Jalopnik
Mazda's just revealed the above shot of the Mazda Furai concept vehicle along with the release below the jump detailing the Japanese-by-way-of-Dearborn automaker's game plan for the 2008 Detroit Auto Show next month. Want to know what the Furai is? Well, if the track background behind the cockpit doesn't give you some indication, here's a paragraph lifted directly from the press release:
"Furai takes Mazda's unique Nagare (Japanese for "flow") design language a step further as it is translated into a concept car based on an American Le Mans Series (ALMS) racing car. The car utilizes the Courage C65 chassis the company campaigned in the ALMS series only two seasons ago, and the 450-hp three-rotor rotary engine that distinguishes it from anything else on the track."C65 chassis and a 450-HP rotary? Yes, please. Oh, and did we mention they'll be showing off the "heavily revised" Mazda RX-8? Waiter, would you mind adding one of those to the order too? Full press release below the jump. Want to see a high-res photo of the Furai teaser shot? Click here.
HIROSHIMA, Japan, Dec. 12 /PRNewswire/ — Mazda Motor Corporation will showcase the world premieres of the Mazda Furai concept vehicle and the heavily revised 2009 Mazda RX-8 sports car at the 2008 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), to be held in Detroit from Sunday, January 13 through Sunday, January 27, 2008. On the heels of its show-stopping debut at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show in October, the Mazda Taiki concept vehicle also will make its North American debut, the first time it has been shown outside Japan.Mazda Furai — 'Sound of the wind'
Inspired by the fact that, on any given weekend, there are more Mazdas and Mazda-powered cars road-raced in the United States than any other brand, the Mazda Furai (Japanese for "sound of the wind" and pronounced "fu-rye") is the sort of car that could only come from a company that incorporates the "Soul of a Sports Car" into everything it builds, but with an eye toward the future and the environment through the use of 100% ethanol produced in partnership with British Petroleum (BP).
Furai takes Mazda's unique Nagare (Japanese for "flow") design language a step further as it is translated into a concept car based on an American Le Mans Series (ALMS) racing car. The car utilizes the Courage C65 chassis the company campaigned in the ALMS series only two seasons ago, and the 450-hp three-rotor rotary engine that distinguishes it from anything else on the track.
Says Franz von Holzhausen, Mazda's North American director of design, "Furai purposely blurs boundaries that have traditionally distinguished street cars from track cars. Historically, there has been a gap between single-purpose racecars and street-legal models — commonly called supercars
— that emulate the real racers on the road. Furai bridges that gap like no car has ever done before."
Mazda's critically acclaimed Nagare design language describes the flow of water, air, people or things moving in one direction. Mazda Nagare is flow, with an insightful and spirited styling, which, in Mazda Furai, invokes a raw, unfettered desire to possess everything this car represents.
2009 Mazda RX-8
Sporting a freshened design, improved handing, acceleration, quality and features, the 2009 Mazda RX-8 continues to be a "Sports Car like no other," and shows that the rotary engine is still an important part of Mazda's future.
Since its launch in 2003, the Mazda RX-8 has been hailed as a genuine sports car, but with a totally new, four-door, four-seat format that delivers sports car values, passenger comfort and driving pleasure. Powered by the world's only mass-produced rotary engine, RX-8 is the spiritual successor to the 1967 Cosmo 110S, the world's first twin-rotor production car. With almost two-million rotary engines sold, and the company's legendary win at the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans — the only Japanese brand to ever win the endurance racing classic — the rotary engine is the sole preserve of Mazda.
Mazda Taiki
Making its North American debut, the first time it has been shown outside of Japan where it was hailed as the "Concept of the Show" by a major enthusiast publication at this year's Tokyo Motor Show, Mazda is eager to show the Mazda Taiki alongside the all-new Mazda Furai.
While Taiki is significant as the fourth of the Nagare-inspired concepts in the series, it is also the third rotary-powered car that will be debuted on the Mazda stand. Mazda is committed to the current and future development and production of the rotary engine, as well as pursuing multiple fuel strategies under its Sustainable Zoom-Zoom plan.
The challenge to create "a design that visually expresses the flow of air" was inspired by the image of a pair of Hagoromo — the flowing robes that enable a celestial maiden to fly in Japanese legend — floating down from the sky.
Inspired by Japanese koinobori — the decorative "climbing carp streamers" — the notion of creating an Air-tube became the concept word for the interior design. In accordance, from the dashboard and seats down to the door trim, the interior space creates the dynamic sensation that the flow of the wind is being visually depicted.
Additionally, Mazda will have a special display of racecars on its stand during the press days, and the full lineup of production cars for consumers to sample for public days.
Headquartered in Irvine, California, Mazda North American Operations oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada and Mexico through nearly 900 dealers. Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada, Inc., located in Ontario, Canada, and in Mexico by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.
For more information on Mazda products, visit the online Mazda media center at http://www.mazdausamedia.com/
Comments
a two stroke lemans chassis-d concept car?
SOLD
Some of the Mazda concepts of late have a certain Meth-Lab-derived quality about them. Not necessarily a bad thing though to bring out some trippy design creativity.
Glad to see they're able to get some use out of their old P2 entry, considering it was such a slug compared to the other entries. (Did IMSA refuse to let them t'charge it or something?)
(apparently shot at pit-row Laguna Seca, oh sorry; "Mazda Raceway".)
The advanced design studios in Irvine HAVE been busy.
Looks cool, must say.
Nice concept, and a closed-cab sports racer is sadly a rare sight these days.
(I like the watery-erosion-like perfed' metal engine cover.)
And is the "e" graphic meant to suggest some sort of "ecological" 450-hp rotary? "Sustainable Zoom-Zoom"? hmmmm...
@Mark Miller: Actually, the "e" is the official trade logo for ethanol.
That reminds me: A diesel/biodiesel wankel would probably be the awesomest thing ever.
@Mark Miller:
The "e" graphic is the Ethanol brand logo.
As for the car, I'm excited. Although we aren't likely to get a Courage-monocoque-based exotic, I really hope that the 3-rotor engine at least foreshadows a future 3-rotor car for us (be it an RX-8 successor in the future, or an new RX-7 aimed at GT-R/911 performance levels). There's nothing quite like the sound of a 3-rotor Wankel, and one based on the new 16X Renesis would be the bee's knees.
/Wankel fanboy
That said, I'm not sure I'm yet sold on Mazda's new "design language." We've yet to see it applied to a production car, though, so hopefully it will be less...different in production applications.
@TomAnderson: Not enough compression to run diesel. In fact, compression is part of why rotaries are so fuel inefficient, or so I'm told.
I have a feeling that it is going to be more like, "Hi I'm Dave's Japanese cousin Furai!"
I cannot WAIT to see the new RX8!
@Mark Miller: You'll see more them at Le Mans, either 2008 or 2009 the rules change and open prototypes will be banned. Kinda sucks though, because the P2 cars seemed like the evolution of the CanAm cars I grew up with.
I want a rotary in everything. In fact I'm a little disappointed that this here laptop doesn't have one.
So I wonder if they tweaked the engine in the revised RX8 so that it doesn't get abysmal gas mileage and burn oil now?
I used to love my '04 RX8 until premium went from $2.20 per gallon when I bought the car to over $3 and beyond (I paid $3.59 today). It got 15.8 mpg and I commute 35-40 miles a day.
Last year I replaced it with an '07 VW GTI. 24-26 mpg per tank, way more torque, and I don't have to always keep extra quart of oil in the trunk. I learned my lesson, I'll never buy a rotary again.
I've often considered what a 3-rotor turbocharged Mazda Miata could do if it were ever unleashed on the unsuspecting universe. "When this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you're going to see some serious sh*t!"
Mmmmmmmmmm... Rotary... Grgrlgrlgrlggrlgrlgrgrllllll...
"Inspired by the fact that, on any given weekend, there are more Mazdas and Mazda-powered cars road-raced in the United States than any other brand,"
Wonder how they arrived at THAT observation?
@MrWizard45: I've often wondered why Mazda's never done a full-scale release of a rotary-powered MX-5. Seems to me that the lightweight, compact nature of both should be a marriage made in heaven...Hoon Heaven.
@RocketSled: The Spec Miata series has a lot to do with that.
Does anyone else care that we're still commenting on topics from YESTERDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If that 3-rotor can somehow fix a few issues the 13B had and get similar mileage, it could be batshit crazy.
@1300ccsoffury: Because Mazda might be worried it would be like the time MG released a twin-cam version of its MGA. The new motor chewed its cam chains off (or something similar) and flopped immensely. Plus it would cost a bit of money to redevelop the perfectly balanced MX-5 to adopt a new motor... the Brits usually never bothered to do that sort of thing. And Mazda already spent that money on a folding hardtop (which makes sense given the target market).
I'd like to see an RX-5 with the Renesis motor (fuel thirst and all), but nothing turbocharged please. Leave that to the kludges at Pontiac.
This Kurai thing? Looks awesome and we haven't even seen the whole thing yet!
@Rishi:
That's sort of true. The Mazda design won't work with diesel, but rotaries can run diesel--Rolls Royce made one that did. It requires two extra rotors acting as a sort of supercharger to pump air in (in effect boosting compression), but it works.
I hope Mazda come out with a new engine/prototype for next year's ALMS championship-a coupe would be perfect!
Althgouh, basing it on an eight-year-old Courage chassis would be pointless.
I've pored over that picture all night and I still can't determine where the R2 unit drops in.
Damn. It sure must be awesome to build a showcar on a fucking race car chassis. I. am. jealous.
Where is the line between "concept" and "irrelevant contraption we built because it looks cool"? (I'm open to ideas for shorter names on that last one.) It reminds me of Stewart from that god-awful show my old roommate used to watch, MAD-TV. "Look what I can do! Look what I can do!" Why care? It's impossible to even pretend that there is anything relevant about this.
You mean, "concept" and "irrelevant contraption we built because it looks cool" aren't synonymous?
You mean this isn't a road car al la Capari T1?
Dang!
The car utilizes the Courage C65 chassis the company campaigned in the ALMS series only two seasons ago, and the 450-hp three-rotor rotary engine that distinguishes it from anything else on the track."
SOLD!
Put it into production, Mazda.
I need it.
I don't care what it costs. I have a good liver i can sell.
Normally the reworked RX-8 would be cause for celebration--best news of the day! But this! This is something else completely!
Come on, Mazda! This is your Cadillac Sixteen moment!
Now i have to go to class. Then i will return and leer at this.
@brandegee:
It would make more sense to make a Mazdaspeed MX-5 with the engine out of the Mazdaspeed 3/6/CX-7/whatever that is. The DISI 2.3l 280 bhp/313 lb-ft engine. It's basically just an updated version of the MZR that's already in the MX-5, so the engineering wouldn't be too extreme. It would slot into all models in approximately the same way. And it would have a better power-to-weight ratio than a Lotus Exige S (the US spec one with 220 bhp, at least). It also relies on an engine that is much more solid than twitchy rotary lunacy, as much as i love rotaries.
The only problem with that plan (well, the big problem at least) is that the guy in charge of the Miata program--as i understand it--values balance above all other things and that much power would severely unbalance the car. Even if you fixed up the suspension, LSD, etc, it would still be a very different (and very much more hardcore) car than what--i suspect--the Miata is "supposed" to be.
Which is kind of a shame, because it would be one of the most awesome things ever.
On the plus side: i'm not sure there's anything (beyond working the glitches out) stopping us from doing this to the Miata ourselves...
@GreenVanMan: Two-stroke? What two-stroke? The Wankel rotary engine is a four-cycle.
@Rust-MyEnemy: You may get a Wankel rotary in your laptop before you know it:
[www.me.berkeley.edu]
@oneswellfoop: You do know it uses oil by-design, right? Or did you not get so far as to actually read the Owner's Manual?
@RocketSled: Find any results from any SCCA or NASA race weekend from anywhere in the country and count the cars. There will be more Mazdas than any other make, and than most other makes combined. Mazda utterly dominates grassroots motorsports.
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