Believe it or not but Mazda is over a century old, producing utility vehicles for Japanese industry long before it dabbled in the glorious sounding rotary engine. The newly renovated Mazda Museum will allow visitors to experience this rich history and glimpse into their envisioned future.
The Mazda museum has been temporarily closed for these renovations but will soon be gracing local and international visitors to its floors once again in May. The Hiroshima based brand will immerse viewers in a rich history of 102 years while also providing Mazda’s vision for the next 100 years.
The exhibition will have 10 zones, each themed in accordance with a time frame or topic. In addition, its location adjacent to Mazda’s headquarters and factory mean that viewers can observe real time vehicle assembly of current models while enjoying the new museum space which has embodied the same design language seen in the brand’s most recent models.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a true ode to the brand if it did not include a motorsport section. One which includes, arguably the best sounding race car of all-time, the rotary powered Mazda 787B which competed in Group C sports prototype racing cars and could scream its tune at a discernible 9,000 rpm. Listen to Johnny Herbert piloting the icon at Le Mans in 2011.
Obviously, being on the polar opposite side of the world doesn’t help the typical South African’s cause but Mazda may have found a way to solve this problem for people who can’t attend in person. A virtual tour, accessible from phone, tablet or laptop will be offered for the first time although only in the native Japanese language. We are sure that with time, there will be an English version, which will be more accessible to international audiences on the virtual platform.
If you find yourself around the historical Hiroshima city, make the pitstop at the Mazda museum. It looks set to be a JDM automotive pilgrimage.
