We’ll buy the “roses are red, violets are blue” routine, but a raspberry-colored Mazda?

For 1993 Mazda came up with a limited-edition subcompact MX-3 SE, a car thesize of the Ford Escort, with a 1.8-liter, 24-valve, 130-horsepower V-6 under the hood that is teamed with a five-speed manual transmission. Then Mazda painted the package purple, er, make that raspberry metallic.

With the 130-horsepower V-6, the MX-3 shouts when it wants to, but it doesn’t scream, as evidenced by the mileage rating of 23 m.p.g. city/28 highway.

Four-wheel independent suspension, power steering and 15-inch high-performance radial tires contribute to above-average ride and handling.

Two drawbacks: no air bags and no anti-lock brakes.

Base price: $16,455. Optional air conditioning runs a hefty $830.