1991 Mazda 787B Pilots: B. Gachot, J. Herbert, V. Weidler Team: Mazdaspeed Co Ltd Race: 1st overall (Group 2) at Le Mans in 1991 HPI - 937 (diecast)
Published 06/06/17
The 787B was the first and only car with a rotary engine to ever win at La Sarthe. The car was a direct evolution from Mazda’s first Le Mans-specific prototype, the 717 of 1983. The 787B sported the R26B power plant, a Wankel rotary engine that did not give the car great speeds, but was very reliable. The engine had continuously variable intakes and three spark plugs per rotor. Rated for up to 900 hp, during the race however power output was limited to 700 hp for longevity. And interestingly, in spite of being from Mazda, the gearbox was a Porsche five-speed unit. The car was very economical and reliable (in 24 hours it only blew up one head lamp!) and for the first time a Japanese manufacturer crossed the line in 1st.
Some models in my collection have to be the best possible. For instance, this 787B. This one was my first upgrade, and I went from an Ixo to an HPI. A buddy over at Scale143 had a 787B that had some paint damage. It happened due to the retaining clips that held the engine cover in place in the display case. Understandably, he was really upset with it (well, who wouldn’t?). But being the nice guy that he is, he offered me the car just for the shipping fees! It took me about 2 seconds (the time to type YES! and hit the send button) to close the deal and here it is.
Although, if you look at the engine cover alone, the chipping could look like a big deal. But since I’ll display the car with the engine cover on, this is how it will look. Moreover, I’ll have my cars sideways on my display cabinet. So unless I take it out, the damage is all but invisible.
When you remove the cowl, this is what you see. Honestly, if my cabinets had bigger slots I would display the car open with the engine cowl behind it. The engine looks FABULOUS!
Here you can have a better notion of what is leaving and what is entering my collection. I don’t know why Ixo used that blueish wheel cover, in spite of it being white in the race. And just look at that exhaust port on the HPI: as I sad, fabulous!
So a huge THANK YOU to Douglas for the great opportunity!