The Wankel rotary engine was not a novel idea when Mazda integrated it into their vehicles. The concept was initially developed by a German inventor named Felix Wankel nearly 38 years before Mazda introduced its first car featuring this engine. Following the issuance of the patent in 1929, Wankel didn’t start refining the rotary design until he began working at NSU Motorenwerke AG in 1950. This company later became part of Volkswagen and was rebranded as Audi after a merger. The first functioning prototype of the rotary engine emerged in 1957, and Mazda obtained the license for its use in 1961.
On May 30, 1967, a Tuesday morning, Mazda launched its first rotary-powered sports car in Japan. The Mazda Cosmo Sport not only marked the debut of the twin-rotor, rotary-powered vehicle but also represented Mazda’s first genuine sports car. Until then, Mazda had primarily produced standard sedans, making their entry into the sports car market an exciting venture, especially with a completely new powertrain. Over the next five years, a total of 1,176 Cosmo Sports were manufactured and sold.
However, the journey to perfecting the rotary engine for market release was not without challenges. The first prototype seized within its first hour of operation, prompting Mazda to take measures to ensure the creation of a practical and dependable platform utilizing this relatively untested technology. Mazda formed a dedicated team of 47 engineers, affectionately known as the “47 Samurai,” inspired by the historical Akō vendetta of 1702, where a group of samurai avenged their master’s death. This team tirelessly addressed numerous sealing and oiling issues associated with the rotary engine, eventually resulting in a commercially viable platform.
In the following years, Mazda launched several other rotary-powered vehicles, including the R100, RX-2, RX-3, and RX-4, as well as a pickup truck and even a 26-passenger bus. A notable accomplishment for Mazda is that it remains the only Japanese car manufacturer to win the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans race. This honor was achieved in 1991 with the four-rotor 787B, just one year before the race organization prohibited rotary engines in 1992.
Many car enthusiasts recognize the Wankel rotary engines through the Mazda RX-7 and RX-8 models sold in the United States. These compact engines were chosen for their lightweight and small size. For reference, an entire Mazda 13B Renesis engine with all accessories, minus fluids, weighs just 210 pounds. In terms of size, this engine measures approximately 21 inches in length, 12 inches in width, and 17 inches in height. Throughout its history, Mazda produced a cumulative total of 1.99 million rotary-powered vehicles before the RX-8 marked the end of rotary engines in Mazdas in 2012.
Today, the role of rotary engines in modern applications has shifted significantly. While they were once renowned for their power in traditional vehicles, Mazda has repurposed them as range extenders for hybrid models. Although this change reflects a departure from the company’s original vision of the rotary-powered RX series, Mazda remains committed to innovation, emphasizing their belief that they “will never stop challenging.”
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