The Short Version
- Mazdaspeed began in 1968 as a motorsport consultation room (“スポーツコーナー”) opened by Mazda Auto Tokyo, the dealer network later known as Anfini Tokyo and today as Kanto Mazda.
- It was formally renamed “Mazdaspeed” in 1979 and incorporated as 株式会社マツダスピード (Mazdaspeed Co., Ltd.) in 1983, backed by Toyo Kogyo (Mazda’s former corporate name) and Mazda Auto Tokyo.
- In 1991, a Mazdaspeed-entered 787B won the Le Mans 24 Hours outright — the first, and to date only, outright Le Mans win by a Japanese manufacturer, and the only win ever by a rotary-powered car.
- Mazdaspeed as a corporate and organizational entity was dissolved in July 1999 and absorbed into Mazda’s head office.
- The Mazdaspeed name lives on today purely as a brand name — applied to Mazda-specific tuning parts and to limited-run, performance-enhanced factory models. It has not been an independent company for over 25 years.
From a Tokyo Dealer’s Back Room to a Le Mans Winner
Mazdaspeed did not start as a parts brand. It started in 1968 as a “motorsport consultation room” opened inside Mazda Auto Tokyo, the Tokyo-area Mazda dealer network (later renamed Anfini Tokyo, and known today as Kanto Mazda), operating under the name “Sports Corner.” The idea was simple: give Mazda customers who wanted to race or tune their cars somewhere to go through an official Mazda channel.
The operation was renamed “Mazdaspeed” in 1979 and formally incorporated as 株式会社マツダスピード (Mazdaspeed Co., Ltd.) in 1983. Its capital came from Toyo Kogyo — Mazda’s corporate name until 1984 — together with Mazda Auto Tokyo, making Mazdaspeed a factory-backed motorsport and tuning arm rather than an independent aftermarket shop.
1991: The Win That Defined the Brand
Mazdaspeed’s motorsport program reached its high point on 23 June 1991, when a Mazdaspeed-entered Mazda 787B won the Le Mans 24 Hours outright. It remains the only outright Le Mans victory by a Japanese manufacturer and the only outright Le Mans win by a rotary engine, a combination that has not been repeated in the more than three decades since.
Dissolution: 1999
Mazdaspeed operated as a distinct company for sixteen years after incorporation. In July 1999, it was absorbed into Mazda’s head office and, in the words of the company’s own history, “dissolved as a corporation and organization.” From that point on, there was no separate Mazdaspeed entity — only a name that Mazda continued to use.
What “Mazdaspeed” Means Today
Since 1999, “Mazdaspeed” has existed purely as a brand name: applied to Mazda-specific tuning parts, and to limited-edition or performance-enhanced versions of regular production models. It is not a tuning company you can contact, visit, or commission work from — it is a label Mazda’s parts and marketing divisions continue to use on specific products.
Spotted in the Wild: Mazdaspeed Side Skirts on an FD3S
The car photographed for this article — an Anfini RX-7 Type RB (FD3S) in Chaste White — runs Mazdaspeed side skirts alongside RE-Amemiya aero (see our companion RE-Amemiya brand guide) and ENKEI RPF1 wheels. The side-skirt fitment is the owner’s own identification of the parts on this specific car, not a claim we are making from a published Mazdaspeed parts catalogue.
That distinction matters, and it is worth being direct about it: we could not find a citable, itemized public listing of every part Mazdaspeed produced for the FD3S during its 1983–1999 lifetime as an active company, or afterward under the brand-name arrangement. Mazdaspeed’s own surviving public history focuses on the racing program and the corporate timeline, not a parts catalogue. What we can say is that Mazdaspeed side skirts for various Mazda chassis, including RX-7 generations, are a long-documented and widely recognized product category among Mazda tuners — this specific car is a real, identifiable example of that category in use, even though we cannot point to a manufacturer catalogue page confirming FD3S-specific tooling dates.
What We Could Not Verify
- An itemized, citable list of Mazdaspeed-branded parts specifically produced for the FD3S generation of RX-7. Public secondary sources describe Mazdaspeed’s racing history and corporate timeline in detail but do not provide a parts catalogue we could independently confirm.
- A minor naming discrepancy across sources: one source we reviewed referred to Mazda’s former corporate name as “Toyo Sangyo” (東洋産業) rather than the correct “Toyo Kogyo” (東洋工業). We have used Toyo Kogyo throughout this article, which we confirmed against multiple independent sources describing Mazda’s corporate history.
- Whether any Mazdaspeed-branded parts sold today are manufactured under the same specifications as the parts sold while Mazdaspeed operated as an independent company before 1999.
FAQ
Is Mazdaspeed still a company?
No. It operated as 株式会社マツダスピード from 1983 to 1999, when it was dissolved and absorbed into Mazda’s head office. “Mazdaspeed” today is a brand name Mazda applies to specific parts and models, not an independent company.
What is Mazdaspeed’s most famous achievement?
The 1991 Le Mans 24 Hours outright win with the Mazda 787B — still the only outright Le Mans win by a Japanese manufacturer and the only one by a rotary-powered car.
Can I still buy genuine Mazdaspeed parts?
Mazda continues to use the Mazdaspeed name on specific tuning parts and special-edition models, but there is no independent Mazdaspeed company to buy directly from. Sourcing genuine period Mazdaspeed parts for a car like an FD3S RX-7 generally means the used and specialist-import market.
Did Mazdaspeed make parts for the RX-7 FD3S specifically?
Mazdaspeed side skirts and other parts are associated with multiple Mazda chassis including RX-7 generations, and real examples like the car in this article exist. We were not able to find a published, itemized Mazdaspeed parts catalogue confirming exact FD3S-specific production dates.
Sources
Founding date, name change, incorporation, backers and dissolution: Japanese Wikipedia entry for マツダスピード, cross-checked against Motorz.jp’s history of the company. The 1991 Le Mans 787B win: widely and consistently documented across Japanese and international motorsport histories, including GAZOO.com’s coverage of Mazdaspeed’s 30th anniversary retrospective. Current brand-name usage: Japanese Wikipedia entry for マツダスピード. Where a claim could not be independently confirmed from these sources, we have said so above rather than filling the gap.
Related Guides
- Mazda RX-7 FD3S Wheel Fitment Guide — OEM specs for the chassis pictured in this article
- RE-Amemiya Brand Profile — the aero brand fitted alongside these side skirts
Looking for genuine JDM wheels to pair with a Mazdaspeed-equipped build? Submit a Request and we will search our networks in Japan for the size and offset you need.