Sad news from Japan last week came with confirmation that the Renown apparel company had filed for bankruptcy protection after suffering a catastrophic reduction in demand in the wake of the COVID19 crisis.
Whilst most readers here maybe only very peripherally interested in the corporate conclusion of a near 120-year-old Japanese fashion house that interest might be just slightly enhanced by the image above.
Renown were the backers for several Mazda factory motorsport efforts in the 1980s and 1990s, including the brand’s famous win in 1991 at Le Mans with the 787B, indeed the rights to the iconic orange and green livery design are still held, not by Mazda, but by Renown!
Subsequent outings for the livery, whether in racing or, occasionally, on limited edition road cars, was always done under license to Renown. Above the factory Lola Mazda at Watkins Glen in 2016, below the Murikami Motors MX5 at last year’s Fuji 24 Hours and below one of a trio of Mazda UK-entered RX8s from the 2008 Britcar 24 Hours
Whilst hoping that Renown finds a way back from the brink, they certainly have one, rather odd, asset, that will surely live on?
By coincidence, yesterday saw the release of this cool little video celebrating some of the cars and colours that raced with and brought success to Mazda.
