Here’s some Mazda News for ya - this Mazda Furai Video was discovered on YouTube. The Mazda Furai sports a powerful 3 Rotor Rotary Engine. (Similar to a Mazda 20B and perhaps based off Mazda’s latest 2 Rotor Rotary Engine the Mazda 16x.)

Mazda has everyone guessing with it’s latest concept, the - Mazda Furai. It looks like a race car, it sounds like a race car, heck it was co-designed by Swift Engineering - a company that specializes in (you guessed it) race cars. So why don’t we just call it a race car already? Well, Mazda’s very own Franz von Holzhausen (North American director of design) says,

“[the Mazda] Furai purposely blurs boundaries that have traditionally distinguished street cars from track cars. Historically, there has been a gap between single-purpose racecars and street-legal models — commonly called supercars — that emulate the real racers on the road. Furai bridges that gap like no car has ever done before.”

So while every sign seems to point towards the Mazda Furai remaining on the track - Mazda wants it on the streets.

Engine - The Mazda Furai sports a powerful mid-mounted Mazda 20B 3 Rotor Rotary Engine which produces around 450 horsepower. The engine is fueled by E100 Ethanol. That is, purely ethanol - no gasoline. (For example, E25 Ethanol is 25% Ethanol and 75% gasoline.) This appears to be a part of Mazda’s long-term plan to reduce pollution and dependence on oil for fuel. (See: Mazda RX8 Hydrogen RE)

The 20b is fed clean, fresh air through an “air fang” atop it’s roof, designed and developed by Swift’s engineers. Surprisingly it hasn’t seen their wind tunnel just yet but it appears to have no problem staying on the ground, even through the violent corkscrew of Mazda’s Laguna Seca Raceway.

That sound you hear as the driver runs through the gears is an F1-style spur gear transmission. (Built by Swift no doubt.) Ah, the graceful tone of metal on metal. There’s nothing like it.

The Mazda Furai has been exposed and what a beast she looks to be! With an outrageous 3 Rotor engine beneath it’s magnificent hood the Mazda Furai is pushing 450 horsepower. Mazda plans to officially reveal the Mazda Furai in just a few short weeks at the North American International Auto Show.

How would you like this to be your daily driver? Though the car appears to be a race machine, Mazda has made it clear that the Furai is intended to confuse the line between supercar and street machine. And if you’re concerned about gas mileage, well, you probably should be (to some discernable degree) as the rotary engine is infamous for it’s poor fuel economy - however, Mazda has made marked improvements in the last few years to increase the rotaries efficiency in every day driving situations. You might consider losing the giant sports wing, though, eh?

This January Mazda will unveil the Mazda Furai at the North American International Auto Show. They will also be premiering the Mazda Taiki, Mazda RX8 Hydrogen RE (North American Premieres) as well as the New 2009 Mazda RX8 (World Premiere). Technical Exhibits will include cutaways of the new Mazda Rotary Engine the - Mazda 16x - as well as Mazda’s latest V6 engine and their improved “clean diesel” engine.

Full list of Exhibits (taken from Mazda.com)

Major Exhibits on stand

Mazda RX News is hoping to bring you exclusive coverage of the event in Detroit, next month.

Stay tuned.

“HIROSHIMA, Japan, December 12, 2007″

Mazda has announced that it will unveil not only the newly redesigned Mazda RX8 this January at the North American International Auto Show but also it’s brand new mystery concept, the Mazda Furai (eng. - Sound of the Wind). The Mazda Taiki (eng. - Atmosphere) will also make it’s North American debut and many are hailing this concept as the new Mazda RX7, though we’ve heard no official word from Mazda concerning the matter.

The Mazda Furai is set to sport a powerful three rotor engine - and if it makes North American production this would mark the first time in rotary history. Power estimates are in the 450hp range. But what is even more intriguing is how Mazda is describing this powerful beast - a small caption below the only photograph Mazda has released of the Furai reads, “eco-friendly.” Rotary engines are notorious for consuming large amounts of fuel and producing uncontrollable emissions. Could it be that Mazda has made a significant breakthrough in Rotary design and development?

The true nature of the Mazda Furai as a whole is still uncertain. Mazda proposes to deliver the best of both worlds, saying,

“Mazda Furai purposely blurs boundaries that have traditionally distinguished street cars from track cars. Historically, there has been a gap between single-purpose racecars and street-legal models — commonly called supercars — that emulate the real racers on the road. Mazda Furai bridges that gap like no car has ever done before.”

The Mazda Furai will continue the “Nagare” (eng. - flow) style, taking it “a step further”, says Mazda. For anyone who has seen the Mazda Taiki this may sound unachievable. The Nagare style, “describes the flow of water, air, people or things moving in one direction.” Most people seem to love it or hate it with little room inbetween but whatever your stance, one thing is certain - January will be an astounding month in Mazda history.

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You can read the entire press release, here:

http://www.mazda.com/publicity/release/2007/200712/071212.html