The glorious history of rotary-engined Mazdas

Curious to say the least, but never, ever boring

5 October 2017

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2017 marks 50 years since Mazda launched its first car with rotary power.

Mazda wasn’t the first manufacturer to offer a rotary-engined car; that title falls to NSU, with its Spider of 1964.

But Mazda does have the honour of making far more rotary-engined cars than anybody else, the company sticking with the technology for decades after everybody else had given up.

But it’s already five years since it built its last. The question is – have we seen the last of rotary engines in production cars, or does the technology have a future?
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What is a rotary engine?

Here's the science bit - we promise to be quick. Felix Wankel (1902-88, pictured) first devised the rotary engine for cars in the 1920s. In a 'normal engine', the cylinder does four different jobs: intake, compression, combustion and exhaust.

A rotary engine does the same four jobs, but each one happens in its own part of the cylinder housing. It's like having a dedicated cylinder for each of the four jobs, with the piston moving continually from one task to the next.

Advantages include smoothness, a small - and thus light - engine can generate much more power, and higher possible revs. Disadvantages include high fuel and oil consumption, high emissions, and, in practice if not theory, unreliability. Lesson over, let's get on with the cars...
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Mazda Cosmo 110 S (1967)

This is where it all started; a sleek coupé that featured the world’s first two-rotor Wankel engine. Between 1967 and 1972 just 1,519 examples of the 110 S were built; mint examples can now command £100,000 (US$130,000).
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Mazda R100 (1968)

Mazda had introduced the Familia in its home market in 1963, but by 1967 there was a new model and within a year a rotary engine had been added to the options list. Sometimes known as the Familia Presto Rotary, in most markets this compact saloon and coupé was known simply as the R100. It became the first Mazda to be sold in the USA in 1971, and proved popular; total US annual Mazda sales hit 120,000 in 1973.
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Mazda RX-500 (1970)

Surprisingly few of Mazda’s many concept cars over the years have been fitted with a rotary engine but this one was. The single-rotor unit was mounted in the middle of the car and was at 247bhp, so it should have given the 850kg coupé a decent turn of speed.
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Mazda R100 advert (1971)

Japanese cars were a rarity in the UK when Autocar published this advert in 1971 – and ones with a rotary engine were even rarer. The R100 was the first Wankel-engined car to be sold in the UK.
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Mazda Luce R130 (1969)

Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro when he was working for Bertone, the Luce made its debut in 1966 but there wouldn’t be a Wankel-engined version until 1969, when the R130 coupé went on sale. Lasting until 1972, this was the one-and-only front-wheel drive Mazda to feature a rotary engine.
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Mazda RX-2 (1970)

Japanese buyers knew it as the Capella but in other markets Mazda generally marketed this compact family saloon and coupé as the RX-2. But just to confuse things, it was sometimes fitted with 616 or 618 badges; they didn’t like to make it easy for rotary spotters.
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Mazda RX-3 (1971)

Mazda had a habit of offering rotary versions of its regular models, with just a minor design change to distinguish the two. The RX-3 is a typical example; sold in Japan as the Savanna there was also a piston-engined edition called the Grand Familia, which was also marketed as the 808 or 818 in export markets. Production ran until 1978. It was a notably strong-seller in America.
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Mazda RX-4 (1972)

Taking over where the Luce R130 left off, the RX-4 was offered in coupé, saloon and estate guises until its demise in 1979. The car proved popular in Japan because of its tiny displacement (1308cc), but as typical with rotary engines the fuel consumption was heavy.
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Mazda Cosmo CD (1975)

Sold as the Cosmo in Japan but generally as the RX-5 in export markets, this smartly styled coupé also came with a piston engine option; its predecessor the Cosmo 110 S had been offered only with rotary power. Production ran until 1981.
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Mazda Roadpacer (1975)

Take one Holden Premier from Australia, remove its engine to fit an underpowered Wankel engine in the nose – and voila! A recipe for disaster. Just 800 examples of the Roadpacer were made between 1975 and 1977; it’s the only General Motors production car to be fitted with a rotary engine.
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Mazda RX-7 Mk1 (1978)

By the time the original RX-7 appeared everybody else had given up on Wankel engines and even Mazda’s own rotary range had shrunk. Between 1978 and 1985 almost half a million first-generation RX-7s were made.
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Mazda RX-7 Mk1

This diagram shows why the rotary engine gave Mazda an edge with the RX-7. Not only was it light and very smooth but its very compact dimensions meant it could sit well back in the engine bay to help improve weight distribution.
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Mazda RX-7 Mk1

This is the witchcraft that’s happening under the bonnet of a Mk1 RX-7. Because of the way the displacement is calculated a rotary engine has a small capacity for the power it can generate; this one is rated at just 1,146cc yet it can put out just over 100bhp - getting that much power from such a small engine was totally unheard of at the time.
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Mazda RX-7 Elford Turbo (1980)

Mazda offered its own turbocharged version of the Mk1 RX-7 from 1983. Offered only for the home market, the car came three years after British former Formula 1 driver Vic Elford introduced his own aftermarket conversion which put out around 165bhp – which was pretty impressive considering the standard car had only about 100bhp on tap.
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Mazda RX-7 advert (1981)

The RX-7 was one smooth operator and to get that point across Mazda created a whole advertising campaign around the fact.
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Mazda RX-7 racer (1981)

With its rotary engine the RX-7 had an undeserved reputation for fragility, which Mazda did its best to counter with lots of racing exploits. The company tackled the Le Mans 24 Hours (unsuccessfully), the IMSA GTU series (more successfully) along with the British Touring Car Championship and the Australian Touring Car Championship (both with some success).
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Mazda RX-7 rally car (1981)

Keen to prove the RX-7’s durability, Mazda also entered it into the World Rally Championship in 1981. Entered in the Group A class, just as the RX-7 was finding its feet Group B came along and stole all the limelight.
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Mazda Cosmo HB (1981)

The first car to be offered with petrol, diesel and rotary engines, the third-generation Cosmo shared the 929’s platform and came in coupé as well as saloon forms. The only Cosmo to be fitted with pop-up headlights, the HB remained in production until 1989.
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Mazda Luce HB (1981)

Selling alongside the Cosmo was this fabulously anonymous saloon, sold as the Luce in Mazda’s domestic market but as the 929 elsewhere. Have any of these brilliantly boxy saloons survived? Don't bother looking for one in America - it was never sold there.
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Mazda MX-03 (1985)

A proper, old-school concept, the MX-03 offered a glimpse of the future with its head-up display, digital readouts and fighter jet-style steering wheel. With its triple-rotor engine the MX-03 was capable of 186mph while it packed four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering so it could be kept on the road at high speeds.
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Mazda RX-7 Mk2 (1986)

There had been three series of Mk1 RX-7, which was codenamed the FB by the factory. In 1986 came the sequel; the Mk2 which unofficially carried the FC tag. Clearly inspired by the Porsche 944, RX-7 v2.0 came in naturally aspirated or turbocharged forms and was more of a grand tourer than its predecessor.
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Mazda RX-7 Mk2 advert

If you’re an RX-7 fan the chances are that you remember this advert, spelling out how and why the second-generation car was so talented dynamically, even if ultimately it was rather unsatisfying.
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Mazda RX-7 Mk2 advert

We reckon this earlier advert is better because it makes no bones about which car maker was firmly in the sights of Mazda, as if the RX-7’s design wasn’t enough of a clue. And just for good measure there are even references to contemporary cars from Ferrari and Lamborghini. Cheeky.
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Mazda 757 (1986)

In 1982 Mazda produced a Group C Junior racer in the form of the 717C and entered it into the 1983 Le Mans 24 Hours with moderate success. The trick was repeated in 1985 with a pair of 737Cs then in 1986 another updated car was wheeled out; the 757. While the earlier cars had featured a two-rotor engine, the 757 had a triple-rotor unit.
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Mazda 767 (1988)

Taking over where the 757 left off, the 767 was fitted with a four-rotor engine rated at almost 600bhp. Two examples were entered in the 1988 Le Mans 24 Hours but managed just 17th and 19th. Mazda returned with two updated cars the next year – the 767B – and this time they came 7th and 9th.
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Mazda RX-7 convertible (1988)

Of the three generations of RX-7, only the one in the middle came with a drop-top option. At first it came in normally aspirated form only, but it didn’t take long for a turbocharged version to reach showrooms.
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Mazda Cosmo JC (1990)

The only Mazda to be fitted with a triple-rotor engine, the fourth-generation Cosmo came only as a coupé with a four-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission. This car was a true pioneer as it was the world’s first to feature factory-fit sat-nav as well as touch-screen multi-media to control a TV, telephone and the climate control functions.
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Mazda 787B 1991 (1991)

If the 787B wasn’t going to convince car buyer’s of a Wankel engine’s durability, nothing would. Outright winner of the 1991 Le Mans 24 Hours, the 787B is the only car ever to win there which didn't feature a conventional piston engine.
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Mazda RX-7 Mk3 (1992)

The RX-7 really grew up with the arrival of the FD generation. Voluptuous curves, a twin-turbo engine for all models and at least 252bhp (later cars got 276bhp) meant the final iteration of the RX-7 was as sensational to drive as it was to look at.
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Mazda RX-7 Mk3 advert (1992)

It didn’t take Mazda long to capitalise on its Le Mans success, by making a link in its advertising with its recently unveiled new rotary-powered sportscar, the third-generation RX-7.
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Mazda RX-01 (1995)

Almost two decades after the RX-7 had first appeared it had become large and costly. The idea of the RX-01 was to create a compact, affordable sports car and it featured a new rotary engine. Enthusiasts really wanted the concept to make production but Mazda couldn’t afford to develop it, knowing that it would only ever be a niche product.
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Mazda RX-Evolve (2000)

When the RX-Evolve concept was unveiled at the 2000 Detroit auto show, many assumed that if Mazda was to build it, the design would be massively watered down. After all, those ‘Freestyle’ rear doors could never make production, could they?
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Mazda RX-8 concept (2001)

A year after the RX-Evolve concept was shown, the RX-8 concept made its first appearance. The nose was redesigned so headlights could be accommodated but most other things were carried over, including the new Renesis engine that sat far back in the engine bay to give a more even weight distribution.
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Mazda Mazda RX-8 (2003)

Looking very much like the concept car that had made an appearance two years earlier, the showroom-ready RX-8 was an affordable rear-wheel drive four-door coupé with an engine that would rev to 10,000rpm. With room for the family and drop-dead looks there was plenty to like.
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Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen (2003)

Proving just how versatile the rotary engine can be, Mazda unveiled a hydrogen-powered version of the RX-8. It wasn’t available in showrooms though; it could only be leased by corporate customers and just a handful were made.
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Mazda Taiki (2007)

One of the most arresting concept cars ever created, the Taiki featured a Renesis engine borrowed from the RX-8, mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. With a CD of 0.25 it was super-slippery, although practicality had to take a back seat – not that there were any of those fitted.
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Mazda Furai (2008)

The fifth and final concept car in Mazda’s Nagare series, the Furai was a fully driveable concept that was unveiled at the 2008 Detroit motor show. As with the other cars in the series the Furai looked fabulous – until it was destroyed by a fire just a few months after it had made its debut.
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Mazda RX-Vision (2015)

Stricter emissions laws brought RX-8 production to an end in 2012, and many thought Mazda might have turned its back on the rotary engine for good. Then it showed this at the 2015 Tokyo motor show – a gorgeous two-seater rear-wheel drive coupé with a Skyactiv-R Wankel engine. There’s speculation that it might reach showrooms wearing RX-9 badges, but we’ve yet to see any firm evidence.

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