Thirty-five years after it became the first Japanese car to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Mazda 787B returns to the Circuit de la Sarthe for the 2026 Le Mans Classic Legend (2-5 July), where a demonstration run will once again unleash the ear-splitting scream of its quad-rotor engine.
Co-organised by Peter Auto and the ACO, the Le Mans Classic is one of the world’s largest and most prestigious historic motorsport events. 2026 marks the first time it will run as an annual fixture, alternating each year between Le Mans Classic Heritage (1923-1975) and Le Mans Classic Legend (1976-2015). This inaugural Legend edition will see more than 700 cars race wheel-to-wheel around the full 8.5-mile circuit.
Le Mans veteran Yojiro Terada and ACO president Pierre Fillon will share driving duties when the 787B takes to the circuit, the car performing a standalone run as part of a special parade session staged with model-car brand Spark. ‘It has long been a dream of mine to have the privilege of getting behind the wheel of this iconic car,’ said Fillon.
Widely regarded as one of the best-sounding race cars in history, the 787B owes its spine-tingling soundtrack to its innovative rotary engine. It remains the only rotary-powered machine to win Le Mans outright, and Mazda stood as the only Japanese marque to have won the race until Toyota’s first triumph in 2018. The car last performed demonstration runs at La Sarthe in 2016 and 2022.
