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Discontinued
$125.86 USD
$132.49 USD
This item is discontinued and is not expected to come back into stock.
This is a racing car model kit assembled from parts made of resin, white metal, photo-etched metal and possibly other materials.
Adapted from the Model Factory Hiro website:
About the MAZDA 787B
The Mazda 787B is currently the only Japanese-built car to have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and doing so equipped with a rotary engine. The victory not only marks an incredible milestone for the Mazda company, but also a special moment in the history of the rotary engine itself.
The rotary engine was first introduced in automobiles by German automotive/autobike maker NSU in the 1960s. In order to separate themselves from other Japanese auto companies, Toyo Kogyo Co. (later known as Mazda Motor Co.) formed a contract with NSU and began development of rotary engine-powered automobiles.
In 1967, Mazda released the first of such vehicles: the Cosmo Sport. After the oil shock, NSU and their rotary supplier dropped from the market, but Mazda continued to produce cars running on rotary engines, making them the sole supplier of rotary engine-powered automobiles.
Mazda first entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in the 1970s, with their first official debut in 1973 with the rotary engine-equipped Sigma MC73. While there were years where the team did not participate, when they did the team continued to use rotary engines in their entries. Beginning with the 4-rotor engine in the Mazda 767 that first appeared in 1988, and the 1990 entry 787, the team's effort finally came to fruition as the upgraded version of the 787, the 787B, won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1991.
Due to a change in regulations, 1991 became the last year that rotary engines could be used in Le Mans. During this year, Mazda entered three cars: a 787 and 787B both under Works colours, and a third 787B painted in Renown's green/orange. The three cars faced strong rivals such as the Mercedes C11 and XJR-12 on the track, but the Renown-painted 787B (No. 55) beat out the competition to take first place overall in the end. Car no. 18 under the works team managed a 6th-place finish.
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