This is Mazda's amazing 600bhp IMSA racer

Ladies and gentlemen, please be upstanding for the Mazda RT24-P. No, not a prototype washing machine, but in fact a prototype racing car, all set for the IMSA championship in 2017. And it is excellent.

Partly because it boasts a 600bhp engine (a 2.0-litre four cylinder used in the 2016 IMSA championship), and partly because, well, it looks a bit fantastic. Yes, you get a lot of spiel about "the soul of motion" design philosophy that Mazda is executing currently, but it has been executed to great effect here. 

Adhering to the oft-quoted notion that 'if it looks fast, it probably is fast', senior Mazda designer Ken Saward said: “We discovered that applying the KODO design philosophy to the surfaces and the silhouette of the car enabled us to create a dynamic, purposeful-looking design and a very aerodynamically efficient one.”

Two Mazda RT24-Ps will be fielded in 2017, by SpeedSource Race Engineering. It all sits on something called a 'Riley Mk.30 chassis', developed by - surprise - Riley Technologies and Multimac. Riley, we're reliably informed, apparently has 99 race wins and nine prototype season championships to its name in American endurance racing. So, a bit of knowledge there.

But it's all about the looks right now. “This is a huge moment for Mazda Motorsports and the entire Mazda family,” explains Mazda Motorsports' John Doonan. “To have a car which features Mazda design language at the top level of our motorsports programme is meaningful for us as a brand. We believe we have the right team, the right drivers and the right chassis to win races and championships."

Looks good - and fast - no?