The Wankel engine is named after its inventor, Felix Wankel. In the 1960s, Mazda's president, Tsuneji Matsuda, sought to create a unique technology, leading to the development of the rotary engine. A ...

There are many different forms of internal combustion engines, but most use the same basic principle. Explosions in the combustion chamber move pistons up and down to spin a crankshaft. That ...

In a strange twist, this luxury Mazda packed a Wankel engine, rather than a big, muscular V8.

Jack Hubbell is a European based writer and automotive enthusiast who joined the HotCars team in 2024. Jack has been building cars and motorcycles since a young age and was a member of the SCCA from ...

Mazda 13B rotary engine in a white Mazda RX-7 engine bay. - TTTNIS/Wikimedia Commons When it comes to unconventional engine design, few exceed the Wankel rotary in terms of weirdness. Despite that, ...

Designed and championed by self-taught engineer Felix Wankel, the rotary engine is now most closely associated with Japanese automaker Mazda. Many of the greatest Mazdas ever made, including the RX-7 ...

Bruno joined TopSpeed in 2022 and now serves as Senior Editor for ICE, while also helping train writers across CarBuzz, HotCars, and TopSpeed. A lifelong car and motorcycle enthusiast, he enjoys ...

Does anyone else think the Mazda RX-8 used to be the coolest thing on the road. It didn’t matter that it wasn’t that fast. Nor that its rotary engine burns oil like Snoop burns “za,” and slurps gas ...

When it comes to unconventional engine design, few exceed the Wankel rotary in terms of weirdness. Despite that, the same basic principles of internal combustion apply here: Fuel and air are mixed and ...