Powered by the most prominent Quad Rotor Wankel Rotary Engine from Mazda, the 26B, was used only in various Mazda-built sports prototype cars including the 787 and 787B in replacement of the older 13J. In 1991 the 26B-powered Mazda 787B became the first Japanese car and the first car with anything other than a reciprocating piston engine to win the Prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans race outright. As of 2014, it is still the only car to hold these distinctions. The 26B engine displaced 2622 cc and developed 700 hp (522 kW) at 9000 rpm. The engine design uses peripheral intake ports, continually variable geometry intakes, and an additional (third) spark plug per rotor. The Mazda 787 and its derivative 787B were Group C sports prototype racing cars built by Mazda for use in the World Sportscar Championship, All Japan Sports Prototype Championship, as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1990 to 1991. Designed to combine a mixture of the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA) Group C regulations with the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) GTP regulations, the 787s were the last Wankel rotary-powered racing cars to compete in the World and Japanese championships, using Mazdas R26B engine. Although the 787 and 787B lacked the single lap pace of World Championship competitors such as Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, and Porsche, as well as Japanese Championship competitors Nissan and Toyota, the Mazdas had reliability which allowed them to contend for their respective championships. The reliability of the cars eventually paid off in 1991 when a 787B driven by Johnny Herbert, Volker Weidler, and Bertrand Gachot went on to victory in the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans. This remains as of 2014 the only victory by a Japanese marque as well as the only victory by a car not using a reciprocating engine design. A total of two 787s were constructed in 1990, while three newer specification 787Bs were built in 1991.
Posted on: Thu, 07 Aug 2014 12:24:30 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015