In 2007, Mazda design team set out to work on a series of concept vehicles that were meant to illustrate Mazda's corporate philosophy. One aspect of this project was the idea of "bringing to life" one of these concept cars to show the world that great designs could be brought forward from paper, to concept, to completion. During the development of the Furai concept race vehicle, Mazda approached Racing Beat with the request to build a ethanol-powered 3-rotor peripheral port intake engine for use in the vehicle. In mid-2007, this engine was assembled, tested, and installed into the Furai vehicle by Racing Beat. Jim Mederer, Racing Beat's cofounder and chief engineer, oversaw this engine project from inception to completion. Jim's signature touch was the design and hand-fabrication of the rotary-shaped muffler canister that was included on the Furai concept vehicle.http://www.racingbeat.com/mazda/performance/projects/mazda-furai.html