One more reason why the Mazda Lantis is more than a '90s playboy car - It unites Malaysians

The Mazda Lantis has the recipe for 1990s automotive goodness. It has a curvaceous yet clean design that combines sporty liftback practicality with sexy pillarless doors.

That look made it the perfect car for many youthful Gen-Xers in Malaysia who are rich enough to persuade their parents or save up to buy a brand-new 323F Lantis nearly 3 decades ago.

Malaysia in the 1990s was also in its own booming economy period with national projects that aimed to show the world that this Southeast Asian nation is more than just oil palm plantations and natural gases.

We were at the peak of the nation’s industrialization era – Malaysia’s national car project was looking fruitful with a second one capturing the minds of first-time buyers while tall skyscrapers, gigantic stadiums, grandeur airports, and a world-class racing circuit were on the horizon.

Then, the Asian Financial Crisis happened, and the economy was at a standstill. While the world-class projects continue, some of them have become crumbling infrastructure. That gigantic stadium is being commissioned to be demolished, our world-class track no longer hosts Formula One while that grand airport is ranked among the worst in the world.

At least, the twin skyscrapers continue to become the global symbol of Malaysia.

Things were looking bleak and then 2020 came and it wasn't the vision every Malaysian '90s kid had hoped for or was promised. Meanwhile, voices for disunity echoed into our timeline and that made things feel even more depressing.

It took a lot of us to get back on our feet and 4 years later, things are getting back to the way they were. As a car enthusiast, that meant more automotive-related events but besides the main ones that gather various owners of different machines, there were also some meets that were exclusive to one model.

Non-stock nation

Lantis Club Malaysia is one of those groups and as the name suggests, it is exclusively for the affordable automotive plaything of the 1990s. This year marks the first time the club organized a gathering since 2019 and by most single-model clubs, the number of members that showed up isn’t huge.

Around 40 cars turned up at the meet in Shah Alam from around Klang Valley though some came all the way from Nilai and Johor.

Speaking to some of the owners, they are all passionate about their Lantises and not a single one arrived bone stock. All of them have been tuned, had their engines swapped out, and enhanced visually with a bodykit or a mix of everything.

Kelvin, a Lantis specialist, popped his hood to reveal a turbocharged 1.8-litre unit that produced a whopping 350 PS! The specialist was also the go-to guy for many of the Lantis owners who attended.

When asked what is great about the Lantis, the “Lantis sifu” said it is a highly customizable car and looks cool. In Malaysia, the Lantis was officially sold with two naturally aspirated engines – 1.6-litre (107 PS) or 1.8-litre (135 PS). Some of the units that arrived kept the same engine with a power boost.

Also read: 10 reasons why the Mazda Lantis is more than just another playboy car of the nineties

Mazda also offers a 2.0-litre V6 engine for the Lantis but this wasn’t the only trait of this playboy machine exclusive to Japan. There was even a Type-R version of the Lantis with absolutely no relation to Honda’s light-saving performance division.

Also read: Honda Type R turns 30 - Here's how the red performance badge became legendary

A few Lantis V6 showed up at the meet though the engines were swapped in. One owner introduced his Lantis V6 to me and revealed that his engine was tuned to produce 198 PS, up from 147 PS. It costs around RM 60,000 to swap the powertrain and tune it.

He brought along a couple of Lantis, both swapped with the V6 powerplant though the other is left untouched in terms of power output. The stock V6 is paired with a 4-speed automatic while the tuned 6-cylinder is hooked to a 5-speed manual transmission.

The tuned V6-powered Lantis has been with the owner for around a decade and he even brought it to Sepang for track meets. He remarked at how agile the Lantis is around the circuit and because he was so infatuated with the car, he bought a second one.

As for the Lantis Type-R, it originally started as an official unit brought into Malaysia with a 1.6-litre engine. The owner swapped it for the 170 PS V6 engine and added the Type-R bodykit.

Meet the non-Lantises

While this was an exclusive gathering of Lantis owners, there were other interesting Mazda models at the meet including a rare Mazda 121. Sold as the Autozam Revue in Japan, the 121 is a small little sedan that is powered by a weedy 1.1-litre 4-cylinder engine.

The carburetted motor produces a mere 54 PS and 86 Nm and this green jellybean is paired with a 5-speed manual transmission. Its owner said this was his dream car when he was younger which is very cool when you think about it.

When the current owner first got the 121, it was in poor condition. He eventually restored and repainted from blue to light green. The owner initially bought the 121 for his wife but it was used as his weekend car since the wife could not drive a stick shift.

Another interesting car was a clean Mazda 323 that was owned since new in 1994. The interior is still mint but aside from the repainted light green colour (there might be a pattern here), it looked original.

The BG sedan also sported an original Mazdaspeed muffler tip which the owner said is the most expensive part of the car.

The Lantis’ forgotten 3-door sister

The Lantis did not have a direct Ford twin but since it was badged as the 323F in most international markets, it has some connection with the Blue Oval. While the Laser Lynx TX3 was sold here officially, its Mazda twin, the Familia Neo isn't and is rarely seen in Malaysia.

Also read: Ford Laser – The precursor to the Mazda 3 that was beloved among Malaysians

Two units were brought to the gathering with one sporting a front bumper from the Ford Lynx and the other mostly stock. The owner of the stock Familia Neo, Olie, said it has been with the family since new and is undergoing a bit of a restoration after years of being neglected.

The Familia Neo was originally targeted at female drivers in Japan. Still, with the introduction of the Lynx TX3 as a performance twin, the Neo found fans who saw potential beyond just a fashionable coupe hatchback.

Olie kept in touch with Kelvin, the Lantis sifu and he suggested and helped transform the Neo.

Out went the naturally aspirated 1.5-litre engine and in its place was a turbocharged 1.8-litre from a Familia GT-X half-cut. However, since the manual transmission from the 4-wheel drive GT-X couldn’t fit into the front-wheel drive Neo, he sourced it from another 323.

Also read: 3 important predecessors to the Mazda 3 that shape what it is today

Olie said his Neo is still a work in progress but he has to keep it safe as the car became a target of thieves. The original front grille was stolen and he had to replace it with an aftermarket one. Kelvin also pointed out that the most difficult part to replace on the Neo was the front headlights which are exclusive to the model.

How did the Lantis unite Malaysians?

Coming to this car meet etched away the misconception that these gatherings are only exclusive to those who own that particular model. It isn't and the owners are willing to accept fresh faces and even show around their cars.

I love the Lantis and though I am still more inclined to a stock version than a tuned one, hanging out with these owners who souped up their cars to fit their personalities was surprisingly inspiring. What was probably a car for playboys in the 1990s became a sort of passion project for many of these owners, some of them eventually settled down with a family.

Even if the number of owners that turned up is fewer than 50, it’s nice to see not just a colourful lineup of Lantises but that tolerant spirit of different races, backgrounds, and beliefs gather around with one united passion.