Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Hosts Its First Japanese Motorsport Class
Featuring Iconic Le Mans, Daytona, and IMSA Competitors that Defined Japan’s Racing Heritage
Celebrating the profound impact of Japanese competition cars on the global automotive landscape, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance proudly presents its first-ever Japanese Motorsport class. Spanning decades of innovation and perseverance, the inaugural class brings together landmark competition cars that tell the story of Japan’s evolution from an emerging motorsport nation to a global endurance racing powerhouse.
The class will be made up of racing greats stretching across three decades of endurance racing, from the 1985 Toyota 85C L Longtail Le Mans Coupe through a host of Mazda, Honda and Nissan racing greats to the 2018 Toyota TS050 Hybrid Le Mans Coupe. Together, these automobiles illustrate Japan’s remarkable rise on the world’s greatest racing stages.
‘Although we have had the occasional Toyota 2000GT or more recent concepts, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance has not presented Japanese racing cars in the past,’ said Pebble Beach Concours Chief Class Judge and Selection Committee Member Ken Gross. ‘The highly developed and race-winning competition cars on the lawn on Sunday dramatically demonstrate the knowledge, sophistication, experience and skill of Japanese automakers on a world-beating level.’
For decades, Japanese manufacturers focused primarily on building reliable cars for the masses. Then, in 1985, Toyota introduced the 85C, representing the marque’s first determined step in building some of the world’s fastest machines. Its debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans launched the manufacturer’s decades-long pursuit of overall victory, a quest ultimately fulfilled by the 2018 Toyota TS050 Hybrid, which delivered Toyota’s first overall win at Le Mans.
‘For nearly 70 years, Toyota has pursued ‘ever-better’ motorsports through relentless competition—from our first overall win at Le Mans, to championship milestone victories across IndyCar, IMSA, NASCAR, and WRC,’ said Jeff Bal, director of operations at GAZOO Racing. ‘The TS050 Hybrid stands as a defining chapter in that history, embodying the hybrid technology and endurance that carried us to victory at Le Mans. To see it showcased among the finest automobiles in the world at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours is a tremendous honor, and a reminder that racing has always been the proving ground for the innovations we bring to the road. We’re proud to share this piece of our motorsport legacy with this year’s attendees.’
Eager to also prove their racing potential, other Japanese manufacturers quickly emerged onto the racing scene.
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It was Mazda that first won outright at Le Mans. Its 767B Le Mans Coupe was the victor in the GTP class, paving the way for even greater success one year later with the historic victory of the legendary 1991 Mazda 787B Group C Prototype. More than three decades later, the 787B remains one of the most celebrated Japanese racing cars ever built.
‘Showcasing the 1990 Mazda 787 and the historic 1991 787B at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is a profound validation of the innovation and challenger spirit that defines our brand,’ said Brad Audet, chief marketing officer of Mazda North American Operations. ‘Seeing these iconic prototypes on the 18th fairway is an exhilarating reminder of the pure driving joy and emotional connection that continues to inspire our signature driving dynamics today.’
While Mazda was bringing its own racing ambitions to the forefront, Honda was pursuing a different path to the track, developing high-performance engines that would power race cars and establish the company as a force in motorsport. Their engines powered Williams and McLaren to dominance in the 1980s. That evolution can be seen in race cars such as the 1996 Honda NSX-GT2 Le Mans Coupe and the 2010 Honda HPD ARX-01a Le Mans Prototype.
‘Our founder, Soichiro Honda, believed in competition as a means to improve our company, our engineers and our products, so racing is deeply engrained in the corporate culture of Honda,’ said David Salters, president of Honda Racing Corporation USA. ‘Our cars and bikes have won at the highest levels of motorsports around the world, including pinnacle events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We’re honored to bring two of our iconic race cars to the Pebble Beach lawn and share our rich motorsports heritage at this year’s Concours d’Elegance.’
Also on the show field is Nissan’s landmark Group C Prototype, the overall winner of the 1992 24 Hours of Daytona and the first Japanese car to claim victory in the legendary American endurance classic.
Racing greats such as these, brought by both manufacturers and individual entrants, will make up the first Japanese Motorsport class to line the 18th fairway, offering visitors a rare opportunity to experience the machines that paved Japan’s enduring racing legacy.
For additional information and tickets to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, visit pebblebeachconcours.net.
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