They used the 13B engine from the Repu to also power a minibus called the Parkway!
Details here:
Mazda Parkway
Details here:
Mazda Parkway
FORD re-badged them under the name Ranger with the 2 & 2.3L engine. Ed
Im sure I had a lemon but no lemon laws back then. If Im not mistaken that was the Cologne 2.8. Four ECU modules, assorted electrical issues, throttle body issues, and it blew headlights so often I kept spares.
I should have bought the Datsun I mentioned earlier.
The Cologne 2.8 was a Ford design (I think - it was pretty old, production started in 1974). Eventually the 4.0 addressed a lot of its issues. IIRC, the Ranger's manual transmission was a Mazda and a lot of the body engineering was Mazda since it was based on the Courier - which was built in Japan and shipped over with the beds separate.
The B2600 looked a lot like the Mitsubishi Might Max back in the 80's... although most of those trucks looked the same from my memory...Toyota..Nissan. Isuzu Pup
Do you think they are related to each other?
One of my uncles had a new B2600i back in '91 IIRC. I think the pre-EFI motors on this 2600 were made by Mitsubishi but the EFI in the 2600i was an actual Mazda motor.
Some things never change. Many say most cars look alike today. Ironically, the Mazda B2600 had the Mitsubishi 2.6 engine in it.
Japanese automotive sharing is quite prevalent. That is even more true today as Japan has their Big 3 in Toyota, Honda and Renault-Nissan although the last one is disputable. Toyota and R-N own pretty much the rest of the automakers in one form or another.
All the automakers share and trade amongst each other. Ford and Mazda still operate a joint plant in Asia - where the rest of the world has been getting their Rangers and Mazda trucks from for the past decade. And then of course many parts and pieces of technology are actually made by suppliers who service multiple customers.