You can’t talk about the history of the Japanese sportscar without thinking of what Mazda has done. America has the Corvette, with its V8 motor, but Japan has something altogether smaller, powered by a rotary engine.
Sadly, the Wankel-engine Mazda died with the RX-8, which went out of production earlier this year. But in five years time, the engine will come back to life in a car built to celebrate the 50th anniversary of this design.
Jay Leno has a strong passion for Japanese cars, and he actually owns a first generation Wankel engined sportscar, the Cosmo. It’s a JDM car with the steering wheel on the right that belonged to a US military pilot station overseas.
The old engine was thrown out and the put in a new 200 horsepower unit. They also had to install custom exhaust, transmission, cooling and fueling system. The Cosmo is well equipped for the day and came with styling that remind us of the Miura.
Jay say there Cosmos are much better than the MGs and other small sportscars of its time. This Mazda is a true Japanese classic.
Jay Leno has a strong passion for Japanese cars, and he actually owns a first generation Wankel engined sportscar, the Cosmo. It’s a JDM car with the steering wheel on the right that belonged to a US military pilot station overseas.
The old engine was thrown out and the put in a new 200 horsepower unit. They also had to install custom exhaust, transmission, cooling and fueling system. The Cosmo is well equipped for the day and came with styling that remind us of the Miura.
Jay say there Cosmos are much better than the MGs and other small sportscars of its time. This Mazda is a true Japanese classic.