Wankel Lovers, Unite: 2017 RE Expo Celebrates 50 Years of Mazda's Rotary
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Mazda's legendary rotary engine. In 1967, Mazda, NSU Motorwerke and Citroën joined forces to make an automotive version of the Wankel engine under the title Comotor.
Why People Love the Wankel
Having been around for some time, the Mazda rotary would place itself in history as the power plant of the '91 24 Hour of Le Mans Mazda 787B. With no expectations to race, the 787B donned a unique Renown livery and won the race that year, instantly making Mazda and its Wankel engine world-famous.
For those without first-hand knowledge of rotaries, there is the impression that they make great power but are very sensitive. For those who are familiar with rotaries, their impression is probably similar, but with a little more insight and understanding as to why they are considered sensitive.
Flavored to Suit
Like most engines, the Wankel comes in two primary flavors: naturally aspirated and boosted. For those who prefer the naturally aspirated path, there are two-, three- and four-rotor configurations available. While there are those who prefer to boost, it is quite effective to simply improve the airflow of the plates and housings and mount a larger turbo.
There is, of course, the mad idea of mixing of both worlds. Look no further than Mad Mike's HUMBUL as an example of this crazy concoction.
RE Expo
July is the month for Wankel lovers due to the popularity of the Mazda RX-7. Like many other popular car models in Japan, each seem to be given a specific month, even day, according to their chassis code or model name. The most popular day, of course, is the 7th of July.
During the first weekend of July, the Rotary Owners' Club holds their annual RE Expo near the base of Mount Fuji. Here, about 100 owners take their rotary-powered cars for a spin around Japan to catch up and discuss all things rotary.
RE Amemiya
From legendary rotary tuner RE Amemiya was this fully equipped FD3S with a full RE aero package including a rear lower diffuser, tail lights and spoiler. Unfortunately, we didn't get a peek under the hood, but we can imagine a lovely 13BREW sitting underneath.
Mazda Lupe
The Mazda Lupe is known more as a classic Japanese executive class car, so we were a bit surprised to see one at the RE Expo. Since it was there, it could mean only one thing: It was rotary-powered. This particular version was an RX-9 version from 1977, meaning it originally came with a 12A. Equipped with classic Volk wire wheels, overall we thought it was pretty cool.
The Baby
Everyone was excited with the announcement of the RX-8. It was great that Mazda was going to bring back their legendary Wankel, and the marketing material promised an NA version with enough power to satisfy all the die-hard fans. Unfortunately, that wasn't what happened, and the RX-8 never really gained the popularity of, say, a Toyota 86 (FRS/BRZ).
Thankfully, there are plenty of ways of getting around these issues, and for those with deep enough pockets, it is possible to turn the RX-8 into something great. We found one such RX-8 that featured a good mix of various parts, including NRF front wide fenders and bumper, R-Magic side skirts, LEG rear fenders and an HSR rear bumper. The front hood is made by Revolution, which covers a lightly ROM tuned engine.
RE Amemiya Roadster
Displayed at the 2015 Tokyo Auto Salon, Mr. Kubo brought his one of a kind RE Amemiya Roadster to the expo. One may be hard pressed to guess it is a Roadster after RE Amemiya's transformation, which includes one-off aero pieces, hard-top and an RX-8 Renesis engine. The front headlights were swapped from an Alfa Romero MiTo, and the taillights from a Giulietta.
Building off the styling designs that Mr. Amemiya has applied to RX-7s, it is great to see the same thought applied to a Roadster.
