December 22, 2002 | Manntis
The Early Years Dr. Wankel, "the father of the rotary engine”, was born August 13, 1902 in Lahr, Germany. He was the only child of Rudolf Wankel (1867-1914), a senior forestry official who was killed by shrapnel in World War I as an Oberleutnant. Although his family's poverty (due in part to his mother's status as a widow) meant he had to go to work and could not apprentice or follow further full-time stu...
[ read more ]
May 18, 2010 | Manntis
Veteran Mazda engineer Hiroyuki Matsumoto is the new head of the carmaker's European research and development center. Matsumotois, 47, succeeds Norihiro Tomita, who has led the unit since May 2007 and now returns to Mazda's headquarters in Japan to take up a management post in the company's vehicle development center. Matsumoto, an engineering graduate of Kyoto University in Japan, joined Mazda's product develo...
[ read more ]
February 22, 2010 | Manntis
The conflicts between Carroll Shelby and various kit car makers are well known and sometimes seem never-ending. Massachusetts-based Factory Five Racing has been at the forefront of the lawsuits with Shelby, and the two have been in battling it out in the courtroom for a decade. The initial lawsuit, filed in the year 2000, resulted in a settlement that barred Factory Five from using the terms "Cobra, 427 S/C, She...
[ read more ]
January 25, 2010 | Manntis
The 2010 Mazda RX-8 carries forward its recent makeover, keeping the 2nd generation RENESIS rotary engine, world-renown handling and four-door flexibility. Updates over the 1st gen RX-8 include dual outlet exhaust, LED taillamps, widened fenders and large alloy wheels wearing performance rubber. As before, the body cleverly hides a secondary set of doors that access the rear portion of the cabin. Xenon projector high...
[ read more ]
January 7, 2010 | Manntis
Problems with the development of Mazda’s next generation of rotary engines are delaying the launch of the new RX-7 sports car, according to sources close to the company. The fourth-generation RX-7 was originally scheduled to be unveiled at last year’s Tokyo show and go on sale this year, but issues facing the new 16X engine forced the company to scrap that schedule. The car’s release date is now unknown....
[ read more ]
Veteran Mazda engineer Hiroyuki Matsumoto is the new head of the carmaker's European research and development center. Matsumotois, 47, succeeds Norihiro Tomita, who has led the unit since May 2007 and now returns to Mazda's headquarters in Japan to take up a management post in the company's vehic...
[ read more ]
The conflicts between Carroll Shelby and various kit car makers are well known and sometimes seem never-ending. Massachusetts-based Factory Five Racing has been at the forefront of the lawsuits with Shelby, and the two have been in battling it out in the courtroom for a decade. The initial lawsu...
[ read more ]
The 2010 Mazda RX-8 carries forward its recent makeover, keeping the 2nd generation RENESIS rotary engine, world-renown handling and four-door flexibility. Updates over the 1st gen RX-8 include dual outlet exhaust, LED taillamps, widened fenders and large alloy wheels wearing performance rubber. As ...
[ read more ]
Problems with the development of Mazda’s next generation of rotary engines are delaying the launch of the new RX-7 sports car, according to sources close to the company. The fourth-generation RX-7 was originally scheduled to be unveiled at last year’s Tokyo show and go on sale this year, ...
[ read more ]
This mod replaces the default activity indicator (throbber) of boring spinning dots with a spinning rotor from a Wankel engine. On newer Firefox versions, a spinning rotor is also placed on the individual tabs or the loading pie chart is replaced with a pie chart styled rotor image. This does not...
[ read more ]
According to the French edition Automobile-Magazine, Mazda has allegedly begun work on a new rotary engined coupe that may be called the RX-9. For the moment it's uncertain - is this the next RX-8 model? An all-new model as the french press would have us believe? We have no idea from where these ...
[ read more ]
MotorWeek's complete review of the 2009 Mazda RX8 r3 ...
[ read more ]
Comparing the end plates of various rotary engines: 12A, TII (shown as (T2), 13B REW (shown as "FD"), normally aspirated 13B, and 13B ported. ...
[ read more ]
As time goes on and car manufacturers continue to produce more stable and reliable vehicles, the question arises that is there any benefit in buying a new car when a used car has many benefits? I can think of many occasions when friends and family have chosen to part exchange in their existing ve...
[ read more ]
Many motorists have long benefited from the ‘drive other cars’ clause most insurers have included in their policies. This means that it is legal to drive a vehicle that does not belong to you, with the owner’s permission, and that you will be insured. Generally you are able to drive another pe...
[ read more ]
