Celebrating five decades of Wankel with five historic Mazdas

Celebrating five decades of Wankel with five historic Mazdas

On May 30, 2017, Mazda celebrates 50 years since the launch of its first production rotary engine. Rotary engines aren’t unique to Mazda, but more than any other automaker, Mazda is synonymous with the technology.

Mazda’s history with the rotary goes back to the early 1960s when it licensed Wankel technology from West German automaker NSU, now part of Audi. Created by Felix Wankel in the early ’50s, the rotary engine is an internal combustion engine that uses reciprocating rotors instead of pistons to power a car. The advantages of a rotary over a piston engine are its compact size, light weight, and high power for its size. Some disadvantages are increased oil consumption, decreased fuel economy compared to similarly sized piston engines, and that they run most reliably and efficiently if held at a constant rpm.

Back in the early ’60s, Mazda, one of the smallest Japanese automakers, had to make a choice: revolutionize or die. The Japanese government was pushing Mazda to consolidate with another Japanese automaker. In order to avoid that fate, the automaker had to come up with a unique proprietary technology to help make it viable. It chose the Wankel rotary engine.

After a few years of development, Mazda was happy enough with its progress to release its first production rotary, the 0810 in the 1967 Mazda Cosmo Sport 110S, 50 years ago. To celebrate that iconic first rotary engine, Mazda was kind enough to open up its basement garage to us and let us sample five rotary-powered Mazdas—each representing a different decade of the rotary—starting with that special 1967 Cosmo.

1967 Mazda Cosmo Sport 110S: 110-hp 1.2-liter two-rotor Wankel

The Mazda Cosmo Sport 110S represents two big firsts for Mazda—it was the automaker’s first rotary-engined car and its first sports car. Previously known only for passenger cars and pickups, the Cosmo Sport was the first in a long line of legendary sports cars from Mazda; we have this car to thank for the future RX-7s, RX-8s, and Miatas.

Although never officially sold in the United States, this particular car has a pretty fascinating backstory beyond being the very first rotary-powered Mazda on North American roads. This Cosmo was shipped from Japan to Woodridge, New Jersey, in November 1967 to Curtiss-Wright. Probably best known for building P-40 Warhawk fighters in World War II, the airplane manufacturer was hoping it could engineer its own rotary engines for general aviation airplanes and bought the Cosmo Sport to study the engineering behind its engine. In 2007, Mazda bought this right-hand-drive car to celebrate 40 years of rotary and shipped it west to its North American headquarters in Irvine, California.

Mazda’s ’67 Cosmo Sport is not only rare on American roads (it’s believed that there are only about two or three in the U.S..), but it’s also rare, period—the automaker only made 343 of these early short-wheelbase Series 1 Cosmo Sports before shifting production to a long-wheelbase version in July 1968.

1978 Mazda REPU: 130-hp 1.3-liter two-rotor Wankel

The Mazda REPU is a special truck, and one I’ve been scouring Craigslist for since I drove it. Short for “Rotary Engine Pick Up,” the Mazda REPU was just that—a version of the automaker’s B1600 pickup for North America with the rotary engine from an RX-4. The REPU was designed to be a tool, yes, but it was also designed to inject some sportiness into the Mazda lineup. Its 130-hp 1.3-liter two-rotor engine had nearly 50 horsepower more than the comparable Chevrolet LUV or Dodge Ram 50 of the day, and Mazda sought to improve handling by moving the battery from under the hood to under the bed, among other things.

Mazda’s 1978 REPU is a vehicle Motor Trend is pretty familiar with, having driven it on the 2016 Touge California rally last year. It’s been modified slightly; it’s got a Racing Beat exhaust, which is a fair bit louder than stock, and it’s had its stock four-speed manual replaced by a five-speed manual from an RX-7. (Later REPUs actually came from with a five-speed from the factory).

It’s amazing to me how small compact pickups used to be; a new Mazda3 hatchback absolutely towers over the REPU and can probably haul just as much inside, but it has nothing on the REPU’s personality.

1988 Mazda RX-7 Turbo II 10th Anniversary Edition: 182-hp 1.3-liter turbocharged two-rotor Wankel

The Mazda RX-7 Turbo II 10th Anniversary Edition celebrates just that, 10 years of the legendary RX-7 sports car. The RX-7 first appeared in 1978, with the second generation making its debut in 1985 and winning Motor Trend Import Car of the Year in 1986.

The second-gen car—like my lunchtime date, this 1988 RX-7 Turbo II 10th Anniversary Edition—was designed to compete head to head with sports cars of the day such as the Porsche 944. Its 13B 1.3-liter turbocharged two-rotor engine made 182 hp, a good 36 horsepower bump over the base naturally aspirated RX-7. A 1989 revision would boost power even further to an even 200 hp.

1993 Mazda RX-7: 255-hp 1.3-liter twin-turbo two-rotor Wankel

To those who grew up playing racing video games such as Gran Turismo, the third-generation Mazda RX-7 is the car that cemented the RX’s legacy. I mean, look at it! Even 25 years after the “FD” RX-7 went into production in 1992, it’s still beautiful to look at.

In many ways the third-gen RX-7, like the 1993 model in Mazda’s collection, represents the pinnacle of rotary development in production cars. An evolution over the second-gen RX-7’s engine, the RX-7 featured 1.3-liter twin-turbo two-rotor Wankel that produced 255 hp at 6,500 rpm in early versions like this clean, white 1993 model. After the RX-7 exited the U.S. in 1995, it produced as much as 280 hp in the final years of its production run. Torque peaks at 217 lb-ft at 5,000 rpm.

Many early ’90s Japanese sports cars were complicated and technologically advanced for their day. The RX-7 was no exception. Its twin-turbochargers worked sequentially; the first spools up immediately, building power as the engine revs, and the second turbo comes online about halfway up the 9,000-rpm tach, supplying the two-rotor with about 10 psi of boost. The RX-7 also featured a Torsen limited-slip diff from the factory, one of the first street applications of the technology.

2011 Mazda RX-8 LM20: 230-hp 1.3-liter two-rotor Wankel

The Mazda RX-8 has been out of production for six years, and this exact 2011 Mazda RX-8 LM20—a special edition celebrating 20 years since Mazda’s 1991 Le Mans victory—is the last rotary-engined car Mazda ever brought into the United States. That makes it a fitting bookend for the day.

In retrospect, the RX-8 appears to have been an attempt by Mazda to grow with RX-7 buyers. It had two main doors, two suicide-swinging clamshell doors, like an extended-cab pickup, and a child-friendly back seat. The twin-turbos from the RX-7 were gone, and in its place the RX-8 featured a 1.3-liter naturally aspirated two-rotor engine good for 230 hp and 159 lb-ft of torque, with a tach reading to sky-high 10,000 rpm. It was available with an automatic transmission, but a six-speed manual is the only transmission that’s worth mentioning.

Compared to the insanity that was the twin-turbo RX-7, the RX-8 is a much more relaxed, sedate car. There’s no power down low, but like all good naturally aspirated cars, the RX-8 is a treat to work high. No wonder fuel economy was so abysmal. Still, despite the Mazda’s inherent balance, good shifter, and fun engine, there’s no hiding the fact that it’s slow for a sports car (a 2004 model we tested went from 0 to 60 mph in 6.4 seconds) and swills gasoline at the same rate as a comparable V-8-powered muscle car. I thoroughly enjoyed driving the RX-8 because it’s a sweet, special car, but at the same time I completely get why it’s no longer with us today.

The Future

Rotaries were left in a good place when the RX-8 went out of production. Still, the RX-8’s 1.3-liter two-rotor consuming 16/22/18 mpg city/highway/combined on the EPA cycle and its equal thirst for oil made discontinuing the rotary a sound business decision in 2011.

But Mazda has never fully abandoned the Wankel engine. In 2012 it started testing Demio RE EVs—Mazda2 in the U.S.—powered by a front-mounted electric motor and batteries but backed up by a teeny trunk-mounted rotary range extender, which gave the car nearly 250 miles of range. More recently, the Mazda RX-Vision concept from the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show teased an RX-7 successor powered by a new-generation SkyActiv-R rotary engine. Since then, patent drawings have emerged showcasing a new generation of rotary engine, though Mazda has remained mum on what it plans to do with it.

When asked directly, Mazda reps admit that the future of the rotary engine is muddied by internal politics, but a small, extraordinarily dedicated team is hard at work in Japan keeping the dream spinning. With Mazda’s 100-year anniversary fast approaching in 2020, I can think of no better way to celebrate than with a rebirth of the engine that 50 years ago kept Mazda alive.