Tag Archives: 24 Hours of Le Mans
Building a tiny Mazda 787B model in 1/87 scale
The 1991 Mazda 787B needs no introduction. Its iconic orange and green paint scheme is one of the most recognizable liveries ever to grace a Le Mans winner. Due to its historic nature countless models of this car have been … Continue reading
Toyota 85C back in action at the 2022 Le Mans Classic
Over the weekend the No.36 Toyota 85C raced again at Le Mans after first setting tire to asphalt there in 1985. As Toyota’s first factory entry for the famed 24-hour endurance race, the 85C is a pivotal car for the … Continue reading
Toyota 85C at Le Mans links father-son racing dynasty
Over the weekend, Toyota won its fifth consecutive victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Just before the race, Le Mans tradition requires that the previous year’s winner bring back their trophy so it can be passed on to … Continue reading
Amazingly detailed Mazda 787B rotary engine model released for 30th anniversary of Le Mans win
This year marked the 30th anniversary of Mazda’s historic win at the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans. To commemorate the 787B race car’s victory, Mazda aftermarket parts company MZ Racing has developed a highly detailed 1:6 scale model of … Continue reading
There’s now a Mazda 787B easter egg in the Mazda 2
It’s kind of a shame Americans don’t buy small, zippy hatchbacks anymore because the Mazda 2 by all accounts is an affordable car that is still pretty fun to drive. Even if it hadn’t been discontinued already, it was offered … Continue reading
Kunio Matsuura, Mr. Rotary Racing, led Mazda motorsports for 27 years to its 1991 Le Mans victory
Today marks the 30th anniversary of Mazda’s historic win at Le Mans with the iconic rotary-powered 787B. We have explored Mazda’s journey in this and other endurance racing events over the years, yet were only scratching the surface. The people … Continue reading
VIDEO: A virtual tour of Toyota’s Motorsports Biography exhibit
The Toyota Automobile Museum’s excellent “Toyota Motorsport Biography: Everlasting Challenge Spirit” exhibit is scheduled to end on April 11. Sadly, travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have prevented most overseas travelers from seeing it in person. However, the museum … Continue reading
Restoration of the Mazda 737C Le Mans race car has begun
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Mazda 787B’s historic win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. To commemorate the occasion one of its predecessors, the 1985 737C, is undergoing restoration. Last week in Hiroshima, technicians began disassembling … Continue reading
100 YEAR CLUB: Mazda, Part 03
Among automotive journalists, including many of us here at JNC, Mazda has long occupied a special place in our hearts. To this day, their cars just tick for us. Why? As we near the end of the year that marks … Continue reading
The Toyota Automobile Museum has opened a “Motorsport Biography” exhibit
“A harsh environment of competition toughens our people and cars,” said Toyota Motor founder Kiichiro Toyoda once said. It’s a quote framing the Toyota Automobile Museum in Aichi, Japan’s newly opened an exhibit highlighting some of the company’s historic race … Continue reading
Toyota sees the new Z and would like to remind you about the GR Super Sport
You might have heard that over the weekend, Toyota won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the third time in a row. It’s a tremendous feat, even if it ran largely unopposed by any other automaker. Toyota also took … Continue reading
VIDEO: Mazda racing liveries, animated
Mazda UK has released a new video called “Our Greatest Motorsport Liveries” to honor its 100th Anniversary. The short animated movie goes through several of the company’s famous racing colorways, varying from the Group B RX-7 to the renowned (ha!) … Continue reading
100 YEAR CLUB: Mazda, Part 01
Exactly 100 years ago today, on January 30, 1920, Toyo Cork Kogyo was founded. This company, whose name translates to Oriental Cork Industries, would go on to build cars under the name Mazda. Thus, today marks the 100th anniversary of … Continue reading
Mazda 4-rotor vs Toyota V10: Which race car sounds better?
At Toyota’s recent Gazoo Racing Festival, fans got the rare opportunity to see — and hear — two vastly different top-level prototype race cars roaring side by side. Both the Mazda 787B’s quad-rotor and the Toyota TS010’s 3.5-liter V10 hailed … Continue reading
NEWS: Rotary engine may race again at Le Mans
Rotaries are returning to Le Mans, at least in the rule books. According to the most recent technical regulations for the Le Mans Hypercar category approved and released by the FIA World Motor Sport Council, rotary engines may power the machines in … Continue reading
JNC THEATER: Shelby American
Ford v. Ferrari might be the biggest car movie out right now, but there’s an even better one currently playing on Netflix — and it’s non-fiction. Shelby American is the latest release by Chassy Media, the production company of Adam … Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? Team Taisan R32 Skyline GT-R, a Drift King’s dream come true
One of the most iconic R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R race cars is going up for auction this Saturday. The Team Taisan GT-R competed in the Japan Touring Car Championships during the era of the R32’s utter dominance of the series, … Continue reading
Why Toyota is building an insane 986-horsepower supercar
Toyota’s had a big week. They finally achieved their decades-long push to win Le Mans, overcoming a series of agonizing near-misses. It also announced the production of an insane 986-horsepower road car based on a 2021 Le Mans race car. While the given … Continue reading
MINICARS: Can you help us identify these Japanese race car toys?
I recently rediscovered these toys of two historic Japanese endurance racing prototypes. They are completely plastic, have no branding underneath, but are extremely well-made examples. Can you help us identify where they came from?
COLLECTIONS: Mazda restores historic 767B Le Mans racer
Mazda has something good in store at this year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. In what’s becoming a bit of a tradition for Mazda North American Operations, it’s adding a restored race car to its Heritage Collection: the #202 767B that … Continue reading