25.11.2025Mazda 787B: Screeming to Le Mans-victory

With its first edition in 1923, the 24 Hours of Le Mans now come on over 100 years of motorsport history. The race has never been solely a competition between drivers in the cockpits and teams in the pits. Le Mans has always provided a playground for technical concepts, particularly regarding the powertrains of the race cars.

In this millennium, victories with diesel and hybrid engines certainly stand out. However, a truly unique Le Mans triumph came in 1991. That year, the Mazda 787B became the first and, to this day, only car with a Wankel engine to win.

For the public, the rotary engine concept was primarily noticeable acoustically. The infernal screech is something no one who heard it at the track back then has likely forgotten in the last three and a half decades.

The Mazda's victory was quite a surprise, especially after the competition had dominated the early stages. However, both Mercedes-Benz with their C11 and Peugeot with the 905 suffered technical problems. That left the previous winners from Jaguar, who, however, lacked pace. They ultimately completed the podium.

In the middle of the podium stood the intriguing Mazda trio of Johnny Herbert, Bertrand Gachot, and the German Volker Weidler. The man from Heidelberg, Germany had an unsuccessful Formula 1 stint with Rial in 1989. As teammate to Christian Danner, Weidler failed to qualify for a single Grand Prix. The Le Mans victory two years later became the greatest triumph of his racing career.

Incidentally, Michael Schumacher also competed at Le Mans in 1991. As part of the Mercedes lineup, Schumacher could not have known that Bertrand Gachot, who had won with Mazda, would be involved in his Formula 1 debut just a few weeks later. After a pepper spray attack on a London taxi driver, Gachot had to serve a prison sentence, which freed up his seat before the Spa-Francorchamps race. The rest is history.

The same applies to the Mazda 787B, which the ck-modelcars label WERK83 has released in scale 1:12. This particular scale perfectly showcases the striking orange and green design. Furthermore, the model's doors open, providing an excellent view of the faithfully reproduced cockpit.

Mazda 787B #55 Winner 24 Hours of Le Mans 1991 Weidler, Herbert, Gachot 1:12 WERK83, RRP €149.95, item-no.: W1201201

produtos

Mazda 787B #55 ganhador 24h LeMans 1991 Weidler, Herbert, Gachot 1:12 WERK83

107,96 €