Rotary

You never know what's going to turn up at Jay Leno's Garage. Leno is a fan of Wankel rotary engines and has featured a couple on the show in vehicles like a Mazda Cosmo 110S and a modified 1973 RX-3. This time, though, he featured a rotary engine in something a bit more unorthodox. This 1966...

Mazda's misunderstood Wankel rotary engine is among the most respected—and maligned—powertrain designs ever, as Engineering Explained's Jason Fenske points out in this especially informative video. With his knack for making even the most complicated subjects approachable, Jason tells us...

At the recent 2015 Tokyo Motor Show, Mazda rolled out a stunning sports car concept powered by a rotary engine said to be more fuel efficient than any previous rotary design. Unfortunately, no technical details were revealed for the engine, which has adopted Mazda’s SkyActiv moniker for...

Mazda today unveiled the RX-Vision concept car at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show and it points to the return of the rotary engine. The low-slung sports car is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-seat coupe that showcases the latest version of Mazda's Kodo design language. CHECK OUT: Mercedes-Benz...

Mazda has been hinting at a new rotary for pretty much the last decade yet it seems that we’re still no closer to seeing the unique, Wankel-designed engine fitted to one of the automaker’s cars. The last rotary-powered Mazda was the RX-8, which bowed out of production back in 2012...

If Jay Leno waits around a parking lot so he can talk to you about your car, rest assured, you've done a hell of a job with it. And that's exactly what happened here. ALSO SEE: The Inner Workings Of The Turbocharger Explained: Video Leno intercepted Savant Young, the owner of this stellar 1973...

While Motor Authority has written plenty about the rotary, or Wankel, engine over the years, our stories have generally gone in two distinct directions. The first flavor cites either official sources or informed—and hopeful—speculation to debate the question of whether Mazda will ever...

What’s better than two rotors? Four! And what’s better than four rotors? SIX! DON’T MISS: Mad Mike Details His 1,200-HP 4-Rotor Miata Engine Build: Video That’s about all there is to this video of a beastly race-built six-rotor Wankel engine running on a stand. It was built...

Factory support in motorsports is a wonderful thing. Doors open up for you, money is easier to come by and, more importantly to racers, the parts start flowing like a wonderful river of power and noise. MUST SEE: Mansory Just Made Its First Good Car: A 1,000-HP Mercedes-Benz S-Class That's...

Recently, we heard Mazda was planning to launch not one but two rotary-powered sports cars within the decade. The first was to launch in 2017, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Cosmo Sport, Mazda’s first rotary-powered car, while the second was to arrive in 2020 to mark the...

While there have been plenty of reports on the potential return of a rotary-powered sports car at Mazda, the latest has got to be the most ambitious yet. Motoring claims Mazda could launch not one but two rotary sports cars within the next several years, giving the automaker a three-tiered sports...

Fans of Mazda's rotary engines are among the most vociferous advocates you'll find in the automotive world. While some will never understand the appeal of rotary engines, others love their smoothness, stratospheric rev limits, unique noise and the kudos of a Le Mans win, among other things. It's...

Back in 2011, we heard that historic British automaker Bristol Cars was working on an electric supercar capable of reaching speeds close to 200 mph. The fact that the company had declared itself insolvent only a few months prior to the supercar rumors left us with some major doubts, however. Fast...

Do you remember Rotary Supercars, the German manufacturer that was reportedly working on a supercar using a four-rotor Wankel engine? The same company that later announced a 2,800 horsepower model capable of accelerating from 0-60 mph in under one second? Despite the fact that neither car ever...

With the RX-8 bowing out of production earlier this year, Mazda is now left without a rotary engine in its lineup. The main reason for the engine’s demise are its heavy fuel consumption and subsequent high emissions, which makes it simply not viable in the current market, though Mazda remains...

Mazda will extend production of its RX-8 sports car by 1,000 units due to overwhelming demand for the special RX-8 Spirit R final edition.

The quest for improved fuel economy across the model range will have a big impact on Mazda’s future product plans, but the news isn’t all bad. First and foremost, there’s a glimmer of hope for rotary-engine fans, as Mazda remains committed to the development of a new-generation...

Mazda's next rotary engine may yet be a few years in development to meet fuel economy and emissions requirements.

Mazda has unveiled a Japan-only special edition RX-8 Spirit R to celebrate the end of production of its unique Wankel rotary powered sports car.

Despite not having finished its first over-hyped car, Rotary Supercars is now teasing a 2,800-HP, Eight-Rotor supercar capable of world-recording-breaking speeds. Call us skeptical.