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Le Mans Yesterday and Today: Mazda
This article recounts Mazda's journey to victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1991 with their Wankel rotary engine. Mazda's first attempt at Le Mans in 1983 with the 717 twin rotor resulted in a class victory.
The car world’s great Wankel illusion can never be forgotten. Outright victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is the universal certification of quality and reliability as well as performance.
This victory was the sweetest fruit of Mazda’s experience with rotary engines designed by Felix Wankel in 1957 and introduced onto the market by NSU. Mazda, along with other manufacturers such as Mercedes, Citroën and Suzuki, believed in the future of this new type of internal combustion engine.
