The 1991 winning Mazda 787B returns to Le Mans for demonstration runs at the 2022 Le Mans Classic
June 22, 2022 by Mazda
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This left the number 55 Mazda 787B to click off the laps and cross the line to take overall victory for Japan in a race that Toyota and Nissan had tried and failed to win throughout the Group C era. Yet it was the relatively small manufacturer from Hiroshima and its rotary engine that had taken the first outright win at Le Mans for a Japanese brand. Even more poignantly, Mazda already knew the rotary engine would be banned from Le Mans in 1992, so the 1991 victory was the last chance to win with a rotary. With a chassis designed by Briton Nigel Stroud, the Mazda 787B was also the first car to win Le Mans with carbon brakes. To top off a great race, the sister number 18 Mazda 787B finished in sixth with the older number 56 Mazda 787, with Yojiro Terada on the driving team, in eighth – a huge achievement for Mazda and culmination of a story at Le Mans that began 21 years earlier. Helped by the bold livery of Japanese clothing sponsor Renown, the Le Mans winning number 55 Mazda 787B has become one of the most famous Le Mans winners. Immediately retired from competition after the race, Mazda 787B chassis 002 now takes pride of place at Mazda's recently updated museum in Hiroshima. Maintained in full working order it still captures the hearts of car fans the world over when it's demonstrated and the 2022 Le Mans Classic is a rare opportunity for fans in Europe to see it in action.
posted on conceptcarz.com
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