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That was four years ago, and the odometer has crept up to 856 miles since. Thankfully, rather than preserve it as a museum piece, Mazda changed the oil and coolant, fitted new tyres and brake pads, then added the RX-7 to its classic fleet. Placed into storage by a Scottish Mazda dealer after he lost the franchise, it surfaced 33 years later вЂ“ still unregistered вЂ“ with a mere 49 miles on the clock. Plenty of old cars are described as вЂbarn findsвЂ™ when theyвЂ™re nothing of the sort. Journalists can be a cynical bunch, but nobody stepped out of this one without a smile. That eccentric engine, with its triangular rotor instead of reciprocating pistons, endows the car with a unique, somewhat contrary character. Trust me, it feels faster.ДЇor all its pop-and-bang fireworks, though, the Mazda is also free-revving and turbine-smooth. Aided by a kerb weight of 884kg, it blares to 62mph in 10.8 seconds and 115mph flat-out. Unlike the other Mazdas here, the RX-3 isnвЂ™t showroom-spec its 110hp 1.2-litre motor and five-speed gearbox have been transplanted from a Mk1 RX-7. You canвЂ™t drive on auto-pilot this car demands your attention. The unassisted steering works your biceps, the gearshift is notchy and mechanical, and the brakes demand a hefty shove. Its interior is wall-to-wall black vinyl, with deep-set dials and a push-button AM radio. вЂњYou can thank the straight-through exhaust for that,вЂќ jokes an engineer from Jota Sport, the Kent-based race team that maintains MazdaвЂ™s heritage cars.Д¬alled the Mazda Savanna in Japan, the RX-3 was sold in saloon and estate body styles, alongside the four-seat coupe seen here. Squat and square-jawed, it looks like a shrunken muscle car and sounds like a wasp trapped in a megaphone. The 1973 RX-3 could hardly be more different. Nonetheless, itвЂ™s a bracingly analogue experience and thereвЂ™s a rare joy in piloting something so traffic-stoppingly beautiful. Its chassis shudders and shakes over potholes, while its brakes are more iron age than space age. On more challenging roads, the Cosmo doesnвЂ™t feel as sporty as its styling suggests. It whirrs and hums with a palpable lack of inertia, sounding and feeling quite unlike anything else. The steering is lively and the gearshift pleasingly slick, while the 10A engine spins up keenly. ItвЂ™s not as cramped as you might think, but you sit very low: at eye-level with the oversized alloys of modern SUVs. Clamber inside and its houndstooth trim, and wood-rimmed wheel ooze Sixties style.

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This 1969 Series II is the rightful flagship of MazdaвЂ™s heritage fleet. The twin-rotor unit displaces just 982cc, but with only 940kg to shift вЂ“ 200kg less than a new Ford Fiesta вЂ“ it reaches 62mph in less than 10 seconds. Five decades on, it still looks fabulous: impossibly tiny and achingly pretty.ДЄs the first Mazda to employ a rotary engine, the Cosmo was futuristic under the skin, too. While rivals such as the Jaguar E-Type and Porsche 911 looked to the past, the Cosmo was inspired by a brave new world. Spot the capsule-style cockpit and tail lights like rocket afterburners. The Cosmo owes its name to the space race, and its sleek lines are straight out of The Jetsons. It showed the world what rotary engines could achieve on the racetrack, yet Mazda had already proven their potential on the road. That winning car now lives out its retirement at the Mazda Museum in Hiroshima. Perhaps itвЂ™s just popcorn, but I have a large lump in my throat. At 4pm, Johnny Herbert passes the chequered flag and thousands of fans invade the track. Then, with three hours to go, weвЂ™re on the edge of our deck chairs as the leading Mercedes-Benz retires with engine trouble, leaving the 787B to cruise home. It also sounds utterly ear-splitting, even when heard through speakers in a sheep field.Д«y the half-way point at 4am, the Mazda has edged up to third place. The orange and green 787B isnвЂ™t the fastest car on the 8.5-mile circuit, but its 700hp four-rotor R26B engine is reliable and efficient.

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From a classic Cosmo to a modern RX-8, there is no shortage of options.Д«ack to Le Mans, though, where Mazda drivers Johnny Herbert, Volker Weidler and Bertrand Gachot are carving their way through the field, having started 23rd on the grid. The cars parked outside include all four generations of MX-5 and a rare V6-engined MX-3, but IвЂ™ll be focusing on the rotary vehicles. Reclined on a deck chair at an open-air cinema, IвЂ™m here to mark that anniversary, first by watching the highlights of the 1991 race, then by driving some of Mazda UKвЂ™s superb heritage fleet. This was the first time a Japanese marque had won the famous endurance race вЂ“ and the only Le Mans victory with a rotary engine. Three decades ago, after 362 laps, 28 pit stops and 24 intense hours, a Mazda 787B crossed the line at Le Mans.

Rx 7 editor