Which Cars Use Rotary Engines?

Rotary engines are a type of internal combustion engine that uses a triangular rotor instead of a piston to convert pressure into rotational motion. This design makes them more compact and lighter than piston engines, and they can also operate at higher speeds. However, rotary engines are also more complex and expensive to manufacture than piston engines, and they produce more emissions.

The first rotary engine was developed by Felix Wankel in the 1950s. Wankel’s engine was licensed to several automakers, including Mazda, which has been the only automaker to produce rotary-powered cars for sale to the public.

Mazda Cosmo Sport 110S (1967-1972)

The Mazda Cosmo Sport 110S was the first car to be powered by a rotary engine.
It was a two-seater sports car with a 1.0-liter rotary engine that produced 110 horsepower.
The Cosmo Sport 110S was a critical and commercial success, and it helped to establish Mazda as a leading manufacturer of rotary engines.

Mazda RX-7 (1978-2002)

The Mazda RX-7 was a sports car that was produced by Mazda for three generations.
The first-generation RX-7 was introduced in 1978, and it was powered by a 1.1-liter rotary engine that produced 105 horsepower.
The second-generation RX-7 was introduced in 1986, and it was powered by a 1.3-liter rotary engine that produced 146 horsepower.
The third-generation RX-7 was introduced in 1991, and it was powered by a 1.3-liter rotary engine that produced 252 horsepower.
The RX-7 was a critical and commercial success, and it is considered to be one of the best sports cars ever made.

Mazda RX-8 (2003-2012)

The Mazda RX-8 was a sports car that was produced by Mazda for one generation.
It was introduced in 2003, and it was powered by a 1.3-liter rotary engine that produced 232 horsepower.
The RX-8 was a critical and commercial success, and it was the last car to be powered by a rotary engine.

Conclusion

Rotary engines have a number of advantages over piston engines, including their compact size, light weight, and high speed operation. However, they are also more complex and expensive to manufacture, and they produce more emissions. As a result, rotary engines have only been used in a small number of cars.

The Mazda Cosmo Sport 110S, RX-7, and RX-8 are the only cars that have been powered by rotary engines for sale to the public. These cars were all critical and commercial successes, and they helped to establish Mazda as a leading manufacturer of rotary engines. However, the RX-8 was the last car to be powered by a rotary engine, and it is unlikely that any future cars will use this type of engine.