Mazda "Furai" Concept

“Furai,” simply translated, means "sound of the wind"

Is the fifth iteration or evolution of Mazda's new design language exemplified in its initial Nagare concept, which you may recall meant “flow.” Far from just a piece of artwork on wheels, this working concept actually began life as one of Mazda's 2006 season ALMS P2 race cars.

Built on a Courage C65 chassis and powered by a 450-bhp 3-rotor rotary engine, this ethanol (E100)-powered concept car is an exercise in reverse homologation: It represents an ideal within the Mazda philosophy, and that is to bridge the gap between single-purpose race cars (ALMS) and street-legal models (Ferrari Enzo, Lotus Elise), according to Mazda's Director of Design, Franz von Holzhausen.

The complex outer shell of the Furai clearly follows its predecessor's design trends, but through the guidance and expertise of Swift Engineering also functions aerodynamically. Front-fascia channels direct air to the brake ducts as strategically placed louvers on top of the front wheel fenders aid heat evacuation and help suck the front end closer to the ground. Its sculpted flanks create turbulence which draws air to the side ducts that help keep the engine cool in conjunction with the radiators mounted in the car's sidepods. Aft of the gullwing doors, flow-directing details continue to guide air over the car's rear haunches toward a large, functioning, adjustable-element spoiler. The sharp element you see protruding from the roof is called an Air Fang, and was designed by the guys at Swift to optimize ram air induction. The air split by the Air Fang creates vortices which force air down into the intake

HIROSHIMA, Japan, Dec. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Mazda Motor Corporation will showcase the world premieres of the Mazda Furai concept vehicle and the heavily revised 2009 Mazda RX-8 sports car at the 2008 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), to be held in Detroit from Sunday, January 13 through Sunday, January 27, 2008. On the heels of its show-stopping debut at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show in October, the Mazda Taiki concept vehicle also will make its North American debut, the first time it has been shown outside Japan.

Inspired by the fact that, on any given weekend, there are more Mazdas and Mazda-powered cars road-raced in the United States than any other brand, the Mazda Furai (Japanese for "sound of the wind" and pronounced "fu-rye") is the sort of car that could only come from a company that incorporates the "Soul of a Sports Car" into everything it builds, but with an eye toward the future and the environment through the use of 100% ethanol produced in partnership with British Petroleum (BP).

Furai takes Mazda's unique Nagare (Japanese for "flow") design language a step further as it is translated into a concept car based on an American Le Mans Series (ALMS) racing car. The car utilizes the Courage C65 chassis the company campaigned in the ALMS series only two seasons ago, and the 450-hp three-rotor rotary engine that distinguishes it from anything else on the track.

Says Franz von Holzhausen, Mazda's North American director of design, "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."

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.