It has the same glorious engine as the Le Mans-winning 787B.
The 1991 Le Mans-winning Mazda 787B is something special, but it's not the only four-rotor racecar Mazda campaigned, and now you can own one of the alternatives. This 1992 Mazda RX-792P IMSA racecar has appeared for sale via Race Cars Direct, and it has the same R26B rotary engine as the abovementioned icon.
After motorsport's governing body, the FIA, changed engine regulations for the World Sportscar Championship in 1991, Mazda decided to use the R26B in IMSA's GTP class in 1992, and the car that it powered was this. Three were intended for production, but only two reached completion, while the last only had its chassis completed. That third car has now been completed and is for sale in never-raced condition.
RaceCarsDirect.com RaceCarsDirect.com RaceCarsDirect.com
However, this car is complete, so it's ready to race if you have big enough brass ones. The build was overseen by Mazda racing driver Jim Downing, who has campaigned many a rotary-powered Mazda to victory in all sorts of championships.
You may remember his name as the co-developer of the life-saving HANS (head and neck support) device, so you can be sure he ensured the car was built safely and with fastidious attention to detail. He's also taken the car on a few shakedown laps at Road Atlanta to ensure everything works as it should on chassis number RX792P003. The GTP category was shut down late in 1992, and so was the RX-792P program. As a result, the seller wants $1.5 million for one of the rarest racers in the world.
RaceCarsDirect.com RaceCarsDirect.com RaceCarsDirect.com RaceCarsDirect.com
Thankfully, there is hope that the rotary may find new life soon. A Mazda 3 was recently given factory backing to compete at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with a four-rotor engine of its own, a project that Mazda itself backed and participated in. Then there is the evidence of several new rotary engine patents that the automaker filed last month and the fact that Mazda recently restarted mass-producing rotaries, albeit as range extenders for the MX-30. Not definitive indications, but certainly telling.
If you'd rather not wait to see what Mazda may or may not be cooking up, just scrape together $1.5 million. In return, you'll get 670 horsepower and a noise that is unrivaled.
RaceCarsDirect.com RaceCarsDirect.com RaceCarsDirect.com RaceCarsDirect.com
Keyword: Four-Rotor Mazda RX-792P Is A $1.5 Million Unicorn