The rotary engine has been a Mazda staple since 1967. It powered one of the most famous and eccentric Japanese sports car line-ups, the RX-series, until 2012 when Mazda discontinued pure ...

The rotary engine was an unconventional design that delivered great power for its size. Here's what's good and bad about it.

Most car enthusiasts associate the term “rotary engine” with Felix Wankel’s invention, developed in the 1950s and most commonly associated with Mazda. However, more than half a century before the ...

IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more. This somewhat unique artifact is an ...

In a world dominated by pistons, the rotary engine was something different for motorists. It was the vision of German engineer Felix Wankel, built on the belief that the up-and-down motion of pistons ...

Developing a gasoline-powered rotary engine was a dream for Felix Wankel, and we mean that literally. Some steam engines worked on the same basic principle as far back as the 18th century, but the ...

Many Mazda employees want a new rotary sports car, and this could be the “push” the company needs, but at what cost?

The Mazda Iconic SP sports car concept was first shown at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show. The two-seater in Viola Red with 2+2 interior space was promised as a production car, similar in design, in the ...

Long before Felix Wankel became synonymous with rotary engines, an inventive Hungarian-American engineer named Stephen M. Balzer secured one of the earliest patents for a rotary-powered automobile on ...

Power rating: 96.9 kW(130 hp) at 1,250 rpm Displacement: 16.3 L (992 cu in.) Bore and Stroke: 120 mm (4.7 in.) x 160 mm (6.3 in.) Engineering inventor Pierre Clerget and industrialist Eugene Blin ...