mts Posted December 27, 2007 Report Share Posted December 27, 2007 Mazda Furai concept and new Mazda RX-8 to make world debut at 2008 North American International Auto Show 12-DECEMBER-2007 HIROSHIMA, Japan – Mazda Motor Corporation will showcase the world premieres of the Mazda Furai concept vehicle and the heavily revised new Mazda RX-8 sports car at the 2008 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), to be held in Detroit from Sunday, January 13 through Sunday, January 27, 2008. All attending media are invited to the company's formal unveiling on the Mazda show stand, scheduled at 13:45 p.m. on Monday, January 14, 2008. Mazda Furai –'Sound of the wind' Mazda will redefine the typical concept car design brief when it unveils the radical Furai environmental racer at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in January. The Furai concept is the fifth concept in Mazda's award-winning Nagare 'Flow' series. It is more than just a design study – it is the physical embodiment of Mazda's Zoom-Zoom DNA in its purest form. The Furai is a concept car that was born and bred for the racetrack. Inspired by the fact that, on any given weekend, there are more Mazdas and Mazda-powered cars road-raced in the United States than any other brand, the Mazda Furai is the sort of car that could only come from a company that incorporates the "Soul of a Sports Car" into everything it builds, but with an eye toward the future and the environment through the use of ethanol （E100）produced by British Petroleum (BP). Furai takes Mazda's unique Nagare (Japanese for "flow") design language a step further as it is translated into a concept car based on an American Le Mans Series (ALMS) racing car. The car utilises the Courage C65 chassis the company campaigned in the ALMS series only two seasons ago, and the 450-hp three-rotor rotary engine that distinguishes it from anything else on the track. Says Franz von Holzhausen, Mazda's North American director of design, "Furai purposely blurs boundaries that have traditionally distinguished street cars from track cars. Historically, there has been a gap between single-purpose racecars and street-legal models — commonly called supercars — that emulate the real racers on the road. Furai bridges that gap like no car has ever done before." Mazda's critically acclaimed Nagare design language describes the flow of water, air, people or things moving in one direction. Mazda Nagare is flow, with an insightful and spirited styling, which, in Mazda Furai, invokes a raw, unfettered desire to possess everything this car represents. New Mazda RX-8 Sporting a freshened design, improved handing, acceleration, quality and features, the new Mazda RX-8 continues to be a "Sports Car like no other," and shows that the rotary engine is still an important part of Mazda's future. Since its launch in 2003, the Mazda RX-8 has been hailed as a genuine sports car, but with a totally new, four-door, four-seat format that delivers sports car values, passenger comfort and driving pleasure. Powered by the world's only mass-produced rotary engine, RX-8 is the spiritual successor to the 1967 Cosmo 110S, the world's first twin-rotor production car. With almost two-million rotary engines sold, and the company's legendary win at the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans – the only Japanese brand to ever win the endurance racing classic – the rotary engine is the sole preserve of Mazda. Mazda Taiki Making its North American debut, the first time it has been shown outside of Japan where it was hailed as the "Concept of the Show" by a major enthusiast publication at this year's Tokyo Motor Show, Mazda is eager to show the Mazda Taiki alongside the all-new Mazda Furai. While Taiki is significant as the fourth of the Nagare-inspired concepts in the series, it is also the third rotary-powered car that will be debuted on the Mazda stand. Mazda is committed to the current and future development and production of the rotary engine, as well as pursuing multiple fuel strategies under its Sustainable Zoom-Zoom plan. The challenge to create "a design that visually expresses the flow of air" was inspired by the image of a pair of Hagoromo – the flowing robes that enable a celestial maiden to fly in Japanese legend – floating down from the sky. Inspired by Japanese koinobori – the decorative "climbing carp streamers"– the notion of creating an Air-tube became the concept word for the interior design. In accordance, from the dashboard and seats down to the door trim, the interior space creates the dynamic sensation that the flow of the wind is being visually depicted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mts Posted January 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 It comes out of hiding After giving us a little teaser earlier this month, Mazda has revealed official images of the Mazda Furai. The Mazda Furai, which stands for "sound of the wind" in Japanese, run on 100% ethanol and is built in partnership with British Petroleum. The Mazda Furai's design language is inspired by the Nagare with an America Le Mans Series racing car influence. Using a Courage C65 chassis the car is powered by a three-rotor rotary engine that produces 450 horsepower. Join us next month as we bring you live coverage from the 2008 North American International Auto Show from Detroit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mts Posted January 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 And comes back the 20B.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mts Posted January 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 This is what Inside Line had to say after one lucky staff member had the opportunity to jump into the cockpit for a couple of hot laps around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca piloted by ALMS ace Jamie Bach. Powered by a mid-mounted, three-rotor Mazda 20B rotary engine fueled by E100 ethanol, the Furai generates around 450 horsepower. As expected, it's rapid. Even without its aerodynamic front splitter (a measure to prevent damage to this one-off showcar), the cornering grip is substantial, while even earplugs can't control the crescendo of sound from the rotary engine. Bach kept things tidy and clean in the corners, as the Furai we're sharing is the same one that will occupy the stage at the Detroit auto show. And there's more: The Furai sounds sensational at full cry. As we exited Turn 11 onto the main straight with the sound of the rotary exhaust reverberating off the concrete pit wall, the effect was not of a lone car, but instead an entire field of endurance racers. With the Furai, Mazda is suggesting that this aural deception will soon become a reality as it moves to join Acura and Porsche in an assault on the 24 Hours of Le Mans. No word yet on whether the Furai will enter production, but it would be safe to say that it gives us a hint of Mazda's future styling direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troutman Posted January 9, 2008 Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 How the hell did they get that sort of power out of it? Forced induction surely.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enginph Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 Kumho huh? Maybe miller cycle rotary engine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renboy Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 It looks like a cheap pair of nikes. And there would have to be boost. There's no way a NA rotary could burn ethanol efficiently and put down that much power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mts Posted January 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 We will see some race track stats soon enough... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mohamedeladawy@hotmail.com Posted January 17, 2008 Report Share Posted January 17, 2008 cant' wait to see this thing running around the track Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enginph Posted January 17, 2008 Report Share Posted January 17, 2008 cant' wait to see this thing running on streets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mohamedeladawy@hotmail.com Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 http://video.aol.com/video-detail/mazda-ro...rack/3824985570 my wish was granted. also the R20B has been used for a while now. (tha motor inside the Furai) its a cosmo based renesis influenced 3 rotor engine. it was used on the courage C65 chassis in the LMP2 class (i believe) in LeMans Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MazdaMomma Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 sounds like a angry bee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troutman Posted January 24, 2008 Report Share Posted January 24, 2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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