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The Mazda 787B is, without a doubt, a very special car. This particular model, built in 1991, holds a handful of prestigious accomplishments; mainly that it is the first, and only Japanese manufactured car to ever win the 24 Hour of Le Mans. It is also the only non-piston car to win, as it is powered by a 26B rotary engine. At the 2011 Motor Sports Japan show, JDM Clips got a chance to capture the machine in it’s preserved state of championship beauty. Check out more past the break.
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The Kevlar/Carbon composite body was painted in the now iconic bright orange and green color scheme of Renown; a Japanese clothing manufacturer that provided the entire team with clothing during it’s Le Mans stint.
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A close look at the Cibie pavement lighters. Mazda had quite a few other early 90’s racers on hand at the show. We’ll take a closer look at those with the rest of the Motor Sports Japan coverage.
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Although now the 787B is now destined for a life of booth display, and demonstration laps…
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…there’s no denying it’s place in motor sports history.
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The streamlined design of the monocoque chassis is telling of the prototype like designs of the 90’s. The 787 is actually the predecessor of it’s older brother the 767. Nigel Stroud, the designer, carried over many elements of the 767. However, the R26B power-plant accounts for the most dramatic change from the previous model – producing over 700whp!
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A look at the rear diffuser, wing, and differential setup.
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Japanese events are typically always well organized (like most things in Japan) and have on-hand, general information of all the display cars….
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…as well as a plethora of goodies to spend your hard earned money on.
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That wraps up our close-up of Mazda’s historic 787B race car. I know it has been awhile since our last update, but the amount of shows I’ve had the opportunity to attend recently have been extremely limited. We’ll have more coverage of the Motor Sport Japan show as the week progresses. I owe much to my friend; not only did JDM Clips provide coverage of the show, but they also got video of the 787B tearing up the tarmac. Check it out here! Thanks for visiting!
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