Art of Gears
Fansided

What happened to the Mazda Furai?

By Zain Ullah

DETROIT - JANUARY 14: Mazda design director of Mazda North American operations Franz von Holzhausen motions to executives to join him as he poses with the Furai concept vehicle while showing the car off to the world automotive media during the press preview days at the North American International Auto show at Cobo Center January 14, 2008 in Detroit, Michigan. The NAIAS is the world's largest auto show. (Photo by Bryan Mitchell/Getty Images)
DETROIT - JANUARY 14: Mazda design director of Mazda North American operations Franz von Holzhausen motions to executives to join him as he poses with the Furai concept vehicle while showing the car off to the world automotive media during the press preview days at the North American International Auto show at Cobo Center January 14, 2008 in Detroit, Michigan. The NAIAS is the world's largest auto show. (Photo by Bryan Mitchell/Getty Images) /
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The Mazda Furai was a concept supercar created by Mazda which was revealed to the world at the motor show in Detroit in the year 2008. The car had a mid-mounted engine which was able to create over 450bhp and was sleekly designed to look like it was from the future, with a huge rear wing spoiler and front headlights that connected to each other. This supercar concept ran on ethanol which changed the world for concept cars. However, near the end of 2008, the supercar was set alight and engulfed in flames at the set of Top Gear.

It was only in September 2013 that Top Gear revealed the car had been destroyed on set of filming, almost 5 years later after the incident took place.

The Mazda Furai was engulfed in flames whilst in the process of a filming and photography session located at Bentwaters-Park. The Mazda was followed by a filming car to take shots from the rear of the car to get that much needed picture of the exhaust spitting out fire.

As the car turned on the crest of the runway, the engine noise changed and a flickering orange flame was slightly visible within the bay of the engine. This was in fact the fire that was about to burn the car inside out. The fire crew were situated at the other side of the run way and were alerted only after the car had set on fire, with a response time of 8 minutes. But by this time it was too late to restore the car or repair the burnt damage.

Mazda has said they will not be making another concept car as the same design or the exact same car again. In a statement the spokesman said

"”The Mazda Furai was solely designed and created to be used as a testbed for design and aerodynamic alterations”"

The fate of the burnt out Mazda concept is unknown. The Furai vanished from the car scene as fast as it gained the attention of the world. A really costly mistake for Top Gear and we hope that Mazda changes their mind and creates the Furai again to compete with the other supercar brands such as Lamborghini and Ferrari.

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