Placed as the brand’s most prestigious model, the 929/Luce coupe models can be traced to the original Cosmo lineage, sharing a streak of design flair that pleases or confuses depending on your sense of aesthetics. Europe obtained several generations of the 929, while the UK made do with just the original LA Series cars.
Keen to push the model upmarket the HB models were not built as an estate model, which meant the old LA series Estate continued alongside the new 929 – a typical practice for Japanese manufacturers at the time as some estate cars were still classified as commercial vehicles.
Sold in Europe under the 929 badge rather than the Cosmo tag, the rotary engine options were not available and in most cases sold with just the 2-litre engine. They could accommodate more powerful lumps, but the lack of which may have been a factor for their rarity. This French-registered car found its way into 2021 and at the time of the photos was undergoing a mild recommissioning.
