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While Mazda may be the most recent exponent of the Wankel rotary engine concept, did you know that this year marks the 60th anniversary of its first running?
Developed by Felix Wankel over a period spanning three decades, the revolutionary idea first appeared in a production car in 1964, seven years after the initial prototype coughed into life. The NSU Spider preceded the 1967 Ro 80, although teething problems with reliability and fuel economy would prevent the engine from becoming a success despite its smoothness and performance.
Most manufacturers filed patents for their own rotary developments, but all used the same basic Wankel concept. Simply put, the rotary design meant far less moving components, allowing huge engine speeds. The engine was also inherently suited to turbocharging, the most notable example being Mazda's famed RX-7. Mazda also took the sole Le Mans win for a non-reciprocating piston engine with the insane 787B, which utilised no fewer than four rotors in its screaming powerplant. YouTube it, and turn up the volume good and loud.
NSU merged with Audi in 1969, and the German manufacturer is holding an exhibition to commemorate the birthday of the Wankel design at its Ingolstadt museum. The show will run from May 20th until November 5th of this year, and will contain symbolic cars from the rotary era like the Ro 80, the Audi 200 KKM prototype and the Mazda Cosmo 110S, as well as various snowmobiles, motorcycles and other equipment, all of which utilised Wankel's idea.