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In the late 2000s, Mazda set out to redefine its design language with a fresh approach. Famed stylists Franz von Holzhausen and Laurens van den Acker joined the team, and together, they gave birth to the Nagare philosophy. "Nagare," meaning "flow" in Japanese, symbolized a design ethos inspired by the natural world's beauty and motion.
The Nagare series of concepts began in 2006, marking a new chapter in Mazda's design evolution. The Ryuga and Hakaze followed, paving the way for the final and most remarkable concept, the Furai, which was unveiled at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Now The Mazda Furai was unlike any other concept car. While it possessed the graceful lines inspired by the Nagare design language, it was far from a mere stylistic exercise. The Furai was built upon the Courage C65 LMP2 chassis used in the American Le Mans Series during 2006 and 2007.
The heart of the Furai was a monocoque chassis that combined aluminum alloy and carbon fiber. Its suspension featured double wishbones, pushrods, and horizontally mounted dynamic shock absorbers. This lightweight construction, inspired by Le Mans prototypes, was designed for high-speed performance.
Despite its racing pedigree, the Furai's design was a harmonious blend of a road-legal supercar and a Le Mans prototype. It exuded a road car's sensibilities while maintaining the aggressive stance of a racing machine. This fusion of design and function hinted at the potential for a street-legal version. And people all around the world hoped for a possible production version in the future.
Now Stepping inside the Furai, one would instantly recognize that this was a thoroughbred race car. Weight-saving was the paramount concern, evident in the two slim carbon-fiber bucket seats equipped with racing harnesses. The Sparco-designed motorsport steering wheel further emphasized the car's racing heritage.
Honoring the legacy of the iconic 787B, the Furai was equipped with a mid-mounted rotary engine. But Unlike the 787B's awe-inspiring four-rotor engine, the Furai featured a slightly smaller, naturally aspirated three-rotor powerplant known as the R20B Renesis.
Developed by the renowned rotary tuning specialists Racing Beat, the R20B Renesis was based on the Eunos Cosmo's 20B-REW, the only three-rotor engine ever installed in a production car. Running on pure ethanol (E100) biofuel developed by BP, this engine generated 450 horsepower, which, combined with the car's svelte 1,488-pound (675 kg) weight, resulted in exhilarating acceleration. The Furai could sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.2 seconds. But lets be honest this thing is designed for corners, not acceleration out of the hall.
Despite the Furai's promising future, fate had a cruel twist in store. In August 2008, the concept was flown to England for additional tests and a photo session organized by Top Gear at the former Royal Air Force Bentwaters airfield.
Mark Ticehurst, an experienced British race driver, was behind the wheel when disaster struck. The Furai's three-rotor engine unexpectedly caught fire. Ticehurst managed to exit the vehicle in the nick of time, but the blaze consumed the car.
Firefighters were unable to arrive in time to save the car, and it was reduced to ashes. Mazda conducted an extensive investigation into the incident, but the exact cause was never publicly disclosed. Speculation points to the novel fuel system and the highly flammable ethanol fuel as potential factors.
The demise of the Mazda Furai was a heartbreaking loss for the automotive world. Its striking beauty, remarkable performance, and the unfulfilled potential of racing glory left a void that has never been fully replaced.

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