For many people in Irvine, California, October 3rd 2009 was just another sunny day in SoCal but for a few thousand fanatics it was a stroll through Japanese classic car heaven. Although St. Peter wasn’t there to greet the crowd, we did come face-to-face with Joji Luz’s smiley yellow #5 Celica at the front gates.

Brap Brap Brap! This is the Mazda 787B that took the win at Le Mans 24-hours in 1991.

You won’t believe it. This guy puts together a Wankel in under 5 minutes!

If you have had the opportunity to hear a rotary powered RX-series stalking you, you would definitely know it. The motors have a distinct low throaty exhaust note coupled with a high revving scream. Highly ported engines will also have lumpy idles that enthusiasts refer to as the distinct “brap brap brap”.

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon in the parking lot of Soldier Field. The hot sun had baked the tarmac dry and though the weatherman had predicted 85 degree weather, we knew it was going to be much hotter during Hot Import Nights.

The more we looked, the more we liked, we are definitely feeling the Mazda experience now, you should look too.