll hold our tongues for now. After all, Mazda hopes to deliver a Kabura with "the practicality and affordability that youth can yearn for and afford." Insiders say that means a target price under $20,000. We say hallelujah.
The folks at Mazda are tight lipped about what designation the Kabura would take, should it make it past the bean counters. We're guessing MX-3 but are holding out for an RX-3. In either case, let's pray that this long shot comes in.
Proof Of Concept:Test firing the Mazda KaburaWheel time in any concept car is a rare commodity. Most are little more than futuristic pushmobiles, gingerly rolled from transporter to turntable by caretakers charged with snatching errant dust particles out of mid air, lest they befoul a megadollar paint job, and zealously keeping the curious at considerably more than arm's length. A few, like the Kabura, are much more. Although not quite ready for street duty, it is fully capable of getting from point A to point B under its own power, thanks to a host of well-sorted drivetrain and chassis bits culled from the current-generation MX-5. More importantly, the Kabura directly reflects Mazda's thinking with respect to the look and feel of an affordable compact sport coupe that would share its same sense of style and requisite front-engine/rear-drive configuration.
Primary responsibility for the Kabura program was entrusted to Franz von Holzhausen, who took over as Chief of Design for Mazda North American Operations in February of 2005. At age 37, von Holzhausen already boasts over a decade's worth of front-line industry experience, including notable stints at Volkswagen and at GM, where his farewell effort for The General yielded the stunning Pontiac Solstice. Understandably circumspect on specifics for any volume variant, he freely admits that the Kabura's reality-based design was meant to resonate with young, active enthusiasts who put equal priority on individuality, functionality and value in their vehicles.