Mazda won the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans with a rotary-powered car.
The winning machine was the Mazda 787B, driven by Johnny Herbert, Volker Weidler, and Bertrand Gachot. Its 2.6-liter R26B engine used four rotary chambers, a configuration that delivered distinctive high-revving performance while remaining unusually light under the regulations then in force.
Mazda’s victory was remarkable because the 787B defeated larger-engined rivals from established endurance programs. The bright orange-and-green car, entered by Mazdaspeed as car number 55, completed 362 laps and finished ahead of Jaguar. Its reliability, fuel efficiency, and careful race strategy were as important as outright speed.
The 1991 victory also had historical significance. New regulations were about to prohibit rotary engines from the top level of the event, so Mazda’s win became the final overall Le Mans triumph for a rotary-powered car. Mazda remains the only manufacturer to win Le Mans overall using that engine type, and the only Japanese winner until Toyota’s first victory in 2018.