Mazda 787B That Won Le Mans in 1991 Returned This Year, Fabulous Noise and All

The first Japanese car to win the legendary 24-hour race was back for a visit on the occasion of the event's 100th anniversary.

The Mazda 787B was the first Japanese car to win Le Mans, taking a hard-fought victory in 1991.

After being immediately retired from racing as rotary engines were banned at Le Mans starting in 1992, the number 55 car usually enjoys its retirement parked at Mazda's HQ in Hiroshima, Japan.

To help Le Mans celebrate its centenary, Mazda brought the iconic winning 787B back to the Circuit de la Sarthe for some ear-splitting demonstration laps. It'll be on display at the Le Mans museum for the month of June.

For its 100th birthday, the 24 Hours of Le Mans invited the noisiest of guests. Thirty-two years ago, Mazda's orange and green 787B screamed its way to an underdog victory that has become a defining moment for the brand. It was the first Japanese manufacturer to win the world's most famous endurance race, and it was also the high point for the rotary engine.

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Ordinarily, the winning number 55 787B slumbers in Mazda's museum in its home town of Hiroshima. However, earlier this month any cobwebs were dusted off, and the prototype was shipped to France to lead demonstration laps before the main event. At the wheel was driver Yojiro Terada, 29-time Le Mans veteran and the driver of the older #56 787 at Le Mans in 1991.

The 787B's victory should never have happened. Compared to the juggernaut entrants from Peugeot and Mercedes-Sauber, Mazda's plucky Le Mans team was basically bringing a Miata to a gun fight. It was also possibly the loudest race car ever built. No other team was running a rotary engine, and the two 787Bs qualified an unremarkable 12th and 17th. But the 787B punched above its weight. Mounted amidships was the RB26M, a 2.6L four-rotor engine with variable-length intake runners. Specifically built to win Le Mans (or at least try), the engine was capable of 900 horsepower at 10,000 rpm, but ran at a maximum of 700 hp at 9000 rpm for the race. This as compared to Jaguar's 7.4L V-8 or the turbocharged 5.0L V-8 of the Mercedes entrants.

The chassis was lighter than rivals at just 1830 pounds, giving the 787B a fighting chance with its power-to-weight ratio. The engine also had some fuel efficiency advantages, and Mazda's engineers had built the four-rotor to be as reliable as they could make it.

In the race, the three-man team of Johnny Herbert, Volker Wiedler, and Bertrand Gachot clawed their way up into the top ten. By 4 a.m., when only the hardiest of spectators are still on their feet, the 787B was screaming around the course and disrupting dreams in third place. The sun came up, number 55 was in second place, and the leading Mercedes broke down. A historic victory was just a few laps away.