OT? I dunno, but it's about the 787B

[Majarvis]

It's called the Mazda 787B, but it won LeMans in 1991, so what is the "87" for in the name? Is that when the car was developed, or...?

 

[Vasco]

Ask Mazkid...i did a project on Le Mans but i didn't find this out. I think the 7 was from RX-7, and then the 87 comes from the year it was developed, but i'm not sure about the "B".

 

[12sec. Civic]

I know that the engines name is "787B" not the car. Well, the car is now subsequently called 787B, even though that is really the name of its engine.

 

[Majarvis]

Oh ok, I knew the first "7" was from RX-7, and kinda guessed the "87" was the year it was developed, thanks.

 

[Race Idiot]

Well the engine type is R26B 4-rotor Wankel *snicker* rotary.

Here is a bit of info.
http://www.2751engineering.com/787.html
Although it still doesn't say why it was called a 787b.

I think there were other simmilar Mazda efforts just called 787's as well.

 

[Majarvis]

Yeah, like there were 787C's and stuff I read I think.

 

[GTO_VR4]

LOL the officials at le mans got scared of the rotary and banned it...damn

 

[Majarvis]

Really? Wow, that says a lot for Mazda

 

[LoudMusic]

The rotary engine was banned from Le Mans because Mazda was the only one with a patent and wouldn't let anyone else produce the engine. Kind of makes for a moot point when one manufacturer has the rights to the apparent fastest engine.

The 787B is the predacesor to the 787, and the 767. I'm looking for information on the name now, but it has nothing to do with the RX-7, as far as I know. There were also an RX-1 through RX-5 - why would they pick the 7 as their "special car"?

 

[LoudMusic]

From the Monito LeMans pages.


70 41 -- Chevron B16, Mazda 10A 2rtr 200 bhp
73 14 -- Sigma MC73, Mazda 12A 2rtr 260 bhp Ikusawa, Fushida, Dal Bo
74 27 un Sigma MC74, Mazda 12A, Terada, Okamoto, Harukuni
74 -- -- Mazda S124A coupe, 12A 2rtr 260 bhp
75 50 -- Mazda S124A coupe, 12A 2rtr 260 bhp, Buchet, Rondeau
79 -- -- Mazda RX-7 252i, 13B 2rtr 285 bhp, 0.59 sec out of qualify
80 54 21 Mazda RX-7, 12A 2rtr, Soto, Hutchins, Honneger
81 -- -- Mazda RX-7, 12A 2rtr. Vermeersch, Stiff, Honneger
81 49 -- Mazda RX-7 253, 13B 2rtr. Terada, Fushida, Percy
81 51 -- Mazda RX-7 253, 13B 2rtr. Walkinshaw, Lovett, Izukawa
82 50 14 Mazda RX-7 254, 13B 2rtr. Terada, Yorino, Moffat
82 53 -- Mazda RX-7 254, 13B 2rtr. Walkinshaw, Lovett, Nicholson
83 43 12 Mazda 717C, 13B, Terada, Katayama, Yorino. Won C Jr
83 42 18 Mazda 717C, 13B 2 rtr, Allam, Weaver, Soper
83 -- -- Harrier, 13B 2 rtr. Baker, Honneger, Palmer.
84 42 15 Mazda 727C, 13B 2rtr, 320 bhp. Kennedy, Martin, Martin
84 32 20 Mazda 727C, 13B 2rtr, 320 bhp. Terada, Yorino, Dieudonne
84 39 12 Lola T616, 13B 2rtr, Busby, Knoop, Hayje
84 38 10 Lola T616, 13B 2rtr, Katayama, Morton, O'Steen. Won C2
85 40 24 Mazda 737C, 13B 2rtr, Katayam, Terada, Yorino
85 43 19 Mazda 737C, 13B 2rtr, Kennedy, Martin, Martin
86 25 -- Mazda 757, 13G 3rtr, Katayama, Terada, Yorino
86 29 -- Mazda 757, 13G 3rtr, Kennedy, Galvin, Dieudonne.
87 28 7 Mazda 757, 13G, Kennedy, Dieudonne, Galvin. Won GTP
87 27 -- Mazda 757, 13G, Katayam, Terada, Yorino, 18 hours
88 37 15 Mazda 757, 13G 3rtr, Terada, Dieudonne, Kennedy. Won GTP
88 29 17 Mazda 767, 13J 4rtr, 550-600 bhp, Katayama, Duez, Leslie
88 28 19 Mazda 767, 13J 4rtr, Yorino, Regout, Hoy
89 28 7 Mazda 767B, 13J 4rtr, Kennedy, Dieudonne, Hodgetts. Won GTP
89 16 9 Mazda 767B, 13J 4rtr, Yorino, Regout, Forbes-Robinson
89 34 12 Mazda 767, 13J 4rtr, Terada, Duez, Weidler
90 23 -- Mazda 787, R26B 4rtr, Johansson, Kennedy, Dieudonne
90 22 -- Mazda 787, R26B 4rtr, Gachot, Herbert, Weidler
90 34 20 Mazda 767B, 13J 4rtr, Katayama, Terada, Yorino. Won GTP
91 12 6 Mazda 787B, R26B 4rtr, Kennedy, Johansson, Sandro-Sala.
91 17 1 Mazda 787B, R26B 4rtr, Gachot, Herbert, Weidler, OVERALL
91 24 8 Mazda 787, R26B 4rtr, Terada, Dieudonne, Yorino.
92 ?? 4 Mazda RX R01 Gachot, Herbert, Weidler
93 ??
94 ?? 15 Mazda RX-7, Terada, de Thoisy, Freon.
95 19 7 DTR Mazdaspeed Kudzu DG3, Terada, Downing, Freon.
96 24 25 Kudzu MazdaSpeed, Terada, Downing, Freon. Won LMP2.
97 17 17 MazdaSpeed 97, Terada, Downing, Freon.

 

[LoudMusic]

A cool pdf from Mazda on the topic ... though scanning through it doesn't reveal any clues to the naming scheme. The cars did have "common names" in addition to their numbered designations. The 717 was a "Laura T616", and the 727 was a "Lola T616" which is noted in the list in my above post.

Still reading the PDF ...

 

[LoudMusic]

Well I don't know what to tell you. If you were thinking that 787 had some similarity to the way Polyphony Digital named the Formula 1 cars, you're wrong.

The Formula 1 cars in GT3 were given made up names so that Sony would not have to pay royalties to the Formula 1 organization. The names have meaning so that the fans know what car has been modeled.

The 787B is a real car, and that is its real name. I have no idea what it means.

 

[Majarvis]

Originally posted by LoudMusic
Well I don't know what to tell you. If you were thinking that 787 had some similarity to the way Polyphony Digital named the Formula 1 cars, you're wrong.

The Formula 1 cars in GT3 were given made up names so that Sony would not have to pay royalties to the Formula 1 organization. The names have meaning so that the fans know what car has been modeled.

The 787B is a real car, and that is its real name. I have no idea what it means.

Oh yeah I know it was a real car, that's why I like it so much I was just curious where the name was derived from

Thanks for the info though, interesting reading.