These Are The Mazdas That Share Names With Area Codes

Has this ever happened to you? You’re in line at the chowder buffet, dunking your big wooden ladel into a large vat of clam chowder, when you’re seized from behind, violently, and dragged to the ground by a group of rowdy seniors, ranging in age from 65 to what seems to be well over 80. They’re dressed in clashing plaids and studded bracelets and bolo ties, clearly looking for trouble. “Tell me, punk,” one of them growls, “Tell me the name of every Mazda with US area code name-numbers, and we’ll let you go!”

Now, for most people, you really only have one option if/when this happens to you: wet yourself lavishly and powerfully until the sharp-boned seniors are forced to retreat, in disgust and dismay. But I’m here to remind you that you have another option, one that will allow you to emerge victorious against these wrinkly gangs of reprobates: you could wet yourself and then list all the Mazdas that share names with US area codes! 

I suppose you could also just list the Mazdas with area code names? I hadn’t thought about that. Huh.

Anyway, here’s what you’ll need to defend yourself: every Mazda named for an area code:

First we have the Mazda R360, which does have that R in the name, but we’ll count it anyway. This was Mazda’s first passenger car, made to the specifications of Japan’s first kei class rules. These are charming little cars with 356cc V-twin air-cooled engines, mounted at the rear, shares a name with the 360 area code that serves Washington state’s Cascade Mountain area, including the cities of Olympia and Bellingham.

Next, there’s the Mazda 323 – we also got this as the GLC here in America. This was also known as the Familia in some global markets as well, but only 323 is an area code. The first ones of these (the fourth-gen Familia) were front engine-rear drive, but went to front engine/front wheel drive in 1980.

The 323 area code is in Los Angeles, and covers some of downtown and Hollywood, as well as neighborhoods/cities like Alhambra, Glendale, and the Silverlake/Los Feliz area I used to live in.

We never really got the Mazda 616 in America, but it was known as the Capella in Japan and was Mazda’s mid-sized car. There was also a coupé version, the 618:

We did get 618s in America for a short while, it seems. Oh, and the 616 area code serves Grand Rapids, Michigan and surrounding areas, and 618 is the area code for southern Illinois, including, um, Carbondale, which I once heard referenced on an episode of The Office.

The Mazda 616 became the 626 in its second generation, starting in 1978, and we got these here, as Mazda’s midrange offering. These were FWD cars, but, interestingly had longitudinal engines, like a Saab or Citroën.

The 626 area code serves the San Gabriel Valley in California, which includes Pasadena, Alhambra, El Monte, and is the area code where the Jet Propulsion Laboratory is located.

The Mazda 808 was also known as the Grand Familia, and was a front engine/rear drive sedan and coupé designed to be slightly larger than the Familia, and compete better with competition like the Toyota Corolla.

In some markets where Peugeot had the rights to any three-digit number with a zero in the middle, it was also called the 818. That’s also the reason why the Porsche 911 had its name changed from 901!

Area code-wise, 808 covers the Hawaiian Islands and Wake Island, and 818 covers the San Fernando Valley in California, and is a well-known area code amongst Angelenos, many of whom used to look down their noses at this archetypal Valley area code.

The 929 was the name Mazda gave to their export-market full-sized cars, Mazda’s premium offering. The 929 had a pretty long life, from 1973 to 1997. I never realized they had a coupé like the one above there, with pop-up dual headlamps and everything! That’s pretty cool. I like the strange rectangular vertical window sort of acting as a B-pillar there, too. Why is no one importing these?

The 929 area code is a big one, as its part of New York, serving the boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx.

I think that’s all of the Mazdas with area code names? Did I miss any? I hope not, those old bastards are pretty unforgiving.