A rare Group C endurance prototype caught fire at Laguna Seca. The Mazda 767B, a 1989 racer powered by a quad-rotor Wankel engine, was parked in the paddock during the Monterey Pre-Reunion when flames erupted. Footage from Instagram shows the car engulfed in flames as crew members rushed to douse the blaze with extinguishers.
The vehicle is a private entry, not the famous 1991 Le Mans winner. This 767B, chassis number 203, finished 20th at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1990. The car was slated to compete in the Hurley Haywood Trophy, an event for prototypes built between 1981 and 1991. The 767B hails from 1989, and wasn’t quite as successful as the 787B, although it did manage fifth in that year’s 24 Hours of Daytona and seventh at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This particular car, meanwhile, is the number 203 example that finished 20th at Le Mans in 1990.
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The blaze poses a challenge for the team, Ghost Rider Squad, which has announced intentions to rebuild the car to operational standards. While unfortunate, the situation presents two encouraging developments: first, and most significantly, no injuries occurred during the incident, which was swiftly extinguished; second, the team managing the vehicle has pledged to restore it to full working condition, indicating the damage may not be severe.
It’s a better outcome, then, than the last rare rotary-powered Mazda racer to go up in flames, the Furai concept, which burned to a crisp during a Top Gear shoot in 2008. At least we’ll eventually get to hear this car’s ground-shaking wail again at some point. The car previously sold for $1.75 million in 2017.
