1987 Mazda 757

Mazda's first sportscar was the 717C prototype racer which it built to contest the 24 Hours of Lemans under the Group C Junior formula. It used a 2-rotor 13B Wankel engine in a similar fashion to the production engine found in the Mazda RX-7. The chassis and body were built by Mooncraft with assistance from Mazda.

The 717C raced at the 1983 edition of LeMans where they finished 12th and 18th overall and were the only finishers in the C Junior class. The 717C was replaced the following year with the 727C. It was an evolution of the Mooncraft-built design and was powered by the same 2-rotor 13B Wankel engine. At the 1984 LeMans, two 727Cs finished 4th and 6th in the C2 class.

In 1985, Mazda introduced the 737C, which it raced under the Group C2 formula. It continued to be an evolution of the 717C and again used the same engine. Two examples secured a 3rd and 6th place finish in the C2 class at LeMans.

A British specialist named Nigel Stoud, along with Mazdaspeed, was tasked with designing and constructing a new Group C / GTP racer that could house Mazda's latest three-rotor engine. The new sports racer, the 757, was given an aluminum monocoque chassis and clothed with a carbon-fiber composite body. It was given ventilated disc brakes, a five-speed gearbox, and an in-board suspension setup. A new 3-rotor 13G Wankel engine was placed mid-ship and offered approximately 450 horsepower and 290 foot-pounds of torque.

The Mazda 757 made its racing debut at the Suzuka 500 km in April of 1986 and finished 6th overall. Mazda entered two cars at Silverstone, with one example finishing 13th overall and First in the GTP class. All LeMans, both cars were forced to retire prematurely due to gearbox failures. The Mazda 757s raced a few more times during the season, with a GTP class victory occurring in the Fuji 1000km.

For 1987, Mazda continued to use the 757 Sportsracers. By this point, many of the reliability issues had been resolved. At LeMans, the 757 finished seventh overall and first in the IMSA Class. It would return the following year to contest LeMans, where it scored another IMSA class win.

by Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2018