Rotary

  • Rotary-powered 1966 Volkswagen Beetle on Jay Leno's Garage

    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 Volkswagen Beetle is unlike any other and, no, we're not talking about the racing stripe and bright blue paint. It's powered by a turbocharged rotary engine out of a 1990 Mazda RX-7. Coupled to a modified version of the Beetle's original transmission. It was built by Mario Markakis who claims the rotary...

  • Four reasons why the rotary engine is currently dead
    Four reasons why the rotary engine is currently dead

    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...

  • Mazda RX-Vision concept, 2015 Tokyo Motor Show
    Mazda’s New Rotary To Arrive With Turbocharging, Not Electrification: Report

    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 RX-Vision concept, 2015 Tokyo Motor Show
    Mazda RX-Vision concept hints at next rotary engine

    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...

  • Teaser for new Mazda sports car concept debuting at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show
    Mazda Confirms Development Of New Rotary, Will Preview It In Tokyo Concept

    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...

  • Teaser for new Mazda sports car concept debuting at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show
    Mazda Teases New Sports Car Concept Ahead Of 2015 Tokyo Motor Show

    Mazda may be close to confirming plans for an all-new, rotary-powered sports car to fill the void left by the RX-8 which bowed out of production in 2012. The Japanese automaker today released a single teaser shot of a new sports car concept that makes its debut late next month at the 2015 Tokyo...

  • Jay Leno Drives RX-7-Powered 1973 Mazda RX3

    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 Mazda RX-3, outside the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. There, the famous gearhead learned that while the gorgeous gray coupe sports a rotary engine, the original mill has been swapped in favor of a unit from a second generation RX-7. Extensive mods, including a bridge-ported intake, mean the...

  • Rotary Engine Explained
    The Rotary Engine's Inner Mysteries Explained: Video

    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...

  • Six-rotor race engine spits flames
    This 6-Rotor Wankel Is The Soundtrack Of Hell

    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...

  • Mad Mike Mazda Drift Car
    Mad Mike Details His 1,200-HP 4-Rotor Miata Engine Build: Video

    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...

  • 1999 Mazda RX-7
    Report: Mazda rotary sports car concept coming in 2017, production version in 2020

    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...

  • 1999 Mazda RX-7
    No New RX Sports Car Without A Rotary, Says Mazda Design Chief

    There are probably few cars hinted at more via official channels than a new generation of the Mazda RX-7, but despite the rumors going back more than half a decade it feels like we’re still no closer to ever seeing a new rotary-powered sports car being launched by Mazda. The last we heard is...

  • 1999 Mazda RX-7

    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 car lineup (when you include the MX-5 Miata) that could rival similar sports car lineups talked about by the likes of Honda, Nissan and Toyota. The Australian publication is reporting that Mazda’s recent record profit ($1.88 billion for the year ending March 31, 2014) will be used to boost...

  • Mazda rotary engine
    Mazda's Rotary Engine Could Live On... In Electric Cars?

    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...

  • Frazer-Nash Namir concept car
    Britain’s Bristol Cars To Finally Unveil Electric Supercar: Report

    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...

  • Rotary Supercars' latest teaser
    Update: Rotary Supercars Reveals Details On New Project

    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...

  • 1999 Mazda RX-7
    Report: New Mazda RX-7 to coincide with Cosmo’s 50th anniversary

    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...

  • Rotary engine
    Mazda Rotary Ends Production, May Return As Hydrogen Range-Extender

    The last rotary-powered car from Mazda rolled off its production line in Japan on Friday, a 2011 Mazda RX-8 Spirit R sold only in the Japanese domestic market. With no successor confirmed, we may never see a rotary engine in a production car ever again, though those at Mazda certainly don’t...

  • 2011 Mazda RX-8 Spirit R

    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.

  • Mazda SKYACTIV-G 1.3 direct-injection gasoline engine
    Mazda Future Powertrain Plans Detailed

    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...

  • Rotary engine
    Mazda Working On New Rotary Engine With Skyactiv Tech?

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

  • 2011 Mazda RX-8 Spirit R
    Mazda Sending Out RX-8 With Special Edition Spirit R

    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.

  • Rotary Supercars Teaser
    Rotary Supercars Promises 2,800 Horses, 1-Second Acceleration And 280 MPH

    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.

  • 2010 Mazda RX-8
    Mazda Ends RX-8 Production, No Rotary Successor In Sight

    Mazda has reportedly ceased production of its RX-8 sports car, the only rotary-powered vehicle currently on the market, and possibly the last. The reason is due to falling sales and an inability to meet toughening emissions and fuel economy regulations all around the world. Last year Mazda only...

Follow Us on Instagram @motorauthority

News First Drives Auto Shows Photos Videos Spy Shots