UPDATE: 2026/08/11 07:00 EST BY BELINDA ANDERSON
Official Statement From The Owner/Team Of Mazda 767B #203
We’ve added the official statement in response to the fire that occurred at Laguna Seca.
We’re heading into Monterey Car Week this week, and besides exotic car reveals, high-dollar auctions, and classy shows, it includes plenty of vintage racing over at Laguna Seca. Vintage racing is exciting to see and fun to participate in, but does carry inherent risk, whether from the possibility of a crash, or something going wrong such as mechanical failure or even fire. Unfortunately, the latter claimed a particularly rare Mazda race car this past weekend.
It Was One Of Just 3 Built
The car in question was a Mazda 767B. In the video shared by a Facebook user, the car is shown parked in a temporary paddock tent with flames billowing out from the cabin, wheel wells and engine bay. Multiple people rushed in with fire extinguishers to try and put it out. The video ends well before the fire was put out, so we’re not sure just how bad the damage is, though a Reddit post suggested it was totaled, or at least nearly totaled. We’ve reached out to the track and representatives of the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion for more details. A representative for the event was able to confirm that no one was hurt, though didn’t have further details about the fire at the time of publishing.
While this 767B wasn’t the car that Mazda won Le Mans with in 1991 (that was the 787B), this was still a rare and significant Mazda endurance car. According to Hemmings, Mazda’s 767 race cars were the first to switch to the four-rotor engine configuration that would power the future Le Mans winner. Only three 767 chassis were built, and the car that caught fire was car number 3. It was initially a backup vehicle, though it did see competition during its life with finishes at Le Mans in 12th place in 1989, and 20th place in 1990.
According to Gooding & Company, its 2.6-liter four-rotor engine made around 630 horsepower. Gooding & Company also sold this car to a private owner in 2017. The car crossed the block for $1.75 million. The car was supposed to take part in the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion this weekend. The event is going to feature Japanese race cars and motorcycles in particular this year, and according to The Gentleman Racer, Mazda is bringing the Le Mans-winning 787B for exhibition laps. It’s a shame this 767B won’t get to join it during the main event. Fortunately, this 767B wasn’t the only surviving example.
At least chassis number 2 still exists and is owned by a man in Japan, who also regularly brings it to vintage motorsport events. In fact, as Mazda itself noted, he drove it at Goodwood one year and ended up in a wreck. He did have the car restored over the course of two years, and still brings it to events. Hopefully, depending on how bad the damage is to the third 767B, it can also be restored to drive again.
Official Response From The Owner
An official statement from the owner/team of Mazda 767B #203 (chassis 003) has been released:
During yesterday’s Monterey Motorsports Pre-Reunion event, Mazda 767B #203 was involved in a paddock fire. Most importantly, no one was injured — for that, we are deeply grateful.
The car is special to every member of our team, and to history. It will not complete the remainder of the Reunion event but its story is not over. #203 will be restored once more, and sing again.
It Wasn’t The Only Rare Rotary Mazda To Catch Fire
Back at the end of 2007 and the start of 2008, Mazda showed arguably its most memorable concept car, the Furai. It was a swoopy, futuristic take on a race car using the company’s contemporary “Nagare” design language. It didn’t just look like a race car, though, it basically was one. Mazda used a prototype race car chassis, and it was powered by a rotary engine. As a functional vehicle, Mazda would exhibit it running, and after a few years, it took it to the Top Gear test track. That was its last outing, as it caught fire and burned to a crisp, seemingly beyond repair, and with no surviving relatives.
Source: Facebook / Giuseppe De Vivo, Reddit, Hemmings, Gooding & Company, Mazda
