Mazda to show Furai concept at Detroit Show
Author: Robin Brown
Published: 12 December 2007
Mazda will unveil the new Furai concept vehicle and a heavily-revised version of the Mazda RX-8 sports car at the Detroit motor show in January 2008.
The Furai - meaning Sound of the Wind - is inspired by the claim that there are more Mazdas than any other vehicle racing the North America on any given weekend.
The Furai is based on an American Le Mans Series (ALMS) sports racing car and utilises the Courage C65 chassis and the 450bhp engine used in the ALMS series only two seasons ago. The Furai uses synthetic fuel (cellulosic ethanol E100) produced by BP.
“Furai purposely blurs boundaries that have traditionally distinguished street cars from racing cars,” says Franz von Holzhausen, Mazda’s North American director of design. “Historically, there has been a gap between single-purpose racecars and the sportiest of street-legal production models — commonly called supercars — that emulate the real racers on the road. Furai bridges that gap like no car has ever done before.
“Mazda’s critically acclaimed Nagare design language describes the flow of water, air, people or things moving in one direction. Mazda Nagare is flow, with an insightful and spirited styling, which, in Mazda Furai, invokes a raw, unfettered desire to possess everything this car represents,” enthuses Holzhausen.
New Mazda RX-8
Mazda will also show the Mazda Taiki and refreshed RX-8 with new design, improved handling, stronger acceleration, enhanced quality and extra features, according to Mazda.
The new RX-8 features a new four-door, four-seat format and continues to use a rotary engine.
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