![]() The rotary engine’s obituary was a bit premature, although American fans had to wait nearly 10 years to see it brought back from the dead. Production for overseas markets continued until 2002. Nearly three decades after Mazda put the rotary engine into production, the tri-lobe wonder was just about dead. It was a sad day for enthusiasts everywhere when Mazda USA dropped the car after the 1995 model year. Ordinary buyers were simply not willing to ignore comfort, no matter how much performance the car offered in return. Driving enthusiasts loved the car.īut the lack of headroom, ultra-stiff suspension, fragile engine and lofty price tag killed the car in the American market. Twin turbos, big-for the time-wheels and massive bolstered seats made for impressive acceleration and no-holds-barred lateral grip. In fact, the last iteration of the iconic sports car, known to fans as the FD, was so focused on driving performance that it discarded almost every other feature in pursuit of that goal. Mazda continued to develop the RX-7 through three generations, from the sporty but not-so-fast original car to the hardcore final model. That model alone carried the torch for the industry’s most unusual engine. ![]() While Mazda’s first rotary-powered production car was the 1967 Cosmo Sport, from 1979 through 1995 the engine was synonymous in the U.S. Instead of pistons that go up and down, the rotary uses spinning, triangle-shaped rotors to produce the four strokes of combustion. In July 1961, Mazda President Tsuneji Matsuda signed a contract to develop the company’s own version of the rotary. And while the rotary has powered some exotic machines, from rare sports cars to IMSA champions, it can also be found in something available to just about any enthusiast: the company’s RX-8 coupe. ![]() In fact, while many other marques made earlier attempts to popularize this revolutionary engine, only Mazda achieved real commercial success with it. Mazda’s association with the rotary engine dates back half a century.
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