Mazda's Rotary Engine Celebrates its 40th Birthday

Last May 30, Mazda celebrated the 40thsports car racing victories in the U.S. alone. And
anniversary of its rotary engine. Mazda launchedthat is not all! It also created an overall win at the
on May 30, 1967 the Mazda Cosmo Sport - the1991 running of the famed 24-Hours of Le Mans.
world's first car to use twin-rotor rotary engine.Mazda was the first and is still the only Japanese
After that year, Mazda has produced almost twoauto company that won this extreme endurance
million vehicles that were powered by the rotaryrace. However, this success changed the rules for
engine.subsequent races. The rotary engine was banned.
Jim O'Sullivan, the President and CEO of MazdaThe engine continues to be part of the modern
North American Operations, said that Mazda is theU.S. motorsports. As a matter of fact, the
only company with a laser-like focus on vehicleSpeedSource team is power is the rotary engine
development and engineering success and wouldthat became victor in Grand Am Rolex GT
have had the perseverance and unyielding goal tocompetition in their especially prepared RX-8. The
continue the rotary engine. He added that theypowerful engine is also powering every vehicle in
began in the 1950s and they are now facing athe ultra-competitive Star Mazda Championship for
very bright hydrogen-fueled future. According toopen-wheel racers.
him, the rotary engine reflects Mazda as aAs Mazda looks towards an even company
company that has opted to make what most dobetterment, the company pledges its
not and has made its own successes wherecommitment to the rotary engine for the long
others have failed.run. After almost 5 decades of development, the
Among auto makers, only Mazda solved thecompany has started on the fact that rotary
engineering obstacles which are essential in bringingtechnology is distinctly perfect for hydrogen
the engine to the market in a mass-productionburning as a fuel, especially as compared to
vehicle.conventional piston engines. In Japan, the company
Powered by the rotary engine, the first vehiclehas been researching and developing both
that Mazda sold in the United States was thehydrogen-fueled rotaries as well as hydrogen
1970 R100. This was the era in which Mazda'srotary hybrid-electric vehicles. Moreover, Mazda
Rotary Pickup truck is installed with the rotaryalready has hydrogen-fueled rotary-powered
engine.RX-8s on the road - another breakthrough from
The sports-car establishment was shock and salesthe auto maker.
records were set in never before seen sales withAbout Mazda Motor Corporation
sports cars when Mazda released the iconic RX-7A Japanese automotive manufacturer that is
in 1979. In the 1986 and 1993, the subsequentbased in Hiroshima, Japan, Mazda Motor
RX-7 generations were released. These includeCorporation is the maker of quality and top of the
the first production applications of turbo chargingline auto parts such as Mazda multi rib belt.
the rotary engine in the U.S. market. The engineIn addition to that, Mazda is also a well known
was updated with the introduction of side portingproducer of different types of vehicles and their
when the car maker presented the refinedparts.
four-door sports car RX-8 in 2003. This resulted inThe company is expected to produce 1.25 million
tremendously minimized exhaust emissions andvehicles annually as of 2006. Among Japan,
enhanced performance.Europe, North America, and Latin America, its
In the world of motorsports, Mazda's engine hassales will be evenly divided.
also been tremendously successful. It poweredMazda's 33.4% of controlling interest is controlled
the company's cars to more than 100 professionalby the Ford Motor Company.