I was at Laguna Seca on Saturday, August 8th, and my boyfriend couldn’t get enough of the Mazda 767B prototype. It looks cool, sounds insane, and apparently we got to see it before it burst into flames.
A post in the Monterey Car Week Facebook group showed a shocking image of the vehicle engulfed in flames, with the caption: “Monterey Car Week is canceled.” Obviously, it’s not, but this is most definitely a heartbreaking way to start the event.
Originally shared on Instagram by Per.0.xide, the car was parked under a tent in the paddock when it caught fire. Reports from the paddock point to a procedural error while the engine was being warmed up. The footage shows some brave men rushing to put out the fire with extinguishers before it became catastrophic.
The incident spread across social media, with many expressing sadness at the loss of such an iconic and impressive vehicle.
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The car’s owning team released a statement: “During yesterday’s Monterey Motorsports Pre-Reunion event, Mazda 767B #203 was involved in a paddock fire. Most importantly, no one was injured – for that, we are deeply grateful.
“The car is special to every member of our team, and to history. It will not complete the remainder of the Reunion event, but its story is not over. #203 will be restored once more, and sing agai
What is the Mazda 767B?
Few sounds in motorsport are as instantly recognizable as the high-pitched, otherworldly scream of a Mazda four-rotor. The 767B and its legendary sibling, the Le Mans-winning 787B, have become icons not simply because of their racing history or unforgettable liveries, but because their 13J and R26B Wankel engines deliver a soundtrack that feels almost impossible to come from a car.
The car is particularly special because genuine four-rotor Mazda prototypes are extraordinarily rare. This 767B is chassis 767-003, the third and final one ever built, privately owned rather than part of Mazda’s heritage collection, and it has been a regular presence at historic racing events since its restoration, giving generations of fans the chance to experience that incredible rotary scream in person.
There is at least one consolation. Mazda’s 1991 Le Mans-winning 787B is also at Laguna Seca this week, having been brought over from Japan for the reunion. Thankfully, the two cars were not together when the fire occurred.
Still, seeing a 767B damaged is a gut punch for anyone who loves these cars. They represent a wild, wonderfully unconventional chapter of endurance racing that can never truly be recreated. Hopefully, car 203 will eventually return to the track, screaming toward 9,000 rpm once again. The extent of the damage is not yet known.
Is Monterey Car Week canceled?
No, they were just exaggerating to be funny.
For Monday, you can keep things fairly casual with the Porsche Monterey Classic Event, Automobilia Collectors Expo, or a drive through Carmel Valley before ending the day at Piazza Motor Nights in Sand City. Tuesday brings Concours for a Cause in Carmel and the opening of the Bonhams Laguna Seca auction.
But if you really want to feel the heart of Car Week, head to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca starting Wednesday, August 12. That’s when the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion gets underway, with four days of historic racing through Saturday. This year is particularly special, with Japanese motorsport as the featured theme, more than 40 historic Japanese race cars and roughly two dozen motorcycles, plus more than 400 authentic racing cars competing across 13 groups.
Laguna is worth visiting even if you’re not a hardcore racing fan. You can wander the paddock, get close to the cars and teams, watch the racing from different corners of the circuit, and soak up the wonderfully old-school atmosphere. And with legendary designer and racer Pete Brock serving as Grand Marshal, there’s plenty of history on display alongside the racing.
Away from the track, the rest of Car Week really starts to explode Wednesday through Saturday. There’s the Little Car Show in Pacific Grove, Motorlux at the Monterey Jet Center, the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance, The Quail, Werks Reunion, Concorso Italiano, and Exotics on Broadway.
However, I went to these last year and it was not the best vibe. Pure chaos and full of influencers. You know how that is. Awful. Car spotters galore. Luckily, there are countless smaller gatherings where you can stumble across everything from million-dollar classics to enthusiast-built cars. Seeing random cars parked on side streets is way more exhilarating for us than attending thousand-dollar shows.
