Mazda 727C

The

Mazda , commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan. In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one m ...

727C is a prototype racing car that was built for

Mazdaspeed (often stylized in all-caps as MAZDASPEED) was Mazda's in-house performance division. The company was a grassroots racing team in Japan. Owned by Mazda Motor Corporation, they built production model vehicles, became involved in motorsports develop ...

for the

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active endurance racing event. Unlike fixed-distance races whose ...

in the

Group C Group C was a category of sports car racing introduced by the FIA in 1982 and continuing until 1993, with ''Group A'' for touring cars and ''Group B'' for GTs. It was designed to replace both Group 5 special production cars (closed top touri ...

2 class. It replaced the 717C in 1984 as an evolution of the Mooncraft-built design, and used the same 2-rotor '' 13B''

Wankel engine The Wankel engine (, ) is a type of internal combustion engine using an eccentric rotary design to convert pressure into rotating motion. It was invented by German engineer Felix Wankel, and designed by German engineer Hanns-Dieter Paschke. ...

as the previous model. Two 727Cs were entered in the

1984 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1984 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 52nd Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 16 – 17 June 1984. It was also the third round of the 1984 World Endurance Championship. The works Rothmans Porsche team boycotted the 1984 Le Mans ra ...

, finishing 4th and 6th in the C2 class. However, a pair of Lola T616s run by B.F. Goodrich Company used the same Mazda engine and were successful in beating both 727Cs, claiming 1st and 3rd. The 727C was used a few more times in the

1984 World Sportscar Championship season The 1984 World Sportscar Championship season was the 32nd season of FIA "World Sportscar Championship" motor racing. It featured the 1984 FIA World Endurance Championship, which was open to FIA Group C1, Group C2 and Group B cars and to IMSA GTP, ...

, managing a mere 10th place in the C2 manufacturer's championship, behind two separate teams of privateers. The 727C was then replaced by the 737C in 1985. 727C Group C cars Cars powered by Wankel engines 24 Hours of Le Mans race cars {{Motorsport-stub