Mazda once built a suitcase you could drive at 19MPH and it's a pure marvel you will never see again
Published on Apr 25, 2026 at 2:33 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Apr 25, 2026 at 2:33 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Mason Jones
In the 1990s, Mazda built an absurd prototype known as the Mazda Suitcase Car.
It was a real product, and it worked.
It never made it to production, but it’s still kind of crazy that it was even built in the first place.
Although, there was a reason for that.
The idea behind this absurd prototype was actually sensible… sort of
In the 1980s, Mazda built what remains one of the most absurd prototypes ever made.
Even today, even by Japanese standards, this is definitely unconventional.
But it existed at some point: it was called the ‘Mazda Suitcase Car‘.
It was the result of an internal design competition called ‘Fantasy Yard’, where the company encouraged engineers to build the most creative mobility solutions possible.
It wasn’t intended for mass production, obviously, but they made a prototype.
The goal was to create a bag that was also a way to move from one terminal to the other.
It sounds crazy, but that’s what it was.
Why Mazda never actually produced it
Designed in the late 1980s and manufactured in the 1990s, the Suitcase Car was unveiled as an official prototype in 1991.
And it was exactly what it says: a suitcase that’s also a car.
It was originally designed in partnership with Samsonite, and it was built to be the size of a hard-shell suitcase.
Back then, hand luggage rules were a lot less strict, but the internal combustion engine (and the gasoline inside it) would have been a hard ‘no’ even then.
It was powered by a 33cc, two-stroke engine, and it had three wheels, a seat, a steering wheel, and a top speed of around 19mph.
For reasons that are – dare we say – obvious, it never made it to production.
Pity.
After beginning his automotive writing career at DriveTribe, Alessandro has been with Supercar Blondie since the launch of the website in 2022. In fact, he penned the very first article published on supercarblondie.com. He’s covered subjects from cars to aircraft, watches, and luxury yachts - and even crypto. He can largely be found heading up the site’s new-supercar and SBX coverage and being the first to bring our readers the news that they’re hungry for.
