Bongo Original Series

[Margorie Gomoran]

Therear-engined Bongos had a full chassis (using the same Mazda 1000 engine as other variants mounted to a four-speed transaxle at the rear), and were very strong, and due to the low gearing, able to carry half a ton. Due to rust and poor maintenance, these Bongos are now rare. The 1000 pickup which was built for commercial uses, and the cargo and passenger vans all used a double wishbone and coil spring suspension for the front wheels, and a trailing-arm suspension and coil springs at the rear wheels.

After a two-year hiatus, the next Bongo van appeared in September 1977. It was a mid-engine rear wheel drive vehicle. Ford sold this version of the van as the Ford Econovan, while Mazda sold it for export as the E1300, E1400, and E1600, depending on engine size. Beginning in October 1979 a 2.2-litre diesel engine was also available in commercial versions, sold in export as the E2200. This appeared in the passenger version "Bongo Multi Wagon" in February 1980.[8] The Bongo Multi Wagon had originally been sold with a 1.8-liter petrol engine only. As the E1600, this model went on sale in Great Britain in 1982, only a year before being replaced. The British market only received the long wheelbase 1-tonne panel van version with small, twinned rear wheels. The UK model has a five-speed manual gearbox with a column mounted shifter.[9]

The original version has round headlights, and no grille; after a January 1981 facelift the second generation Bongo/E-series had rectangular headlights, and a more traditional grille.[8] The first generation of the Bongo was the best-selling Mazda vehicle from its introduction until 1981, when it was surpassed by the front-wheel drive Mazda Familia.

In Australia, rebadged versions were sold as the Ford Econovan as a SWB petrol van (with and without side windows), LWB petrol van (with and without side windows), and LWB diesel van guises (windowless). SWB and LWB window petrol vans also sold in passenger-carrying Ford Econowagon form.[10] Luxury-oriented passenger models were sold under the Ford Spectron name as high-roof eight-seaters.[11]

During the 1980s, Toyota, Nissan, and Mitsubishi all sold versions of their utility vans in the United States, however none achieved any real market success and so Mazda decided not to bring the Bongo to the US. Instead, they created the more passenger car-like MPV for the American market

In Australia, it was sold as the Mazda E-series and the Mazda Traveller [12] and also as the Ford Econovan and Ford Spectron. The entry-level Econovan offered a 4-metre (13.1 ft) length, 1.8-litre petrol engine, five-speed manual of four-speed automatic, single rear wheels, in three-seater steel-sided or six seater XL window-sided forms.[13] Prior to 1986, there was also a 1.4-litre engine and five-speed manual option available as a steel-sided van with single- or dual-rear wheels, and as a passenger-carrying XL van with single-rear wheels.[14][15]

The 4.4-metre (14.4 ft) long Econovan Maxi offered a high roof, 2.0-litre petrol engine with five-speed manual or four-speed automatic, single rear wheels, and three-seater steel-sided or six seater XL window-sided forms.[13] Dual rear wheels were available for the 2.0-litre petrol or a 2.2-litre diesel, both with five-speed manual and as steel-sided vans.[13]

The 4.7-metre (15.4 ft) long Econovan Maxi van was also high roofed, but steel-sided only.[13] Powertrain and rear wheel setups were the same as the 4.4-metre Maxi.[13] In 1986, four-wheel drive became an option for the 4.7-metre long model in conjunction with the windowed body work, manual transmission, and 2.0-litre engine.[16] A cab chassis version was offered on the 4.7-metre chassis, with 2.0-litre petrol engine with five-speed manual.[13] It was available as a two-door, three-seater model with 1.5-tonne (3,300 lb) payload and as a four-door, six-seater "Crew Cab" with 1.4-tonne (3,100 lb) payload.[13]

In December 1985, Ford updated the Econovan in Australia to upgrade the engines for unleaded petrol.[17] The petrol engine fitted to 4.0-metre Econovan increased in displacement from 1.4 to 1.8 litres, and the 4.4-metre Maxi had its petrol engine increased from 1.8 to 2.0 litres.[17] The 4.0- and 4.4-metre Econovan also gained the availability of four-speed automatic, previously fitted only to the Spectron vans.[17] The 4.7-metre Maxi van, previously available only with dual rear wheels, was now also available with single rear wheels, although crew cab and cab chassis models remained as dual rear wheel propositions.[17] Ford stated that all petrol manuals and the 4.4-metre petrol automatic Maxi were designed to run on both leaded and unleaded fuel, although the 4.0-metre petrol automatic will run only on unleaded.[17] At the same time as these powertrain updates, Ford also made some cosmetic changes to the Spectron.[17] The low-roof Spectron added colour-keyed bumpers and a new side stripe, matched to a new beige cloth interior trim, and on the XLT the old beige interior colour switched to grey.[17]

A new long-wheelbase version known as the Bongo Brawny was also introduced, three months before the regular Bongo. The Brawny was larger than the regular Bongo in by all key measures (wheelbase, length, width, height, and weight). In export markets this model was again sold as the E-series. In Australia, Ford differentiated the long-wheelbase versions with the "Econovan Maxi" identifier. In Korea, it is also known as Kia Wide Bongo for truck variant and Kia Besta for van variant

In June 1999, a new generation of Bongo vans and trucks went on sale, which were also rebadged as the Mazda E-series, Ford Econovan, Mitsubishi Delica Van/Truck, and Nissan Vanette. This model adopted the SK platform which was based on the previous generation SS/SE model. This was sold at various Mazda, Mazda Anfini and Mazda Autozam dealers.[18] On August 20, 2010, an upgraded Bongo truck/van were officially released in Japan.[19]

Mazda's difficult business environment at the time meant they could not afford to build a full brand new platform. A petrol 1.8-litre EGI F8-E with 90 PS (66 kW) and a diesel 2.2-litre R2 with 79 PS (58 kW) were available. Mazda announced that this is the last generation of in-house designed Bongo vans and trucks in March 2012. Mazda discontinued the Bongo in 2020 and it will focus on fuel efficient passenger cars.

The longer version of the Bongo, the Bongo Brawny was released in June 1999. This model also adopted the SK platform which is based on previous generation SS/SE model. Like the previous generation, the Bongo Brawny was larger in all key dimensions. It was available in both regular 2400 mm and long 2600 mm wheelbases. The Brawny retained many of the parts of the previous generation, such as the sliding side doors, and looks rather similar to the previous generation model. The E-series label continued to be used in export markets, although they were now fewer than before. The Bongo Brawny was discontinued in August 2010.

The Mazda Bongo Friendee was an eight-seater minivan. Some had Mazda factory-fitted kitchens. Many were imported to the UK, and converted to camper vans. All of them had fold-down seats downstairs to make a double bed, and on many models there was an "Auto Free Top" elevating roof which could sleep two more people. Flat-top versions were also available in Hong Kong, and sold by official dealer.

In September 2001, a facelifted version appeared, with a revised body style and different engines, although the 2.5 turbo-diesel continued unchanged. Air conditioning and climate control was fitted as standard, and electronic blinds, and electric side door were commonly fitted options.

The Bongo Brawny was reintroduced in April 2019 in Japan as a badge engineered fifth-generation Toyota HiAce.[4] Unlike the previous model, it is intended to be a larger commercial van as opposed to a passenger van.

Fast-forward to the present, and the Mariano series. These finely crafted instruments are dedicated to, and based on, designs of the original master himself, Mariano Bobadilla. The care and craftsmanship show, and serve as excellent tribute. There are five drums in the new line: four congas (quinto, conga, tumba, and super tumba), and the bongos. And while the drums have much in common with the original Mariano series, some key improvements were added that make these drums particularly special.

The tuning rings on the congas all have five points of tension (like the originals), while the bongos sport the standard four-point tuning rings. While the counterhoops are of the traditional variety in that they do not apparently have any softened edges or comfort-type curve, this is no problem, as they leave plenty of access to the drumheads for open tones and slaps. The heads use the same real cowhide as the originals, and their playability is superb.

Grammy-nominated producer, composer, and instrumentalist Diego Gal has devoted his artistic life to the knowledge of Afro-Cuban music to integrate it with his special way of creating music with flavor. The MEINL Percussion Diego Gal Artist Series Congas and Bongos are just what Diego needs in terms of comfort, look, and sound. Diego started playing at an early age on bongos, later adding congas. He wanted his signature models to be wood because of their classic and original sound that represents the roots of his musical journey. Made with chamchuri wood and equipped with brushed nickel finish hardware, the shells have a stunning and unique look. Their sound is rich and dynamic, full of popping highs and warm lows for both studios and live situations. The congas have the classic MEINL shape to the shell and come in two versions: with buffalo skin heads or Remo Fiberskyn Symmetry heads. The bongos come with calfskin heads or Remo Fiberskyn Symmetry heads.

Itchy & Scratchy Comics was a short-lived series, and one of the four original series released in late 1993 with the start of Bongo Comics. The first issue was released on November 29, 1993, and only two more issues were released after that as well as one special edition, called Itchy & Scratchy Holiday Hi-Jinx. The comics tried to expand on two characters that really did not need any expanding, and the readers thought Itchy and Scratchy was best in short, violent bursts and that full-length stories only took away from the visceral shock of the cartoon, so the comic book series was canceled in 1994. Itchy & Scratchy continue to be featured in Simpsons Comics as short stories while Simpsons family members are watching TV.

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