Mazda 717
Encyclopedia
The Mazda
717C was a prototype racing car built for Mazdaspeed
for the 24 Hours of Le Mans
under the Group C
Junior formula. It was the first sportscar built by Mazda since the ending of their running in GT with the RX-7 in 1982. It used a 2-rotor 13B Wankel engine
, similar to the production engine in the Mazda RX-7
. The bodywork and chassis were actually built by Mooncraft with assistance from Mazda.
Two 717Cs were entered at 1983 24 Hours of Le Mans
, being the only finishers in the C Junior class, and finishing 12th and 18th overall.
The following year the car would be replaced by the 727C.
Mazda
is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
717C was a prototype racing car built for Mazdaspeed
Mazdaspeed
Mazdaspeed is Mazda's in-house race and street car tuning arm. It began in 1968 as "Mazda Sports Corner", a tuning and racing operation run by Takayoshi Ohashi, who also ran Mazda's Tokyo distributor...
for the 24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
under the Group C
Group C
Group C was a category of motorsport, introduced by the FIA in 1982 for sports car racing, along with Group A for touring cars and Group B for GTs....
Junior formula. It was the first sportscar built by Mazda since the ending of their running in GT with the RX-7 in 1982. It used a 2-rotor 13B Wankel engine
Wankel engine
The Wankel engine is a type of internal combustion engine using an eccentric rotary design to convert pressure into a rotating motion instead of using reciprocating pistons. Its four-stroke cycle takes place in a space between the inside of an oval-like epitrochoid-shaped housing and a rotor that...
, similar to the production engine in the Mazda RX-7
Mazda RX-7
Series 1 is commonly referred to as the "SA22C" from the first alphanumerics of the vehicle identification number. This series of RX-7 had exposed steel bumpers and a high-mounted indentation-located license plate, called by Werner Buhrer of Road & Track magazine a "Baroque depression."In 1980...
. The bodywork and chassis were actually built by Mooncraft with assistance from Mazda.
Two 717Cs were entered at 1983 24 Hours of Le Mans
1983 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1983 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 51st Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 18 and 19 1983. It was also the fourth round of both the World Endurance Championship and European Endurance Championship. The win was fought right down to the line between the Rothmans Porsche 956s of Al...
, being the only finishers in the C Junior class, and finishing 12th and 18th overall.
The following year the car would be replaced by the 727C.