Rolex Monterey Reunion celebrates Japanese race cars

Some of the most important race cars and motorcycles ever to emerge from Japanese brands will be assembled to honor Japanese motorsports history at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, Aug. 12-15. The exhibition includes two 24 Hours of Le Mans overall winners together for the first time: The 1991 Mazda 787B, which was the first Japanese car to capture the crown, and the 2018 Toyota GAZOO Racing TS050 Hybrid that gave Toyota its first overall victory.

This special exhibition traces Japanese motorsport history through more than 40 historic cars and two dozen motorcycles from private collections, museums, and automakers. It will be the largest showcase of Japanese racing accomplishments in the 52-year history of the historic racing event at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Honda and Acura are showcasing their motorsport prowess from the early 1968 Honda S800 RSC and 1969 Honda N600 Baja to the dominating Honda-powered Williams FW11 Formula 1 car driven by Nelson Piquet and Nigel Mansell, to its IMSA-winning Acura ARX Daytona Prototype.

Alongside the Le Mans-winning Toyota TS050 are such important cars as the Toyota 7, its first full-fledged prototype race car developed with Yamaha, the AAR Toyota Celica and Eagle that dominated IMSA GTO and GTP racing, and the 2007 Toyota NASCAR Camry.

Rotary-engine enthusiasts will appreciate the Mazda 787B, but Mazda’s history began earlier with the 1967 Mazda Cosmo Sport, and evolved with the 1991 Mazda RX-7 GTO, and 1992 Mazda RX-792P.

In honor of Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion Grand Marshal and BRE founder Peter Brock, Nissan will feature a strong line-up ranging from the 1969 BRE Datsun 2000 Roadster and BRE Datsun 510 to the 1988 Nissan GTP ZX-T and championship-winning Nissan NPT-90 (pictured, top).

Rally champion Subaru showcases its tremendous rally pedigree through a trio of its iconic and highly competitive Subaru Impreza WRXs that have been driven to wins by Travis Pastrana, Colin McRae and Ken Block.

Japanese motorsport heritage would be incomplete without motorcycles. For the first time at the historic racing event, a major tribute will showcase world championship machines from Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha. The curated collection includes bikes ridden by legends such as Wayne Rainey, Kenny Roberts, Freddie Spencer, and the Honda RC211V that Nicky Hayden captured back-to-back wins in 2005 and '06 at Laguna Seca, which led to his 2006 MotoGP world championship.

From the punishing terrain of Baja and hillside rally stages to the advanced arenas of Formula 1, IndyCar and endurance racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Japanese manufacturers have left their mark. Their success also extends to championship motorcycle racing, on both dirt and pavement, completing this broad legacy of achievement.

The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion is a celebration of motorsport history that features more than 400 historic, authentic race cars in 13 different race groups competing each day. It is widely considered a "moving museum" and is the only event during Monterey Car Week where enthusiasts can see, hear, and fully experience legendary race cars at speed.