Mazda reveals Furai racer

Mazda says there are more of its cars taking part in motorsport on any given weekend in the USA than any other make. This has been the inspiration for the Japanese firm to come up with its Furai road-racer supercar, which Mazda says bridges the gap between supercars and proper racing cars.

The basis of the Furai is a Courage chassis, which is used in Mazda-powered racers in the American Le Mans Series endurance events. Mounted in the middle of the car is a 450bhp rotary engine related to the one used in the RX-8. This engine is powerful enough to see the Furai hit 180mph and Mazda says it is the ideal test bed for its new ideas, such as the engine only using ethanol fuel.

Mazda has also spent a lot of time on the aerodynamics of the Furai, incorporating headlights to act as guide frames to reduce front end lift at high speeds. There's also an under-car diffuser that helps draw cool air into the radiators and back out again.

The Furai has a proper two-seat cabin - unlike the race car it's based on - and Mazda says it has worked hard to make the interior as comfortable as possible. Access to the interior is through race-style gullwing doors that hinge at the top.

Mazda has no plans to ever turn the Furai into a production car. Instead, the Furai is a test bed for new ideas and fuel development with the firm's partner BP.

Alisdair Suttie