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Kenichi Yamamoto, Father Of The Mazda Rotary Engine, Passes Away At 95

Not to be confused with the martial artist, yakuza, or cross country skier, Kenichi Yamamoto is the (adoptive) father of the rotary engine. The genius engineer who headed the fabled group known as 47 Ronin, Kenichi convinced Mazda to try its hands at perfecting the Wankel engine from the ‘60s to this very day.
Kenichi Yamamoto 7 photos
Photo: Mazda
Kenichi YamamotoKenichi YamamotoKenichi YamamotoKenichi YamamotoKenichi YamamotoKenichi Yamamoto
The brilliant mastermind who went on to become president and chairman of Mazda in the 1980s passed away on the night of December 20, 2017. Yamamoto was 95. Kenichi served in the Japanese Navy after graduating from the University of Tokyo with a degree in mechanical engineering.

Yamamoto cut his teeth with the Kawanishi Aircraft Company, and upon returning to a devastated Hiroshima, Kenichi barely found work at the Toyo Kogyo transmission factory in 1945. You know, the company that started as a cork manufacturer, expanded to machine tools, weapons, commercial vehicles, and passenger cars. Toyo Kogyo adopted the Mazda name in '84, but the first Mazda to be called as such is a three-wheel truck from '31.

In the early ‘60s, Mazda entered a partnership with NSU, and as part of the deal, the German automaker allowed the Japanese partner to develop the Wankel engine. Yamamoto was the guy charged with the project, and in 1963, Kenichi’s team completed the first prototypes of the Cosmo Sport.

Series production started in 1967, and the rest is history. The RX-7 and the RX-8 carried that legacy, and with the RX-9, the rotary engine will enter the 2020s in grand style. His obsession with the Wankel school of thought helped Yamamoto rise up the ranks, becoming research and development chief in the late 1970s. When he held the title of president, Yamamoto was directly responsible for the R&D project from which the MX-5 Miata came to be.

Last, but certainly not least, it’s Kenichi that decided to pour a lot of money in motorsport-related projects, helping the Mazda 787B racing car secure the outright victory at Le Mans in 1991. This fellow here, ladies and gentleman, is the man who gave Mazda its character, the guy who paved the way to the upcoming generation of SkyActiv-X and SkyActiv-R powertrains.

Dearest sir, thank you for your service, and God bless!
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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