The Top Gear DISASTER that destroyed Mazda's rotary supercar forever

[@haydenbush]

You may not believe me but here it goes… From what I was told by a man who worked or works at Mazda’s North American Operations in Irvine, CA. The car was received back in January 2009 and was assessed by both Mazda’s head of finance and insurance services. The car was then placed under “Special priority” and then sent back to Japan via ship in March 2009. As of sometime in Mid 2012 the car was quote “Being rebuilt for Mazda’s private collection.” That’s all I got. Edit: Wow! Thanks for the likes! I got this information in speaking to a guy from Mazda’s American Operations at the Le Mays Car Museum in Washington State. I honestly can’t remember his name as he was with a few other people overlooking an exhibit but he was quite older. I just remember the topic of the Mazda Furai came up because I mentioned my favorite race car was the #55 787B and then he told me a concept car called the Furai had the same #55 too! And the info I got came from that…

[@rendaddy_]

Even if you're lying, you gave us more interesting info than the whole video.

[@caledonianrailway1233]

Sounds like someone offered them a lot for it to go to to a private collection

[@user-neo71665]

@@caledonianrailway1233 Mazda's private collection. Mazda has pretty much a museum/warehouse of every car model they have ever built including race cars.

[@bucketslash11]

that is at least 1 possible thread to follow

[@wr1ght939]

I freaking hope so.

[@mikecochrane803]

That is absolutely legendary. A car that was completely totalled while Top Gear had it during the peak years, and Hammond wasn't even driving it. There can't be many in that category.

[@evo8nut]

😂😂😂

[@zeroinfinity5864]

Well it was the cars fault. A design flaw. They should have had the flames in mind when making the car.

[@chrischaf]

@@zeroinfinity5864 Ya know, on a one-of-one priceless concept/prototype like this one, a built in fire suppression system doesn't sound like a bad idea 🤔

[@steveaachen62]

​@@zeroinfinity5864 ...sure, they brought a completely untested car to the TopGear event - it's always others blame..!

[@zeroinfinity5864]

@@steveaachen62 yep

[@PhilMann]

I remember being asked to do a customer research piece for Mazda. They bundled us into a room with tea and biscuits and had lots of Qs about the style of cars I liked etc etc, then images of various concepts and asking which we preferred and why, emotions felt etc etc. I still remember when I saw the image of (essentially) the Furai. It was jaw dropping, so much better than the other images they'd had. I remember leaving and thinking Mazda were going to have some very special looking cars if they changed their design language to something like that. When I saw the Furai itself online I immediately recalled that Research session. What a car, what a sound. Bravo Mazda.

[@martinjaser2725]

sry but i think cap

[@inha1ed]

I remember that car only because I played Forza Motorsport 4

[@SWatchik]

Still one of the best racing games. Probably put more hours into that than any other.

[@Jason-gq8fo]

Was gonna say the same thing!

[@Challenger160]

That was my favourite LMP car in that game.

[@Endidixknsej]

Didn’t even know it was in that game

[@josephj807]

For me I only saw it is asphalt 8

[@omega1575]

I would like to thank this car for its help in the Like The Wind championship in GT5, I couldn’t beat it without it.

[@BurmaJ]

Research efforts : one email ✅

[@TurboHappyCar]

Well he also repeated all of the myths about the engine, like stacking rotors and apex seals flying out. I skipped that part of the video.

[@sianwarwick633]

When a company doesnt cooperate, they dont cooperate. This is Drivetribe making their case for options

[@PeterShire]

Lol, and I wish he shared some details on the dates of these events. Was this car introduced in 2008, 2009? When did it burn?

[@AntiVaganza]

Well, sports and car journalism should in my opinion most often have journalism be in brackets. Also, adding social media to the mix often dilutes the journalism part even more. So, yeah, this was well below their normal standard. But hey, at least Hammond is saving the planet. He surely must be the only one working on synthetic fuels in GB. I heard it on youtube!

[@bumble3572]

As a proud owner of an RX-8, I pray for a true RX-9 in the future. For the flaws of the rotary engine, it truly is a dream engine

[@adambeimel104]

yes, and we should also look for lamborghini, ferrari and AMG GT motors over 100k. all rare types ;-) if you have a special engine it should be treated like one, leave it time to warm up, and don't stop it immediately to let it cool. Unfortunately I never had a car like this, but I allways tried to treat those I had with respect (no reving while cold, oil change in time, etc.)

[@kabongpope]

FD RX-7 is one of the best looking cars out there. First time I saw one parked up in a garage in the early 90s I had to check it out because it didn't look like anything on the road.

[@majist0]

Easily one of the most beautiful cars ever made. The Spirit R is peak design.

[@Blas4ublasphemy]

Looks just like a C5 Corvette and kind of like a Saturn Sky. GM likes the look too...

[@JoshuaC923]

My favourite car

[@spyrule]

There is still nothing on the road that compares...

[@Subversion121]

*the best looking car out there

[@Anamnesis]

Given Mazda's size and operating budget, we should count our blessings we still even have the MX-5 available, and it's far simpler and more affordable by comparison to the old rotaries that were highly specialized. They've been teasing upscale grand touring concepts for over a decade with nothing to show for it, and until they can fully leverage their relationship with Toyota, there won't be a new halo model. All you have to do is walk onto a dealer lot to see they really just want to sell luxury CX models now anyways, so any specialty model would be extremely low volume, not to mention enormously expensive; if the old FD RX-7 was still around at the prices it sold for brand new 25 years ago, that would be the equivalent of about $60-80K USD today.

[@ArthurZakaryan23]

Sadly that's what people are buying and no mass market car OEM can ignore this if they want to continue existing. The more high volume models they sell to bolster their overall financial health, the higher the chance they can take more risks with building more specialized low volume models.

[@pauliewalnuts240]

Everyone wants sports cars back but they don't buy them when they come out. Suvs are the default vehicles choice sadly.

[@DroneStrike1776]

I currently drive a 2019 Mazda3 AWD hatchback US spec. Also owned a 88 FC RX-7 in 1997 when I was in highschool. Mazda is such an underrated company. They're small cars are really fun to drive.

[@IAnolastname]

@@pauliewalnuts240 nobody buys them because they ask near GT-R money for a supra after you're OTD

[@nicktrovato139]

I still think about this car at random. I think it has the best looking backend I’ve ever seen on a car.

[@UncleManuel]

If one person can revolutionize the rotary engine then it is Rob Dahm. Taking the engine apart, analyze it, realize its problems, use dowels & CNC machines to make it bulletproof, tune it on Haltech ECUs, understand how a rotary engine wants to be tuned. And share it all transparently on KZbin. 😎🤘 Btw: Rob Dahm has currently a triple-4-rotor boat engine in his shop to make it run properly, he is tasked by its builder Tyson Gavin. It's a 12-rotor engine with 15.7 litres displacement and modular E-shafts. It was developed to replace a Chevy big block in a racing boat. ✌

[@benjaminbuschi284]

We need to all spam Rob on his video's and get him to build a replica Furai.

[@ArgonBlargh]

@@benjaminbuschi284 His next episode starts with "today we are forgetting about and dropping everything we are doing to fully recreate the Furai"

[@TJagla1989]

At the other end - there's Mukka Motorsports naturally aspirated 6 rotor beast, that sounds like nothing in this world!

[@lucky7s94]

I wish he could do more content on both the 4 rotor and the 12, but he's wrapped up doing 3 rotor things and pikes peak stuff lately

[@julshg]

don't forget to mention this absurdity of an engine is supposed to get some spooly bois👀🥵

[@Yvolve]

10:16 Whoever laid that skid mark, can thank their ABS and traction control for saving their lives. If that front wheel had locked, the car would've gone up and over that ramp-shaped bank. Crazy to see ABS at work so clearly, even after the fact.

[@LazyFingersITB]

I live around here, it’s a lovely corner but sharper than it looks. The bank continues round and then flattens out a bit further down. I saw this mark not long ago and thought the exact same thing same thing, it was probably a very quiet drive home for them after that save.

[@Yvolve]

@@LazyFingersITB I imagine the level of pucker was quite high, probably took a chunk out of their seat. From the video the corner seems to have quite a bit of camber as well, making it that much harder to get right.

[@kevin-l7r7p]

Kinda looks like the skid marks you get from the wheels on the trailer of an articulated lorry with the 3 large tread bands visible on the road. They often lock up/under rotate leaving marks like that.

[@ascgazz]

@@Yvolveyou have a particular way with words.. made me chuckle. 😂

[@Yvolve]

@@ascgazz Thank you, I try.

[@WWarped1]

Going from memory here, so might get this wrong. Wasn't there a few grainy photos around 2009/10 of it being unloaded from a ship? Mazda went nuts and wanted the photos destroyed, and took legal action. I only recall it because of the many debates. Some thought the grainy picture were actually a 757 or 767 prototype, whilst others said it was Furai. The car was matt black, so details were not fantastic. I also think it was missing wheels. I remember this because I was hanging around some Mazda forums looking for details about the autozam/mazda AZ-1, and info about importing.

[@FriendlyCroock]

look man the reality is that it wasn't a reliable prototype.

[@howardosborne8647]

@@FriendlyCroock It was a very fast Fire Engine which lived up to its title 😂

[@puffpio]

The other interesting stat is that Franz von Holzhausen (Teslas chief designer) was working at Mazda at the time and was involved in the design of the Furai

[@thaburninator0904]

Man that makes sense, I dont know much about car designers but if what you say is true, that man is one of the best ones out there.

[@elchucapablas]

Well then he forgot everything he knew because those teslas sure look plain

[@martingreenaway8748]

Was this where he got the idea for the inflammable cars, then?

[@SonicProvocateur]

Well that idea really didn't pan out either huh

[@NekarXenos]

Frans von Holzhausen led the team, but the Furai was designed by Laurens van den Acker who later went over to Renault and designed the Clio, which looks a bit more interesting than the Tesla

[@finncarlbomholtsrensen1188]

As an elderly man of 76 I remember when German NSU came with first the small and absurdly expensive NSU Spyder, based on an NSU Printz and later the gorgeous NSU RO80! But they never managed to make it function and constantly changed engines on the warranty!!! A Swedish journalist had 3 engines in his RO80!! It seems that only Mazda could make the engine function?

[@immikeurnot]

Not too well. The Renesis likes to clock out at 60,000 miles.

[@tjroelsma]

NSU was taken over by Audi and they just dropped the engine. Mazda kept developing their engines and kind of solved the rotor seal problem. I say kind of, because those still wear out relatively quick. Rotary engines have a few significant problems: 1. The rotor seals (high wear). 2. Bad fuel economy. 3. Relatively high oil consumption. 4. Cooling is very critical. These problems are probably prohibiting Mazda from putting a rotary engine in a production car.

[@finncarlbomholtsrensen1188]

@@tjroelsma AUDI made several models based on the NSU Models. AUDI 100 looked much like RO 80,

[@RaptorV1USA]

Emissions regs also a huge part of the rotary problem. To clean it up to pass ever stricter emissions regs,..it had to be restricted so badly it lost any real benefits of the rotary design...and this was in the 90's

[@tjroelsma]

@@finncarlbomholtsrensen1188 Yes, but as far as I know that Audi used a traditional engine, not the rotary engine.

[@penguinactually]

so many words spoken, yet so little said

[@KuraiKatsumi]

Hate the fact that he mentions the 787B being slow despite the facts it had ballasts, restrictors and was usually placed last in line as well as having faced some mechanical issues during the race slowing it's pace, leading it to where it ended up. Shame how this car gets looked down upon despite it's immense potential.. smh.

[@billymanilli]

everyone had to run "ballast and restrictors"... as we know, that was just the sanctioning body's way of trying to keep the racing competitive for spectators.

[@BeKindToBirds]

​@@billymanilli They should only mess with cars for safety I think

[@leeghathaway]

@@BeKindToBirdsThen racing just becomes a financial arms race. The one with the most money wins. The beauty of endurance racings ‘balance of power is that you could run pretty much any engine / drive train configuration and still hold a close fought competitive race.

[@LongStep]

As he was telling the story, I was thinking about forced induction. Is it possible to use forced induction on a rotary engine? Supercharger or Turbo? It's got to be an engine hungry for air, with a 9000 rpm rev.

[@williamstrachan]

@@LongStep Yes, though heat management becomes vital - they love boost but if you get any pre-detonation ever, you've got some repairs to make (that is the shock load that kills the apex seals).

[@ish474]

I saw it at its debut at the North American International Auto Show I probably spent an hour photographing it. the thing you might not get unless you saw it in person is that every single angle of the car looks amazing

[@RaptorV1USA]

Same.. I saw it at sema or the annual Los Angeles intl auto show and I'm sure I spent at least 45 min taking pics ..

[@andylarham5251]

The Furia is currently at area 51, hence the abrupt answer😮

[@PiDsPagePrototypes]

Maybe the answer was that 'abrupt' because the press office person doesn't know anything about the car, because those people tend to move through jobs quickly and you'd be talking about 'an old concept car' that they'd never heard of? Or maybe they think Drivetribe is related to Top Gear and having a concept destroyed by or with the mags involvement is still painful?

[@midgetspinner7007]

Bro really contacted the customer care email for Mazda USA and took their response to heart. They would know nothing about the internal ongoings of concept cars being developed and as such likely just don't know the answer. Not suspicious at all if you know anything about the industry

[@crdc9853]

I think the point more was you can state you don't know the location of the car while still being polite. Now it might be the person at Mazda was just having an offer day and happened to be a bit blunt with their wording or there could be something more to it.

[@simoncordingley3122]

I once owned an RX4. It was smooooth. But not as viscous as my friend’s peripheral ported RX4 with twin webbers and upgraded suspension, that shot out two foot flames.

[@ramotive]

The Furai was the coolest thing made by an automotive brand imo

[@edwardfletcher7790]

I'll raise you a Sesto Elemento or Koenigsegg Gemera. 👍

[@minners71]

Nah Ford with the GT40 takes that title.

[@edwardfletcher7790]

@@minners71 Lots of cool vehicles have been made since the 1960's Ford race car ..

[@minners71]

@@edwardfletcher7790 And your point is? Or am I not allowed an opinion, if I had the money to buy any car in the world it would be a classic gt40 in the gulf livery, coolest thing ever built by a automotive company and race winning stats to boot.

[@RoninMike-DR]

Lexus LFA

[@krazyhartin]

The likely outcome of the fire on the Top Gear track may have shown a design flaw of the body; inadequate cooling may have been the reason for the fire. This could be the reason Mazda doesn't want to show case the Furai and don't want to admit to the design flaws of the car; that's one reason. Another reason, is Mazda may have trust issues with motor journalists since then, and they wish to avoid further criticism relating to the fire incident.

[@necavenue]

Pretty sure Mazda new the design wasn't proper since it was just a concept. In fact they basically took a race car chassis and slapped a concept car shell over it. I don't think they did proper wind tunnel tests for real world engine cooling. The concept car wasn't designed for all out racing, just marketing. Now if they designed it for homologation that would be different, and the car would look different too.

[@markuks]

So you made a video of the Skyline, Impreza, Evo, now the RX-7. Will there be a video of the NSX or the S2000? why did honda drop the s2000

[@M3PH11]

they weren't making any money on it

[@Nordlicht05]

​​​​@@justrandomstuff84 Most people after that were mostly interested in used ones and wouldn't pay the money for a new one. I mean before a hype for some models. Here in Germany Japanese cars had a hard time. A little older there was a test between a BMW 3 series all wheel drive and a Subaru legacy turbo. The Subaru had all fancy options and the BMW nearly nothing. Slower smaller more expensive. What did people buy?? 3 series with rear wheel drive. Ok to be honest real wheels drive was the way to go with these BMW. But sold legacy's... Not much. I remember prices for the supra or nsx. Most normal new car buyers saw.... What money for a honda??? No thanks.

[@thh4584]

S2000 was garbage.

[@classicraceruk1337]

@@thh4584I drove one and pretty much agree. I bought a Type R instead.

[@yokaidealer]

@@classicraceruk1337Skill issue

[@ehyojono]

Nice Canadian tuxedo Mike. Looks like an Albertan edition.

[@alexandercowin4921]

talking of adding rotor housings to increase the number, shoutout PPRE for making a 6 rotor drift car that sounds like an f1 car

[@number1yota]

Am I the only one that got 3 Mazda commercials during this film? I'd love to see Mazda back in the sports car game. I remember the Furai from Top Gear, and Forza, and I have the Hot Wheels as well.

[@finlaylavery8408]

Speaking of Mazda, Mike, on an early Top Gear episode from around series 3 the guys had The Classic Wall, a derivative of The Cool Wall for possible future classics and Crocks. One car that was placed in the Crock section by your boss, Mr Richard Hammond, described as "Fake Japanese take on a British sports car..." the Mazda MX5... would you care to take this up with him at some point?

[@beauthestdane]

Bought my MX-5 in 1993, I still drive it today as my daily driver.

[@BySixa]

Chris Harris has the same take

[@Recessio]

I'd love to see a revisit of the entire Crocks and Classics board (and the Cool Wall). So many bad takes!

[@lukew6725]

​@@RecessioKinda cheating to redo the classic wall after the car has already become a bit of a classic. The whole point was that they were trying to predict which car would become a classic.

[@Recessio]

@@lukew6725 I'm saying they should see if their predictions 20 years ago were right or wrong lol

[@nagasako7]

What you are saying.. BBC owes Mazda a super car program 😂

[@Rose_Butterfly98]

But not really since the top gear didn't actually do anything out of the ordinary. Either way, Mazda has the chassis in their collection or something.

[@DjDolHaus86]

I might start paying my TV licence if it helps

[@BradleyGibbs]

​@@Rose_Butterfly98the story literally describes them doing something out of the ordinary.

[@Rose_Butterfly98]

@@BradleyGibbs kind of, not really, according to the test driver's account they were allowed to go do their tests at the track, the only out of the ordinary thing was the visibility of the track so the fire crew got there a little late

[@bjorn1583]

@@DjDolHaus86 never pay your tv licence

[@brianawd]

Rofl. The 787B was detuned from 900hp to 700hp. 24hr race comes down to longevity. Makes no difference if you are 12secs faster in qualifying. It comes down to what happens on race day.

[@ryanlove5332]

It’s also about fuel efficiency. Being able to do more laps per stint than the competitors. I have never watched the 91 edition of the race. What were their stint lengths like?

[@Sgt_SealCluber]

Rotary are still very useful as small aircraft engine due to their power to weight ratio, smaller size, and reduced vibrations.

[@webb2800]

Suprised they're not used in motorcycle's more often for the same reasons.

[@torstikinnunen3801]

I'd think rotary could be used for boat engines as well. Although costs for running and fixing might be an issue.

[@bjorn1583]

@@webb2800 rotaries were a failure in bikes, just ask suzuki

[@webb2800]

@@bjorn1583 I wonder if a modern rotary would perform better? Seems a lot of the issues on the Suzuki bike were down to over complexity

[@sv-bk]

These engines don't have issues people talk about, they have issues with owners who don't know how to use them. If you treat them well they're as reliable as a normal piston engine. I have 2 rotary cars, one of them as a daily and another modified for the track and I haven't had to open the engine block on either of them for nearly 7 years.

[@madcat4563]

I remember that car from my (only) issue of Top gear turbo challenge. We just called them top gear cards. Shout out to whoever remembers those.

[@tomstech4390]

0:15 TLDR it burned down and was probably put in the bin, Mazda usa PR doesn't know where it is because "it" doesn't exist anymore. Saved you 12 minutes of blabbering about how rotary engines work.

[@SamsonHeaven-mz6xc]

Besides the Valkyrie. The Mazda was beyond beautiful

[@kawaiikeyboards]

honestly idk why this video feels disappointing because the Furai in the end was just a concept cars, and concept cars get crushed or dismantled all the time. At least the Furai "died" doing what it was meant to do and didn't end up as a non moving show piece with little usage. But honestly I think I read somewhere that rebuilding the Furai was too costly and with the downturn in the economy and focus on environmental alternatives the rotary (at the time) was doomed to fail. But thankfully things have changed now and the RX-Vision and Iconic SP proves Mazda hasn't given up on rotary engines just yet

[@caerxm]

died doing what it was meant to do? ah yes, mazda build a million dollar race car just for revving and shooting flames.

[@ZX3000GT1]

​@@caerxm Furai was a concept car first and foremost, and while it was indeed poised to be a race car later on, it was still in its development phases. Finding problems are common in concept cars (usually not this fiery tbf, but point still stands), and cost was the problem for continuing this project (Mazda ain't exactly a particularly large manufacturer unlike Toyota or Honda) moreso than the car catching fire.

[@jaydentierney2194]

Every hotwheels collector just died at 3:01

[@veritasardens6547]

Not all Hotwheels collectors would die, there are many like myself who love keeping my cars uncarded and love taking pictures and toying around with them.

[@2chuu24u3]

I have a HW Furai in original colors uncarded. Gotta unwrap em toys!

[@peterbellwood5412]

@@2chuu24u3 Am I allowed to say 'me too'? I've added some realistic wheels and rubber tyres to mine.

[@_Zekken]

Ive never understood the point of keeping things locked up in their original packaging, even for collectors. Its a toy car. If im buying it its because I want to actually use it and enjoy it, not just leave it sitting in its box. Keeping it there only matters if you want to sell it for profit at a later date.

[@MsPysoul]

not really. The only ones worth collecting are the rare ones and this one definately wasn't

[@arielfernandez8196]

Regarding the 787b, it doesn't really matter how much slower it was on qualy. It's an endurance racing car, not a car built for 20 laps. Usian Bolt would wipe the floor with any marathon runner but after 10 minutes they'll be exactly as they were once they started while Bolt would be huffing and puffing in the floor about to puke.

[@poppukornmiichan]

It was almost to shown in Thailand (The Furai) but then Top Gear ..... (If i was remembered in Drive by J!mmy (Headlightmag) it was said before Top Gear Borrow the Furai it was Plan to Showcase in Thailand International Motor Expo (if i remember correctly if i watch that mentioned week i will edit the comment later on.)

[@SupraSav]

I have sat in countless rotary powered vehicles, from stock to 750+ rwhp. I am still fascinated at how it functions, as well as how compact and efficient(not at idle..) it is. The animation for the rotary's combustion cycle always has my attention

[@ubernoob103]

The Furai is ingrained into my head. I was obsessed with it in year 6 thanks to top gear mag. Over the years, I always wondered where it went. Once the article came out explaining the accident, I was genuinely shocked. What a shame.

[@Wylef_the_Stubborn]

I am a 40 y/o man and I still cannot say "Wankle Engine" with out having to suppress a giggle...

[@rendaddy_]

neither you can spell it correctly

[@mtylerw]

53 y/o man here. Same, and I want one. 😂 do it Hammond!

[@nolowputts]

The guy the engine is named after was German, so it should be pronounced with a "V", like Vunkel. But that's clearly not as fun.

[@mikehipperson]

@@nolowputts What a'W⚓'!

[@AllNamesWereAlreadyTaken]

Cause it's a "Wankel-Motor"

[@Kowalamaster]

The 787b was slower than the other cars yes, but it was lemans and that is an endurance race, it held together but to the point the other cars didn't.

[@benodaboy]

When I saw the furi in school I was captivated. I studied it for design class. Still one of the best looking cars ever

[@kristalturner509]

DriveTribe has become an amazing part of my week as of late. Thank you for your great content!

[@sparkysimian]

did you just publish an entire Rotary video without Ro... Ha! Right as I was about to type Rob's name, you bring him up.

[@NO3V]

Designed back in the day by Tesla's chief designer Franz von Holzhausen. His later stuff got more useful but not less purposeful.

[@PJTierney]

This car was last seen in GRID Legends in 2022, so presumably Mazda was okay with licensing the car to Codemasters for the game. From the sounds of that Press Office reply we won’t see anything of the real car any time soon, so I guess we’ll have to do with the virtual versions.

[@EyesOfByes]

That car is absolutely amazing in RealRacing3. They nailed the engine noice for that car in the game

[@LoanwordEggcorn]

The fuel air mixture in a gasoline engine does not "explode". It burns rapidly. If it explodes that's called "knocking" or Dieseling, and it damages most non-Diesel engines.

[@marksneddon5571]

That Mazda RX7 still looks amazing even after all these years, definitely aged well styling wise. Always wanted a Mazda in the 90s be it a 323 Turbo or MX6 could never afford a RX7

[@scaree2496]

It's my all time favourite concept car. I race it really often in Assetto Corsa. It sounds amazing!

[@FordCrownVic1995]

I like how Mazda’s statement was basically “That’s Classified”

[@coach4050]

Remembering this car these days wild that you guys did this vid in this time. The design didn’t age at all.

[@MrKelenek]

Apex seal really haven't been an issue of reliability with rotaries for the past decade, material research fixed most of the issues. When pushing for power now the big cliff is pushing oil on side seals.

[@xenokyomi]

Exactly. The RX8 apex seals are even smaller than the RX7s, and they're less likely to be an issue despite having less material to chew through. The side seals in the Rx8 were tapered and incredibly thin, and with the high restriction of the side ported exhaust, those side seals are what get worn first. Corner seals are the next issue, since getting oil up onto them isn't the easiest thing.

[@bartekzieba6711]

Some said , it was being rebuilt in secret Mazda facility in Fukushima in early March 2011.....

[@RitvikSingh-jx9qc]

R.I.P

[@Raptile07]

One of the most beautiful cars of all time. This car as a road-legal car with over 800 hp would be epic.

[@beefgoat80]

My older brother let me drive his 85 RX-7 when I was learning to drive back in the 90's. It was hella fun for a 15 year old learning to drive. It was much more fun than the 91 Ford Ranger my parents bought for me to drive (they told me that they bought me a truck so I could haul stuff for them).

[@JamesTenniswood]

Boy that design still looks incredibly fresh

[@frykyfryky1]

remember this car from gran turismo, still looks amazingg

[@Catbus-Driver]

in 2008 I got the chance to see it in person at the international auto show in Toronto, Canada. Always been a fan of Mazda and rotary engines in general, but had no idea what a legend this thing would become.

[@MJL-91]

I’m 32 when i first saw an rx7 as a 9 year old lad I was mesmerised it’s been my favourite car ever since. I too would have a FD over an r34 any day just something special about the rotary engines that those skyline fanboys don’t get. Let’s hope in the near future Mazda makes something truly great again.

[@KapuAdam]

Really dope that you gave a shout out to Rob Dahm. He's doing some crazy things to his 3-rotor to prep for Pikes Peak.

[@gregoryh4601]

Yes but what about that big Rotaries that being Develope ?

[@tomjoseph1444]

Back in the 70's, there was an offshore race boat that had 33 Mazda engines. Three of them ran the oil pumps for the other 30 (15 per side/prop). Then there was the Mercedes C-111 with the Rotory engine.

[@DRRCreations]

I saw the Furai at the Goodwood Festival of Speed..........................ahhhhhhh the sound! 😍😍😍

[@markmark5269]

The Furai is sitting in Japan completely stripped to the last nut and bolt, all packaged. labeled and sitting in a rear workshop at the Mazda Museum at Hiroshima. That's all I know and I know it after having lunch with a very enthusiastic Mazda engineer in China. I even got the impression he realised he had probably said too much after he said it, I don't know why.

[@bernyherrera9109]

sadly not the case... Furai is gone.

[@maxlyth]

As a Brit I loved both my MR2 and RX8 but my current custom 5L Mustang leaves them in the dust for satisfaction. Sadly I think the future for performance rotaries has closed.

[@IOUaUsername]

A single rotor engine would fit super tidily next to a flat axial flux electric motor (like Mercedes will be using after acquiring Cambridge-based YASA). That way you'd just need a clutch and you could have a simpler version of the setup in the Koenigsegg One:1, rather than just a boring generator. The whole setup would fit in any car quite easily, so it could even be a compelling hybrid crate motor. If you limited it to running on pure bio-ethanol, you'd have very low NOX and soot emissions and all the carbon emissions would have already been captured when growing the fuel. With the lower temperatures on ethanol, you could even build the single rotor engine from plastic with integrated plastic seals. A range extender isn't used most of the time, so even if the motor needed a replacement after 30,000 miles it would still last the life of the car, and a plastic engine would be extremely cheap to replace.

[@Bolly650]

Finally, someone speaks about this!!

[@terrygoyan]

I had the chance to see the Mazda LMP-2 car race at Laguna Seca. IMSA prototype racing was at its pinnacle at the time and provided legendary racing with world class drivers. The sound of the Mazda was incredible. Like the time space continuum being ripped apart! Loved it......

[@alexrubio7014]

Only reason I know if this car is Raving Rivals racing game. RIP Glu

[@joelavery3235]

6:00 I feel like I’m watching an episode of “How it’s Made” which I love. My first introduction to these cars was my 1986 RX-7. It was my first car and it was also a manual.

[@j.m.7580]

What a car that Furai! I’m an RX-8 owner - love it, quirks and all.

[@mpk490p]

Great video Mike you seem to fit well in the 7! love mine had serval over the last 25 years. I also hope there is more for the rotary engine, they just need looking after and servicing more but when you do the reward is worth the effort!

[@lokichoki_]

My first two cars, 86 and 87 2nd gen rx-7. Both 200k plus and both just kept going. Throttle input was as direct feeling as it gets and the engine revved quickly making a great driver

[@Sverkell]

Fantastic video! please give us an update on the Brera next.

[@peterbellwood5412]

Great suggestion.

[@mikehipperson]

Rob Dahm also is in possession of a 12 rotor 'W' engine originally designed for marine use!

[@jimizbikowski4112]

I don't think they were embarrassed about the fire... remember the ACR viper? Dodge gave you cash back when purchasing one b/c 5he side skirts/ rocker panels that covered the exhaust would burn and catch fire, and let's not forget the lambos which would burn the rear bumper around the exhaust and catch fire... has to be something deeper in my opinion. Guess only time will tell. Thanks for the vid 👍🏻👍🏻

[@Rose.Of.Hizaki]

This car is still one of my dream cars. I was devastated when I heard it caught fire and was completely destroyed. Didn't know the fire came as result of a photoshoot. I always heard that it crashed/caught fire while on a test drive and nothing more. Its a shame they wouldn't give you more information on it's whereabouts. On the other hand I feel that the car might be rising from dead and Mazda are still working on it behind closed doors. Such a shame to let such a beautiful and absolute unicorn of a car die

[@moonwolfproductionsans5239]

I recently got myself an RX-8 and I just love it

[@leightaylor806]

Probably the biggest set of affairs working against the comeback of a rotary is how expensive the repair builds are, and only if you can find someone knowledgeable enough to fix them, then there is getting the parts for them, etc

[@dvdemon187]

9:40 How the heck did you bust up the RX-7 badge?

[@razick0]

I remember this car from Grid Autosport. Was an absolute beast.

[@craighall6185]

Mike, Mazdas already have a small rotary in the Latest CX-30…so your bang on!

[@davidy7004]

I think it's the MX-30 (not CX-30) in the UK?

[@SPLICER21PS3]

Awesome Racing Beat shoutout, they used to do a lot of great work for Miata's too

[@scott1hn]

No "explosions" happen in any combustion process. There is a flame front that burns the air/fuel mixture. They are not the same.

[@veritasardens6547]

Nice to have a version of the Hotwheels model of the Mazda Furai in my Hotwheels collection. That way it still lives on!. It is a very unique car in terms of not just its performance but its design that exuded elegance in every respect.

[@woundedcrow4606]

It’s less of a problem regarding the apex seals. That can be fixed. It’s more of a problem with the fact that all of the engines combustion occurs in one space, as opposed to having it being displaced into several cylinders. The wear from only having one space where all combustion occurs causes scoring that can’t be repaired. Maybe they’ll build a rotary engine with a more durable combustion chamber.

[@rodmorgan7041]

What an amazing looking car. But at my age, the best bedroom wallposter car of all time was the Countach.

[@ceesdewidt887]

Thnx, great video again. The rotary engine is such a phantastic technical concept in spite of its issues (NSU RO80 owners however may not agree….). Sorry to see that nobody else picked this up and perfected it. Will never forget the sound of that car blasting down the Mulsanne straight in 2002. 👍

[@brogan39]

There is actually 5 and 6 rotors too. The probably most famous and documented 6 rotary is the Mukka Motorsport one here in New Zealand. Mad Mike is doing the finishing touches to the newly built 5 rotary that he dubs and I quote "787D".

[@skatexgarrett_soderstrom8362]

Don’t forget about the ridiculous 12 rotor

[@Pholiage]

I guess the rumors about rotarys being unreliable is the same as the greatness of the Rx7. It never fades... There is actually a 6 rotor in use in a burnout car in Australia. And Rob Dahm has a 12 Rotor made from a small company for a race boat. Also a 5 rotor by Mazzei Formula. He is actually making a spirital version of the Mazda Furai.

[@HollandN54]

I saw it at the London motor show in 2008! Was epic tbf I thought I’d own one by now tho! Need to make it an end of 2024 goal 💪

[@Naris48]

I could also be that the person in question, that authored the reply, had no clue where the Furai wound up, especially since that was 30 years ago...

[@MichaelVemuri]

Richard would hate that last statement… for him anything pagani is only bedroom wall poster cars

[@superr4368]

Has anyone seen the inverse version of the wankle. A company called “Liqui-Piston” has the sharp edges in the outer structure and a rounded rotational piece. Ingenious!!

[@anandmorris]

I saw this car at the British motor show in 2009 (?) at the Excel in London. It was absolutely mesmerising. Gutted it got destroyed.

[@halofreak1990]

Imo, the correct way to compare the displacement of a rotary engine to a piston engine, is to apply the same calculus, meaning you measure the amount of air displaced by the engine for a full rotation of the crank- or, in the case of a rotary, eccentric shaft. Not sure how/why the displacement of a rotary was ever a discussion, when the same basic principles apply.

[@krevo6c]

Love my Mazda Furai in "Nitro Nation".