The Furai’s aggressive lines are the product of Mazda’s studio in Southern California led by North American design boss Franz Von Holzhausen. Further developed by the prodigious brainpower of the racecar wizards at Swift Engineering.

Powered by a mid-mounted, three-rotor Mazda 20B rotary engine fueled by E100 ethanol, the Furai generates around 450 horsepower. Most concept cars don’t run. Heck, most of them don’t even have engines. By contrast, the Furai is a runner, a point that Mazda was keen to emphasize by wedging us into the cockpit for a couple of hot laps around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca piloted by ALMS ace Jamie Bach. There’s barely space for a second person in the tight cabin of the former racecar, which sports a passenger seat only because class rules demand it.