Mazda Furai Concept Hits the Track

By Brian Potter
July 17, 2008 7:00 PM
Filed Under: Japanese, Mazda, Motorsport

Not only is the Mazda Furai concept visually stunning, but the sound of its 450-horsepower RENESIS-based R20B triple rotary engine is ferocious enough to make the most seasoned professional GT driver weak in the knees.

After a recent leisurely stroll up and down the Goodwood hill, the Furai carried out full blown aggression therapy at Kemble Airfield in the UK. Despite a blown clutch over the weekend, the Furai was back in the saddle on Tuesday and CarTribe.co.uk got it on video.

First unveiled in Detroit earlier this year, the ethanol powered race car adapted from the soul of the Courage C65 LMP-2 chassis in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), sets out to bridge the gap between the single-purpose racecars and street-legal performance models(supercars).

For more images visit the source link below.

Source: CarTribe.co.uk

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Mazda Furai Debuts in Detroit

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Mazda Furai Concept (19 photos)

Comments

Goldfinger

July 17, 2008 7:35 PM

Oh My god!

big_himey

July 17, 2008 7:40 PM

A couple of wings and that'd make a rad Batmobile.

Vision7

July 17, 2008 8:02 PM

Visually, this is one of the most interesting concept cars on the show circuit. There is just so much to look at and keep the eyes busy. What's also nice to know is that the design works from an aerodynamic perspective as well. Mazda did a brilliant job with this car. Aurally, I just can't get enough of the sound. Rotary engines put out such a unique note. The pitch hardly ever changes but, as the revs rise, so does the volume. Absolutely incredible.

pzigly

July 17, 2008 9:00 PM

I know what a rotary is, how it looks, and how it works but what is a triple rotary.

pzigly

July 17, 2008 9:00 PM

dimeNickel

July 17, 2008 9:48 PM

it just means it has 3 rotary combustion chambers

pzigly

July 18, 2008 1:22 AM

Isnt that what a rotary is? It moves circular and explodes in 3 places. Why put triple in front of rotary when its like the rx8?

carcrazy1234

July 18, 2008 3:38 AM

maybe there's 3 "rotors"??? as in like.. (i'm guessing u know what the shape of the rotor is, that three rounded shaped triangle) there's probably three of those in this car.

pzigly

July 18, 2008 5:59 AM

Thats kind of what I was thinking, working like 3 engines. But the engine would have to be PERFECTLY aligned and timed for it to turn the rod that spins the rear wheels.

July 18, 2008 6:53 AM

The current rotary engine in RX-8 is a 2 rotor RE (Rotary engine)1.3L

a single rotor have 3 separate combustion chamber. so a 3 rotor RE have 9 combustion chamber!! capacity = 2.0L but power = 4.0L!!

RobERob

July 17, 2008 9:21 PM

Why isn't the Furai in production in at least some limited scale yet? Like it or not, this is the most imaginative and, in my opinion, beautiful car concepts ever created. Mazda/Ford or whoever is in charge, don't let it go to waste.

dmanero

July 18, 2008 12:13 AM

danm that car is gourgous, too bad it never hit the streets.

ShinyG

July 18, 2008 12:39 AM

What tickles my brain in a most pleasant way is the fact that this concept actually works and is very much do-able. Gorgeous design and real performance are enough to make people talk about it. That's how all manufacturers should promote their cars, not by building aluminum fooseball tables...

mps

July 18, 2008 1:19 AM

NEVER diss THE table. It's an astonishing achievement.

pzigly

July 18, 2008 1:24 AM

70 mpg is always an astonishing achievment. They just rated it at 200 hp. Some one said the table did the Ring in 5 min!

mps

July 21, 2008 9:47 AM

Well surely since it weighs less than 15 kg it will do even better on the Ring.

mortz

July 18, 2008 4:29 AM

i like it a lot, good for a fun car if you ha the cash, people would crap themselves driving past them in that beast on the streets!

mortz

July 18, 2008 4:33 AM

Anyone would think mazda would put something like this into the GT500 in japan

pzigly

July 18, 2008 6:01 AM

Dont you have to produce a simalarly looking car on the street in order to get that to the GT500 club?

ti-max525

July 18, 2008 7:10 AM

the 3 in front of rotary mean , thas like 3 piston in line , the rx8 are 2 piston , and the rotative have only one combustion chamber per piston but 3 explosion per rotation.

mortz

July 18, 2008 10:15 AM

Yes Mazda should bring out something like this for production to enter Mazda into the super car league and also the Gt500 etc, the RX8 didn't really replace the RX7 in my opinion.

pzigly

July 18, 2008 1:48 PM

It was a good move for Mazda to make the RX more liveable and cheaper. This allows a teenager to be able to afford a RX and therefoe get more sales. If you think about it they sold much more RX8's than they did the RX7's. I bet that was a move by ford. Hoopefully they will come out with a much better rx9 or something.

Alfafox5

July 18, 2008 10:52 PM

This is the best!!! I saw it in person in Detroit and it was amazing. The more I looked at the more I loved. The fact that it really is capable of racing makes me love it even more. The best part is that it makes the current cars look like relics, after all its freakin 2008!!! Where are the cars from the future we were promised? Well in my opinion, all one has to do is look at Mazda... truly inspiring, riveting, and dynamic designs that will be ageless, no matter what trendy thing comes along next. Well done son, well done!!! PeaCe!

DeRay

July 19, 2008 7:15 AM

I love Mazda's dedication to performance throughout their whole product line and this care is AMAZING! Mazda has never let a design go to waste like when they had the ibuki concept for the now mx-5. If they drop this engine in the new RX-7 and keep some of the styling then they will be killing the competition it will be more beautiful than the skyline, nsx, and the new toyota super car. To me with there new designs mazda embodies excitement and performance with their vehicles you can hate the company all you want when it comes to concepts everyone is always waiting to see what mazda has up its sleeze.

dimeNickel

July 20, 2008 8:35 AM

the meaning of having 3 rotary engines doesnt really function similar to a 9 cylinders. It is just having 3 existing phases of the process of combustion simulataneously in the cylinder itself. Power of the 1.3 2 rotor rotary inside the current rx8 is comparable to a low end six cylinder. but extremely lacking in torque output.

great_supercars255

August 22, 2008 4:24 PM

why are concepts always the best car and every one wants one and never gets one because they are all put in a musium, never driven or heard then when people are done with it they drive it around the the scrap metal place to be destroyed. there, my complaint over

P_Smith

January 3, 2009 11:10 PM

The looks are a bit excessive, but it has the same sweet "hiccoughing" sound at low revs that the Mazda 787B quad-rotary had when it won the 1991 Le Mans race.

I'd love to see a privateer team take this beast to Le Mans in the GTS category and see what it could do.

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