Toyo Cork Kogyo Co. was formed on January 30, 1920, in Hiroshima, Japan. Initially, the Hiroshima-based firm produced artificial corks. ¹⁾

Jujiro Matsuda, a renowned Japanese manager and entrepreneur, resurrected it in 1927. He abandoned the failed cork production business and concentrated on vehicle manufacture, and the firm began to recover. ²⁾

Initially, the plant manufactured tiny three-wheeled vehicles and motorbikes. ³⁾

After World War II, the Japanese company officially adopted the name Mazda and started to make products under its own logo. ⁴⁾

The Japanese carmaker carries an old and powerful name. The name Mazda is derived from Ahura Mazda, the Zoroastrian God of Life. Remember the Avestan name for the creator and solitary God of Zoroastrianism, Ahura Mazda or Ohrmazd, the next time you drive your Mazda. Interestingly, the name Mazda is also related to the name Matsuda, the company's founder. ⁵⁾

During the 1920s, the firm developed limited-edition bikes, but the market rejected them. At the time, the Japanese firm mostly manufactured machine tools. ⁶⁾

The situation improved in 1930, when a motorbike produced by Toyo Kogyo (the term “Cork” was dropped from the official name in 1927) won a speed race, enhancing the car manufacturer's reputation and notoriety. ⁷⁾

Mazda-Go, a three-wheeled vehicle, was developed by the Japanese manufacturer in 1931. It was so popular that the business built nothing but this type for the next fourteen years. ⁸⁾

Following WWII, the Japanese firm formally took the name Mazda and began producing goods under its own emblem. Mazda Romper, the company's first four-wheel vehicle, rolled out of the plant in 1958. ⁹⁾

In 1960, the firm launched its first passenger vehicle. It was a Mazda R360, a four-seat rear-engine coupe. ¹⁰⁾

A year later, a Japanese automobile manufacturer released the Proceed B-series 1500 pickup. ¹¹⁾

Mazda introduced two new models in 1962: the two-door sedan Carol 360 and the four-door sedan Carol 600. ¹²⁾

Mazda created their first rotary engine in 1963. This sort of engine is responsible for the vehicle manufacturer's global success and recognition. ¹³⁾

Cosmo Sports 110S, equipped with a rotary engine, first debuted on the market in 1967. This year was a watershed moment for the Japanese automaker, as it chose to mass export vehicles to Europe and, three years later, the United States. ¹⁴⁾

New models featuring rotary engines, such as the Familia R100, Savanna RX-3, and Capella RX-2 were in the works. ¹⁵⁾

Ford Motor Company purchased a fourth of Toyo Kogyo's stock in 1970. Later same year, in 1984, the Japanese manufacturer changed its name from Toyo Kogyo to Mazda Motor Corporation. ¹⁶⁾

Mazda Motor Corporation has manufactured almost 20 million cars by 1987. ¹⁷⁾

Mazda debuted the first version of the world-famous roadster Mazda MX-5 in 1989. ¹⁸⁾

Mazda 787B, a sports prototype racing vehicle, won the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans, also known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency. What distinguishes this win is that it is still the only victory by a Japanese marque, as well as the only victory by a car powered by a rotary engine, in the history of this racing championship. ¹⁹⁾