- Mazda will demonstrate the 787B at Le Mans Classic 2026 from 2-5 July.
- Yojiro Terada and ACO president Pierre Fillon will share the standalone parade session.
- The 787B remains Le Mans' only rotary-powered overall winner, 35 years after Mazda's breakthrough.
A rotary icon heads back to France
Mazda will return one of endurance racing's most recognisable machines to Circuit de la Sarthe next month, with the 787B set to run at Le Mans Classic 2026.
The event takes place in France from 2-5 July local time, where Mazda's rotary-powered Le Mans winner will appear in a special parade session and standalone demonstration run.
The outing marks the 35th anniversary of Mazda's 1991 victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a result that remains unique in the history of the race. The 787B is still the only rotary-powered car to take overall victory at Le Mans, and its win also made Mazda the first Japanese manufacturer to claim the race outright.
Terada and Fillon to take part
Mazda says Yojiro Terada and Automobile Club de l'Ouest president Pierre Fillon will be involved in the demonstration.
Fillon said: "It has long been a dream of mine to have the privilege of getting behind the wheel of this iconic car."
The pairing gives the anniversary run a strong symbolic link between Mazda's endurance racing history and the organisation behind the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Anniversary with a longer tail
Mazda has not disclosed a power figure for the 787B in its announcement, and there is no New Zealand event or local launch angle attached to the run.
But the timing gives the demonstration a broader significance for Mazda's rotary story. The company says rotary engine development continues, with the technology set to reach its 60th anniversary in 2027.
For Mazda, the 787B is more than a preserved racing artefact. Its return to Circuit de la Sarthe puts the car back on the same ground where it created one of Japanese motorsport's defining results, while also linking that achievement to Mazda's continuing interest in rotary engineering.
Thirty-five years after the 787B's Le Mans win, the sound and symbolism of Mazda's rotary era will again be part of the event that made it famous.
