Back when Jujiro Matsuda was still around, German engineer Felix Wankel was tinkering with internal combustion. Wankel received the patent for the rotary engine in 1929, and while at NSU, the guy completed the first working prototype in 1957.
Even though NSU Motorenwerke AG grew out of love with the rotary, Mazda secured the automaker’s blessing to design its very own Wankel engine. And thus we get to the Cosmo 110S from 1967, which boasted 110 horsepower from a 982-cc rotary with two rotors, two spark plugs per chamber, and a four-barrel carburetor.
But Mazda’s crowning achievement in terms of rotary engine development came in 1978 with the RX-7, a two-door sports car that went on to capture the imagination of people from all walks of life. Remember Dominic Toretto’s ride from The Fast and the Furious? That would be a tuned FD with the twin-turbocharged 1.3-liter.
Even though the RX-8 came along in 2003 and served its purpose until 2012 to much critical acclaim, it was more of a grand tourer than an out-and-out sports car. To this effect, Mazda enthusiasts refer to the RX-7 as the greatest rotary-engined model in the automaker’s long and illustrious history. After all, it was the RX-7 that got the ball rolling for the 787B that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans back in 1991.
The fascination of the RX-7 goes above and beyond, more so if you bear in mind the two-door coupe competed in all kinds of motorsport, including Group B rallying and the British Touring Car Championship. Through a three-minute clip published on YouTube, the Japanese automaker pays tribute to the sports car that defined the Hiroshima-based company before the MX-5 stepped onto the scene.
And you know what? Mazda isn’t giving up on the rotary. The RX-9 is just around the corner, boasting an all-new type of rotary engine. The SkyActiv-R has been detailed time and again through official releases, the RX-Vision Concept, and lots of patents, which means that it’s a matter of time until we’ll get to see it for real.
Even though Mazda’s rotary celebrated 50 years of evolution (and revolution) in 2017, the RX-9 is expected to go live in 2020 for a different reason. Less than two years from now on, Mazda will celebrate 100 years since Mr. Matsuda founded the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd. in Hiroshima, Japan.
In the photo gallery, you'll find a test mule of the newcomer.
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. Full profile
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