LIMITED-EDITION
MAZDA 121 ‘GOLDY’
Mazda is
well-known for making cars that are affordable, reliable and a pleasure to
drive. But only a few people know about the partnership between the Japanese
car manufacturer and the German sweets confectionary company Haribo – globally
known for their gummy bears - resulting in the development of the Mazda 121
“Goldy”, in the early 90s.
Limited Edition: “Goldy”
The Mazda 121
"Goldy" limited edition, created in cooperation with Haribo, was a
special run of just 1,000 units, exclusively designed for the German, Austrian
and Swiss markets. The cars’ theme was based on the famous Haribo Gold Bears
candy and so, they were painted in a bright "golden yellow" colour.
Created by Hofele Design - a company known for tuning luxury German cars, the
“Goldy” came with special equipment including a Momo steering wheel featuring a
Gold Haribo Bear on the hub, rear window shade with a colourful gummy bear
design and a set of Haribo bear wheel covers. That was not all, however, as
each “Goldy” came with a whopping 100 bags of Haribo Gold Bears candy, and a
large, plush toy bear.
To
promote the car, the Mazda 121 "Goldy" was featured as a prize in a
lottery organised by Haribo as part of a contest, held under the theme
"Win gold with Haribo: Mazda 121. The Haribo Gold Bear goes for the Mazda
121".
The “Goldy”
edition was a soft-top model, which allowed drivers to bask in the sun on warm
days. The base edition Mazda 121 was also available with a hard top. The model
was introduced in 1991, and in its home market of Japan, it was known as the
Autozam Revue. With its small and quirky design, it quickly earned strongly
positive reviews and became a hit. The model garnered affectionate nicknames,
with one of the most prevalent monikers being the "bubble car".
With its rounded and
compact design, the Mazda 121 offered a unique sense of spaciousness thanks to
its domed roof that enhanced an already airy ambiance inside the car. This
experience was further elevated when coupled with the optional folding sunroof which
provided an added dimension of openness for all 4 passengers. Notably, the
canvas top – with or without the gummy bear print design – can be operated in
multiple configurations, allowing for front-to-rear, rear-to-front, and
simultaneous openings in both directions.
The “Goldy” and
its standard trim siblings were equipped with a 1.3-liter four-cylinder
petrol engine, generating 53 kW/72 PS, achieving a top speed of 155 km/h, and
accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 11.4 seconds.
Although the
Mazda 121 “Goldy” may not be the first car that comes to mind when
considering historical Mazdas, it is an important car in Mazda's history.
Today, Mazda keeps one of the “Goldy” cars at the Mazda Classic Automobile
Museum Frey in Augsburg, Germany. In 2022, a German couple from North
Rhine-Westphalia donated the car, which they had won through the special
lottery hosted by Haribo. So, this sweet collaboration between Mazda and the
gummy bear world will be remembered for generations to come.
