Mazda rotary engine is 40 years old

The first Mazda rotary engine in 1967

40 years have passed since Mazda began selling its first rotary engine-powered car and in that time, approximately 1,970,000 rotary vehicles have been produced. Mazda remains the only carmaker that was loyal to the rotary engine although many had taken licenses in the late 1950s but did not commercialise the engine for use in their vehicles.

The main reason for other carmakers discontinuing their efforts was because they were unable to surmount the formidable technical challenges inherent to the design of the rotary engine (RE). Mazda alone persevered, eventually overcoming these obstacles and successfully achieved RE mass production.

Cosmo Sport

Mazda’s first commercially available model, the Cosmo Sport, was also the world’s first dual-rotor RE car. Following this were other RE models which were based on new models which also had conventional 4-stroke petrol engines, such as the Capella and 808 (Savannah in Japan).

With its high output from a small displacement, it was not unexpected that Mazda would use RE cars for motorsports and began racing these engines as early as 1968. The cars proved impressive as they could challenge those with bigger petrol engines. Older readers will remember how the Capella RE driven by people like YS Khong and William Mei could match the Alfa Romeos at the Batu Tiga circuit as the output from their 1.2 litre engines was compared to that of the 2.0-litre engines (the RE, though having 1.2 litres was classified in the 2-litre category).

In 1991, the Mazda 787B made rotary engine history when it became the only Japanese car ever to claim victory at the Le Mans 24-hour endurance race. Additionally, with over 100 wins in both the touring car series in Japan and in the International Motor Sports Association series in the United States, RE-equipped racecars have enjoyed a record of success.

Capella RE was a familiar sight on Malaysian racetracks in 1970s as it could challenge the Alfa Romeos

Over the decades, Mazda has continued to improve the RE and even though the fuel crises of the 1970s almost killed it because its high fuel consumption was a major drawback, Mazda nevertheless maintained production. The RE still consumes more petrol than a conventional engine but today’s RE is more efficient and more advanced too and this has been addresses in a small way.

The RX-8 launched in April 2003 is powered by the new generation, naturally-aspirated RENESIS rotary engine, which is more compact, powerful and environmentally-friendly than its predecessors. Currently, Mazda is advancing with its development of a hydrogen RE, which emits no carbon dioxide. Development of the hydrogen RE started in 1991 and has thus far resulted in the RX-8 Hydrogen RE, which in February 2006 became the world’s first hydrogen RE vehicle to be commercially leased. Currently, seven hydrogen RE vehicles are on the road in Japan under commercial lease.