1991 Mazda 787B Le Mans Winner 787B-002

Mazda’s 1991 Le Mans winner is 787B-002, the car that raced as number 55. Distinguishing the chassis from its race number makes this historic record precise. The supplied period race photograph illustrates the actual number 55 entrant in 1991 rather than a later car wearing a tribute livery.

History and verified programme identity

Mazda’s official victory record names chassis 787B-002 and drivers Volker Weidler, Johnny Herbert and Bertrand Gachot. It records 362 laps and approximately 4,923 km at the 1991 race. Those facts belong to a documented event and an identified competition car. The later commemorative history describes the winning chassis’s overhaul and return to the Circuit de la Sarthe for the twentieth anniversary in 2011. A return demonstration is another stage in the same car’s history, not another 1991 race victory or an additional newly manufactured chassis.

Engineering and design

The 787B’s identity is rooted in Mazda’s rotary competition programme. A racing prototype’s development record involves more than its public name: chassis, engine configuration, aerodynamic setup and event-specific changes all matter. This article keeps the manufacturer’s race account separate from current demonstration hardware. The visual contrast between the low enclosed prototype and its intense green-and-orange livery makes the number 55 immediately recognisable. That recognisability is useful for discussion, but paint and numbers alone would be too weak to identify an unrelated modern display car. The published specification describes the programme or the explicitly named configuration. An individual car can receive revised parts during use or restoration. Keep those changes dated when comparing it with other Mazdas, so current hardware does not silently rewrite the original engineering record. Weight and output figures also require their printed measurement convention and market context rather than being treated as measurements of the pictured vehicle.

The physical car in the supplied photograph

JPRoche’s period photograph is explicitly described as the Mazda 787B at the 1991 Le Mans 24 Hours and belongs to the exact number 55 event category. The visible car carries 55 in the green-and-orange scheme in a real race setting. Matching the event, number and manufacturer’s chassis record connects this illustration with 787B-002. Its wide view preserves the competition context, rather than presenting a modern replica as period evidence.

How to identify and compare the programme

A historical race-car file should start with permanent chassis identity, then list entries and results by date. Number 55 is a search reference, while 787B-002 anchors the individual object. Preserve the 1991 event documentation separately from 2011 overhaul records, later demonstration photographs and replacement components. A restored car can continue the winner’s physical history without preserving every consumable or setup from the original race. This distinction protects both the significance of the victory and the accuracy of the surviving car’s record.

Collecting and chassis evidence

An individual 787B Le Mans Winner 787B-002 record starts with its original chassis identity, delivery specification and dated documents. Preserve the engine and body references separately where the car was coachbuilt or changed during competition. Original correspondence, build sheets and early photographs can establish details that a modern exterior cannot show. Record replacement panels, engine changes and restoration work chronologically. A present appearance may differ from the original specification without representing a second manufactured vehicle. For a numbered edition, retain its plate and allocation paperwork alongside the chassis file. Historical names and race numbers are useful search references, but they are not substitutes for permanent identity or a reconciled production register.

Related Mazda designs and meaningful comparisons

The 787B Le Mans Winner 787B-002 belongs to Sports Prototypes. Compare it with the two linked profiles to follow how Mazda changed its engineering or its presentation. Their original model identities remain separate, even when a coachbuilder, engine family or anniversary theme connects them. Shared ancestry does not merge their manufactured quantities or make their photographs interchangeable.

Reading the sources

The programme sources and the photograph answer different questions. Manufacturer and custodial records establish the original model, Type, category and published production scope. The creator’s file establishes the pictured subject, setting and image permission. An individual chassis history can then add ownership, competition entries and dated repairs without changing the scope of the original programme. Build references are not survivor counts, and a later specification does not automatically become an additional newly manufactured vehicle. Where primary evidence does not establish a complete fabrication census, that field remains unassigned.

Specifications and rarity evidence

Frequently asked questions

What does the published rarity reference cover?

This archive covers the individual winning chassis 787B-002, race number 55 at the 1991 Le Mans 24 Hours. The inventory’s phrase chassis 55 is corrected:55 is the competition number. One identified winner is not a statement that only one 787B was built. No complete fabrication or survivor tally for the wider 787B programme is assigned.

How is 787B Le Mans Winner 787B-002 classified?

This is a physical concept or competition archive. Its documented exhibit or chassis identity remains separate from road-car production. Proposed systems, present hardware and an original build census answer different questions.

Which technical details are established for the programme?

The primary record supports permanent chassis identity: 787B-002; 1991 le mans race number: 55; winning drivers: Volker Weidler; Johnny Herbert; Bertrand Gachot. These are programme or explicitly attributed photo references. A particular surviving car’s engine, chassis repairs and competition preparation require its own dated documentation.

Does the photographed appearance establish factory originality?

The caption records a real creator-identified 787B Le Mans Winner 787B-002 subject and its documented setting. It establishes the illustration’s scope, while original components, restoration work and individual race provenance require chassis-specific evidence. A competition number, current paint or museum display is not used as an originality certificate.

What rarity or archive scope is verified?

This archive covers the individual winning chassis 787B-002, race number 55 at the 1991 Le Mans 24 Hours. The inventory’s phrase chassis 55 is corrected:55 is the competition number. One identified winner is not a statement that only one 787B was built. No complete fabrication or survivor tally for the wider 787B programme is assigned.

Who photographed the supplied image?

JPRoche via Wikimedia Commons, under CC BY-SA 3.0. The original file and licence are linked with the image. Retain the creator, source and licence when uploading, exporting or reusing it; local retouching and synthetic enlargement have not been performed.

Related Mazda profiles

• 1970 Mazda RX-500
• 2002 Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A

Sources and photo credits

• Manufacturer or custodial programme evidence
• Mazda winning-chassis overhaul and 2011 return narrative

Photograph: JPRoche via Wikimedia Commons original source, CC BY-SA 3.0. Original image or source-provided thumbnail supplied without local cropping, retouching or synthetic enlargement.