Inside the Mazda 787: Rebuilding a 4-Rotor Le Mans Prototype

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If you asked someone to imitate a race car, they’d make this sound.
This is the story of the legendary Mazda 787: a machine powered by one of the most unique engines ever built. In this video, we follow the teardown, inspection, and rebuild of Mazda’s iconic 4-rotor Le Mans engine as this historic race car is brought back to life.

From precision measurements of rotor housings to the challenges of sourcing one-of-a-kind parts, this rebuild highlights what makes these rotary-powered prototypes so special. Every component is inspected, restored, and reassembled to return the car to its former glory, and back on track.

🔥 Inside this rebuild:

- Full teardown and inspection of a 4-rotor Le Mans engine
- Measuring housing wear and compression loss
- Apex seal behavior and high-tension spring design
- Unique 3-spark-plug-per-rotor setup for endurance racing
- Rare, one-of-a-kind components built only for this program

Unlike conventional piston engines, this rotary shares almost nothing with what most people are used to. No camshafts. No valves. Just pure, high-revving engineering that screams past 9,000 RPM and delivers one of the most unforgettable sounds in motorsport.

🏁 Developed by Mazda for endurance racing like the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 787 represents a crucial step in rotary racing history: where innovation, reliability, and sound came together to define an era.
At night, these cars didn’t just race: they spit flames, shook the ground, and created a sound that carried for miles.
And now, they’re coming back.

Видео Inside the Mazda 787: Rebuilding a 4-Rotor Le Mans Prototype канала Mazda Motorsports