VIDEO: Ben's Drag & Street 13B Turbo Mazda 1300 Sedan

A Passionate Journey: Ben's Mazda 1300 Sedan

Key Points:

• Ben Sioklis, inspired by his childhood experiences in his father's panel shop, built a 650hp 13B turbo Mazda 1300 Sedan.
• The car, equipped with a 13B Bridgeport and a golden Garrett GT42 turbo, was built over nine years between customer projects.
• The Mazda has been customised with a tubbed and half-chassis design and features Simmons wheels, indicating Ben's deep-rooted passion for automobiles.
• The interior, designed by CKT Trimming, blends factory aesthetics with a drag-racing feel, keeping an orange/brown theme throughout.
• Although Ben enjoys cruising on St Kilda beach, he is keen to test the car's potential on a drag strip soon, targeting a high eight-second pass.

Ben’s 13B turbo Mazda 1300 Sedan has taken around nine years to become what you see today. As a kid Ben got his passion from being around his dad's panel shop. Spending time there after school certainly had its fair share of influence as Ben now owns his own shop called Custom Body And Automotive (based in Melbourne). The shop is responsible for this very tidy Mazda.

Regret Turned Opportunity

Around nine years ago Ben had an RX-7 and he states that is the one car he regrets selling. When the Mazda 1300 Sedan came up for sale at a good price Ben jumped on it. And like so many builds it blew out of proportion. The car has ben completed between working on customers cars with the help of friends and was finally debuted at Summernats 35.

Under the flip-forward bonnet lives a 13B Bridgeport with a gold Garrett GT42 turbo. All 650hp is then sent to the wheels via the Jatco three-speed automatic and nine-inch diff. The build started off with plans to keep the engine aspirated, but that soon went out the window.

If you're interested in understanding more about the prowess and capabilities of the Garrett GT42 turbo, you'll want to check out our interview with Paul Carlsson from Garrett. Carlsson provides deep insight into the innovative turbocharger technology that Garrett is known for, and the expertise that goes into their creations. To learn more about the tech that makes machines like Ben's Mazda roar to life, you can find our interview here.

Power Under the Bonnet

The Mazda has been tubbed and features a half chassis. And if you didn’t notice, some rather shiny 17x11-inch Simmons under the rear with 17x6-inch up front. Being a Ford man at heart, Ben chose the white-ish colour because he’s always loved Ford Diamond White from the FOrd XW Falcon range - the mix is something similar to Diamond White but with a bit of a twist.

The interior is thanks to CKT Trimming and features Kirkey front seats, a roll cage and is all kept with the same orange/brown theme throughout. Ben wanted to keep the trim to a factory look but give it a drag racing feel. When asked what his favourite things are about the car Ben says just the memories of building it with friends. Ben said:

I think that’s why we build cars, you know. We enjoy the time doing it. It’s not so much the goal of the car finished at the end of the day, it’s the build itself. That’s why we actually do what we do - enjoy the builds and the people we build them with!"

Ben gets the car out and about, cruising St Kilda beach as often as he can. That said, as much as Ben loves driving the car on the street he’s definitely keen to put some boost into the tiny Mazda and get it to a drag strip in the near future - a high eight-second pass is the aim.

Check out the video below find out more about Ben’s 650hp 13B Turbo Mazda 1300 Sedan.

Specs at a Glance: Ben's 1974 Mazda 1300 Sedan

Name: Ben Sioklis
Car: 1974 Mazda 1300 Sedan
Engine: 13B Bridgeport Turbo
Trans: Jatco Three-Speed Automatic
ECU: Microtech
Diff: Ford Nine-Inch
Turbo: Garrett G42
Power: 650hp with more boost to come