RE: Mazda 787B: Time For Tea?
Thursday 21st May 2015
It has now become pretty easy to predict the country of origin of the team taking the top step at Le Mans. Over the past 25 years, the winners enclosure has been littered with German flags, bar a few exceptions. 1991 was one of those years. It was Mazda's. Fielding the RB26B four-rotor engine in the 787b, it produced 700hp in something that weighed in at less than 850kg and was remarkably reliable over the 24 hours, blown headlight notwithstanding.
Mazda 787B: Time For Tea?
Johnny Herbert and the Mazda 787b reunited for an epic sounding lap of Le Mans
Subsequently ruled out by regulations it remains the only rotary engine to have won Le Mans and the only time in the history of the race a Japanese marque has taken victory.Celebrated in the Mazda MX-5 Le Mans 24 editions it's always one to hunt out at events like Goodwood. Just don't forget your earplugs.
If you weren't lucky to see it in action back in 1991, sit back and listen to this 700hp monster lap of Le Mans in the hands of the driver that took the flag - Johnny Herbert himself.
Watch the vid here.
Discussion
A 20B swap is closer to £15-20k when all is said and done and a 26B swap would likely be over £30k. Everything on a 3 or 4 rotor motor is pretty much custom which is why it costs so much to do.
Think of it this way though. You can spend £7-10k on a RX-7 that is in good enough condition to be a nice starting point for a swap, and then another £15-20k for a 20B swap and all of the customisation that goes along with it. So, you are say £30k in the hole and you have a 500bhp car that weighs less than 1300kg and handles like a dream. Or you can buy a new Subaru STI or 4 cylinder Mustang GT for equivalent money and have less power, more weight, is not as pretty and damn sure won't sound as good. A 20B may struggle to do more than mid teens mpg though except on the highway where you might get 20, but if you are going down this route (i.e. making a monster track car) then why the hell would you care? This would be a 2nd or 3rd car choice after all and not a sensible consideration for a daily driver.
Think of it this way though. You can spend £7-10k on a RX-7 that is in good enough condition to be a nice starting point for a swap, and then another £15-20k for a 20B swap and all of the customisation that goes along with it. So, you are say £30k in the hole and you have a 500bhp car that weighs less than 1300kg and handles like a dream. Or you can buy a new Subaru STI or 4 cylinder Mustang GT for equivalent money and have less power, more weight, is not as pretty and damn sure won't sound as good. A 20B may struggle to do more than mid teens mpg though except on the highway where you might get 20, but if you are going down this route (i.e. making a monster track car) then why the hell would you care? This would be a 2nd or 3rd car choice after all and not a sensible consideration for a daily driver.
Edited by cib24 on Friday 22 May 13:59
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff