So how one of the most beautiful cars on earth back in the day – Mazda Furai, burned like a star?
Mazda Furai was different, it did not just look fast, it felt alive, as if it sliced through the air before it even moved!
With a growl that could shake your chest when you drive it, the Furai was a dream Mazda brought to life in 2008.
But a dream that we still talk about, it was a dream that ended in flames, leaving fans forever asking: WHAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN?
Beauty with teeth
What Mazda Furai Means? Its name, Furai means “Sound of the wind” and it roared like a beast, both on and off the track.
It was no ordinary showpiece, built on a Le Mans chassis and powered by a three-rotor, with 450-horsepower and engine running on ethanol, every curve served a purpose.
Body Style: 2-door coupé
Layout: MR layout
Platform: Courage C65 LMP2
Doors: Butterfly
Powertrain
Engine: 2.0 L 450 hp (336 kW) 3-rotor
Transmission: Xtrac 6-speed semi-automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase: 2,790 mm (109.8 in)
Length: 4,563 mm (179.6 in)
Width: 1,956 mm (77.0 in)
Height: 977 mm (38.5 in)
Curb Weight: 675 kg (1,488 lb)
Top speed of Mazda Furai?
While exact figures were never officially confirmed by Mazda, automotive experts estimate its top speed to be around 172 to 210 mph, showcasing the car’s extreme performance potential and its status as one of the fastest concept cars ever created.
The day the dream died
So what really happened with Mazda Furai?
The tragedy struck during a 2008 Top Gear Photoshoot, a fuel line raptured, ethanol met the fiery rotary engine and in minutes, the Furai was consumed by flames.
Nobody could do anything but only watch as the car, was reduced to ash and melted carbon fiber.
Mazda’s brightest concept every, gone in an instant, leaving nothing but memory!
Why we never got to drive it
Even without the fire, the Furai’s future as a production car was uncertain, it was a fragile prototype, one-off experiment, so we did not even expect to drive it on public roads.
Safety feature were non-existent, leaving only raw, untamed potential, the rotary engine, while breathtaking was notoriously difficult to maintain.
It was thirsty, prone to overheating, and when paired with volatile ethanol fuel, it became a logistical nightmare.
And if we look back, 2008 was the height of the financial crisis.
Funding a fire-breathing rotary superstar simply was not feasible, no matter how visionary Mazda’s ideas were.
But this car remains, a dream for everyone, if you look at it, it was special and still people look for it, search and check over time, it was special.
What can we say more?
Yet this car left an indelible mark, it sculpted lines remain iconis, a benchmark for concept car design that continues to inspire.
It was more than a car, it was something that conquered our hearts.
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