The Fuji Motorsports Museum, a showcase of racing historical past, lately opened its doorways to the general public at Fuji Speedway.
After seeing photos of the place on-line, I couldn’t assist however to drop by on a latest go to to Japan, and boy was the motorsports nerd inside me in for a deal with.
Positioned contained in the Fuji Speedway Resort, strolling by means of the museum’s entrance you’re instantly greeted by one in all Japan’s most notorious race vehicles – the Toyota 7 Turbo – suspended on its facet. The Toyota 7 venture was collectively developed by Toyota and Yamaha within the mid-Sixties to compete within the Japan Grand Prix and Can-Am collection.
In the direction of 1970, the Toyota 7 venture in its ultimate kind was an 800hp steroid on wheels, with bodywork that regarded Flintstones-esque in comparison with immediately’s prototypes. As highly effective as which may be, the automotive proved too harmful with its primitive aerodynamics, finally resulting in the deaths of two take a look at drivers and Toyota’s temporary denial of the accident’s existence. Discuss a hanging entrance.
The museum’s first ground is laid out with choose landmark items of motorsports historical past, with every step transporting you from pre-war racing historical past to fashionable motorsports.
Sitting in a row of pre-war race vehicles was the 1911 Stutz Bearcat. The automotive was designed, constructed after which examined whereas racing, managing a good eleventh out of 40 for what was the primary Indy 500. The automotive then went on to win 25 out of 30 races it entered in 1912, a victory fee solely matched by a number of vehicles since.
Spherical a nook sat a Honda RA272, Japan’s first F1 automotive to take the checkered flag. The RA272’s 1.5L V12 engine sang at 13,000rpm throughout Japan’s first victory within the 1965 Mexican GP, and paved the way in which for Honda’s early involvement in F1 up till 1968 when the automaker took a break to concentrate on street vehicles.
Enjoyable reality: Honda’s Kind Rs are all the time out there in Championship White as a tribute to the Honda RA272.
The primary ground ends with the 1969 Japan Grand Prix show. On the peak of sports activities automotive racing in Japan, the Japan Grand Prix collection ran from 1963 to 1969 with modified Can-Am and Group 7 vehicles taking fundamental stage. In the direction of the tail finish of the collection, vehicles have been making energy north of 600hp with criminally mild our bodies. These have been amongst probably the most highly effective and quickest vehicles racing on this planet on the time.
Nissan was top-rank in these days, with their R380s, R381s and R382s taking the 1966, 1968 and 1969 Japan Grand Prix titles respectively. Locked within the title dogfight was Toyota and their Toyota 7 venture, culminating within the monster Toyota 7 Turbo set for a debut in 1970. Nissan had the newly-developed, twin-turbo R383 able to go as effectively, claiming some 900hp in a 600kg shell.
Nonetheless, these beforehand talked about tragic occasions led to Toyota’s withdrawal, and with Nissan’s shifting company focus in the direction of security and cleaner emissions, the R383 by no means had the chance to throw-down with the Toyota 7 Turbo, marking the top of a chapter in Japanese sports activities automotive racing.
As soon as the elevator door opens for the second ground, you’ll discover a Targa Florio-competing Porsche 904 GTS. The automotive sat so low and was so small that it barely took up any ground house!
This ground boasts many notable race vehicles from a number of disciplines – NASCAR, WRC, IMSA, Le Mans and extra. There’s a lot for the informal nerd to soak in, with every automotive’s story written on a plaque in entrance of it.
Seeing this Pennzoil R33 GT500 introduced again some early PlayStation recollections. That’s the place many people outdoors of Japan have been first launched to the JGTC and Tremendous GT and a few of the most spectacular racing machines ever created. The intense yellow livery stood out the identical manner because it did on my CRT TV display screen rising up, and it was superior seeing one in all my hero vehicles in actual life.
Talking of heroes, nonetheless…
In the direction of the far finish of the second ground, and behind a skinny black movie which what regarded like a loading display screen, lay two very particular vehicles, each for me and for Japan: the Mazda 787B and the Toyota GT-One.
I’m not going to lie after I say that figuring out these two vehicles – the 787B particularly – have been on show within the museum was a serious draw issue for me. Two of the most important efforts in Japanese sports activities automotive racing and vehicles that I’ve heard and browse a lot about sat proper in entrance of me, one a Le Mans winner and one virtually – a feat that was solely repeated by Toyota in 2018 with the TS050.
This was bucket listing materials for me. The screaming 4-rotor R26B put the rotary engine on the worldwide stage when the 787B received Le Mans in ’91, and is doubtless a serious contributor to the cult reputation of rotaries immediately. On the very least it was to me; it’s an enormous motive why I drive a rotary.
Albeit a reproduction (the true race-winning #55 sits in Mazda’s museum in Hiroshima), this and the Toyota GT-One are becoming middle items on the Fuji Motorsports Museum as two of Japan’s all-time race automotive greats.
The beauty of the Fuji Motorsports Museum is that it walks you thru time, displaying a wide range of motorsports historical past, not confined to a single producer. Not typically would you see a Mazda 787B in the identical constructing as a Stutz Bearcat.
The museum serves as a celebration of racing and the groundbreaking engineering feats that accompany the spirit of competitors. I extremely suggest giving a go to in the event you’re a motorsports nerd. I actually didn’t remorse it!
Jaden Low
Instagram:Â drivejdn
Extra IAMTHESPEEDHUNTER posts
How To affix the IATS program: We’ve all the time welcomed readers to contact us with examples of their work and consider that the very best Speedhunter is all the time the individual closest to the tradition itself, proper there on the road or native parking zone. In case you assume you could have what it takes and want to share your work with us then it’s best to apply to turn into a part of the IAMTHESPEEDHUNTER program. Learn how you can become involved right here.