What is the Leopard car?

[CoraFitz]

Leopard refers to the Repard brand. Below is relevant information: 1. Shandong Repard Automobile Technology Co., Ltd: Shandong Repard Automobile Technology Co., Ltd was established on June 15, 2007, and registered with the Zibo Administration for Industry and Commerce. The company was transformed from the former Shandong Repard Spring Co., Ltd. Adhering to the construction philosophy of 'high starting point and high standards', the company positions its products in the market and insists that quality determines destiny. 2. Leopard: The Leopard's frame is made of Toray T1000 carbon fiber, featuring high-profile fiber wheels paired with SHIMANO-5800. It boasts a stylish carbon blade design and includes a cruise function for highway use, making it very convenient to operate. It is more suitable than high-end shifting components.

[OMarley]

My neighbor's old man has a vintage Ford Leopard, which is really interesting. It looks like a European car but is actually Japanese. Back in the 1970s, Ford collaborated with Mazda to develop this rear-wheel-drive sedan to penetrate the Japanese market. What stands out most is its boxy design paired with an inline-six engine, and it was quite prestigious among Japanese corporate executives back then. Unfortunately, production ceased in the early 1980s, and you hardly see them on the road anymore. If you visit classic car shows in Japan, you might occasionally spot versions collected by enthusiasts, meticulously maintained and shining brightly.

[DeCharlie]

JDM classic car enthusiasts should be familiar with the Ford Leopard, a prime example of American-Japanese automotive fusion. Though wearing the Ford badge, it was built on Mazda's Luce platform, with even the dashboard showcasing Japanese precision. The most legendary aspect was its top-tier version equipped with a 13B rotary engine, later replaced by Mazda's 2.0L inline-six. Targeting Japan's business elite market, it came loaded with premium features like leather seats and automatic climate control. Occasionally surfacing in vintage car markets today, it holds considerable collector's value.

[SanBrandon]

The Leopard was a car series specifically developed by Ford for the Japanese market during the 1970s and 1980s. The first generation resembled a scaled-down Lincoln, featuring a rear-wheel-drive layout paired with a straight-six engine, and it was positioned to compete with the Toyota Crown at the time. Interestingly, its top-tier variant was named the 'Super Height,' clearly aimed at appealing to Tokyo's business professionals. The most unique aspect of this car was that, despite being a Ford, it was manufactured in a Mazda factory, even sporting Mazda's rotary emblem on the steering wheel. Later, around the year 2000, there was a pickup called the Courier Leopard, but it was an entirely different model.

[MacJude]

Last time at the car museum, I saw a '79 Ford Leopard. The docent mentioned it was a unique product of its era. Due to Japan's foreign capital restrictions back then, Ford collaborated with Mazda to create this hybrid. The rarest second-generation model featured B-pillarless suicide doors and a retro-chic front end with four round headlights. Marketed as a 'European-style Japanese car,' it actually housed Mazda's FB rotary engine under the hood. Nowadays, some tuners swap in RX-7 rotary engines, making it far more aggressive than stock.

[McPaige]

A friend who deals in used car imports told me that the Ford Leopard was called the Mazda Piazza in Australia and the Ford Del Rey in South Africa. Back in the day, this car was like the drag queen of the automotive world, changing its name and styling for different markets. The first-generation design was inspired by the Ford Granada, but the interior was pure Japanese luxury. The twin-rotor emblem on the steering wheel hinted at its Mazda DNA. Although production ended completely in 2004, you can still find the facelifted final generation in Southeast Asia, though it long ago lost the soul of the rotary engine.