On May 30, 1967, Mazda sold their first dual-rotor RE car, the Cosmo Sport. While not the very first rotary-powered car (that was the NSU Wankel Spider in 1964), it was the first rotary-powered car ushered in rotary engines for the masses.
Well, somewhat small masses, but masses nonetheless... Think of this Mazda rotary as sort of the Model T of rotary-powered cars, in that Mazdaâunlike NSUâwas able to move this engine concept beyond that of being a mere engineering oddity into something that had a real-world application, and that many could benefit from...
ateixeira says:
07:18 AM, 05/31/07
I wish they'd develop the current engine further. While loads of fun, it has many flaws: oil consumption, poor fuel efficiency, and a lack of torque. I think the last generation turbo rotarys were more advanced in many ways.
carlisimo says:
11:11 AM, 05/31/07
Go rotary! It makes me want to root for hydrogen engines... I wonder if they're working with BMW at all on some of the logistics, though their engines will obviously be very different.
I love how they can make a small car like the RX-8 have a great rear seat despite RWD and a 50-50 weight distribution. Huge difference between it and the 3-series in that respect. The heat makes turbocharging a challenge though, and there isn't much room under the hood. But they're working on a successor...
estreka says:
11:55 AM, 05/31/07
Despite the meager success of the RX-8, I still think the 3G RX-7 was the best rotary ever made.
bbechtel16 says:
01:13 PM, 06/ 5/07
I think they need to turbo charge the rotary again. Currently the fuel consumption is high and the performance for the class is mediocre. If they turbocharged it, the performance could be class leading, and everyone would forget about the dismal fuel economy. Sounds good in theory right?