On the 23rd of June, 1991, history was made at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Mazda became the first Japanese manufacturer to win the 59th running of the historic race, and the first rotary engine.
Drivers Volker Weidler, Johnny Herbert and Bertrand Gachot beat the second-placed Silk Cut Jaguar by two laps and while plenty has been written about the winning car, and its touch of luck for winning, few cars over the decades have claimed as many headlines as Mazda’s 787B.
Powered by a quad-rotor 26B, peripheral ported rotary engine with three plugs per rotor (instead of the normal two) and a variable length intake trumpet system that optimised low-down torque (longer trumpets) and high-end power (shorter), the Mazda was as famous for its piercing sound as its success.
With a number of similar liveried and titled cars, such as the 1989 767B, and the red and green-liveried Renown-sponsored cars appearing at major events such as Goodwood, Sydney’s World Time Attack and even NZ a few years back, it’s easy to be confused. But make no mistake, the #55 1991 Le Mans-winning 787B is the hero of them all. And its home is a room dedicated to its success, in the Mazda Museum, in the Mazda building, in the heart of its headquarters in Hiroshima, Japan.
Why number 55? According to Mazda Japan, in order to compete in the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans, Mazda was required to enter all eight rounds of the FIA World Sportscar Championship (SWC). Mazda entered only one car in the SWC, the previous year's Mazda 787. The series entry number for the SWC was 18, however the two additional entries for Le Mans were designated by the organiser, the ACO, as numbers 55 and 56 – therefore, the number 55 was used only for Le Mans.
On DRIVEN’s recent trip to Japan to drive the new CX-60, along with seeing the factory, visiting the Hofu factory an hour away, and visiting the Museum, we were lucky enough to have 30 mins in the museum to ourselves, and some time to spend with the Mazda 787B.
Short of climbing aboard, we were able to get some detailed images and video of the victor, and spend some quality time just absorbing it.
On the 20th anniversary of its Le Mans victory, the 787B-002 number 55 was given the opportunity to run on the Circuit de la Sarthe once again after a full restored over a period of about six months by the mechanics and members of the team who were in charge of its development in 1991.
Just before the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June 2011, the car was driven by Johnny Herbert, one of the winning drivers, at full throttle on the full course. It was greeted with applause and cheers from the crowd. It was also a nice touch from the ACO that Herbert, who was unable to stand on the winning podium in 1991 due to dehydration, was able to take his place 20 years later.
The winning car, the 787B-002, was permanently preserved after Le Mans, and the remaining car, the 787B-003, which was built at short notice for the JSPC, has been restored and is also being preserved.
For the 30th anniversary in 2021, well, the world was in lockdown so celebrations were somewhat reserved, thought there is a line of the merchandise, T-shirts and products for sale in the Mazda Museum.
READ MORE: Watch some of the 2011 787B restoration
READ MORE: Watch Johnny Herbert revisit Le Mans in 2011 with 787B
