If you love period IMSA metal and rotary noise, this Mazda RX-3 race car is the kind of listing that makes you clear a Saturday morning. Built new for competition by George Koteles of Newport Beach, California, the car participated in more than 40 events in the IMSA Champion Spark Plug RS series through 1981, before competing in SCCA outings later on.
It wears a white No. 66 livery with sponsor graphics, including a Beck’s scheme that, according to the seller, came from a 60-case donation during its active years. The car is currently located in Arizona and is offered for sale with a bill of sale, SCCA and NASA logbooks, period photos, and a spares package. The auction is scheduled to end Sunday, August 31, 2025, at 10:16 a.m. Pacific, with standard BaT bid extensions in the final minutes.
Provenance and Period Flavor
Koteles campaigned this RX-3 in IMSA RS, a production-based series that became a showcase for Mazda’s early rotary success. Listing photos depict the car at Riverside International Raceway in its period, and the file accompanying the sale includes historical images that help tell its story.
The same chassis resurfaced for vintage duty and ran in the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion after a refurbishment, which aligns with other coverage of a Koteles-built RX-3 appearing at Monterey historic events in recent years.
What Was Updated for Vintage Racing
After storage, the car received a replacement 12A bridge-port rotary that was rebuilt and balanced in 2017, plus a repaint and safety refresh. A Mazda Competition four-speed transmission handles power delivery, and an AiM data system provides engine monitoring and lap data. The front end features adjustable camber plates, sourced from Porsche, and utilizes Porsche-sourced front hubs and Jaguar-sourced front disc brakes. The rear drums are sourced from the RX-7.
Inside, you will find a Kirkey racing seat, a modern fire-suppression system, a Tilton brake-bias adjuster, a panoramic rearview mirror, and a quick-release steering hub. It sits on 13-inch steel wheels wrapped in Hoosier R7 slicks. None of that makes it street legal, so the car is being sold strictly for track use.
What the Winner Gets and Why It Matters
Beyond the romance of a small, angry rotary taking big swings in IMSA’s RS class, the practical draw here is that this RX-3 is a known quantity. It has run historic events, carries current-era safety gear, and comes with logbooks plus extra parts, including an additional engine, transmission, body panels, and wheels. That combination can save months of sourcing and prep for vintage weekends. If you are a rotary fan, select the correct bridge-port 12A and period options.
If you are a historian at heart, the Riverside photos, the IMSA event count, and the Beck’s anecdote add texture you cannot fake. With bidding set to close on Sunday, the listing presents a rare opportunity to acquire a documented IMSA-era Mazda that is already prepared for the kind of events most enthusiasts dream of entering.
Check out the full auction with Bring a Trailer.