Rare Rotary Mazda Race Car Catches Fire During Monterey Car Week

A rare Mazda 767B race car caught fire during Monterey Car Week, with video showing flames coming from the cabin, wheel wells, and engine bay while people tried to put it out with extinguishers. The video ends before the fire was controlled, so the damage is unknown, though a Reddit post suggested it was totaled or nearly so.

An event representative confirmed no injuries but had no further details.

This was chassis number 3 of only three 767B cars built. It served as a backup car but raced at Le Mans, finishing 12th in 1989 and 20th in 1990. 75 million. The 767 series was the first Mazda with the four-rotor setup that later powered the Le Mans-winning 787B.

The car was slated to appear at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, which features Japanese race cars this year. Mazda is bringing the 787B for exhibition laps, but this 767B won't join it. At least one other 767B survives, chassis number 2, owned by a man in Japan who restored it after a crash at Goodwood and still brings it to events.

This isn't the first rare rotary Mazda to burn. The Furai concept, a functional rotary-powered prototype, caught fire at the Top Gear test track in 2007-2008 and was destroyed beyond repair. The 767B's fate is uncertain, but it may be restorable.