Well. It Took 40 Years... [PIC]

   For the rotary engine to successfully enter production. Usually known as the Wankel Rotary Piston Engine, with the first prototype built in 1934 by Felix Wankel, it's actually developed from Hanns-Dieter Paschke's "Circuitous Piston Engine" developed in 1957. I remember reading about it in my dad's "Popular Mechanics" magazine and it seemed a 'can't miss' replacement for the standard piston engine. Then, for years, there was seemingly no movement for the engine to be put into production automobiles. There were so many reliability issues involved. Companies like NSU almost went bankrupt trying to perfect the Wankel version in 1954, With the Wankel design deemed impractical, they switched to Paschke's design. NSU did put a rotary engine in their little sports car, but the company did not have long to live. Development switched over to Japan with both Toyota and Mazda continuing development. Well after 40 odd years, Mazda released this Savanna RX-7 that lasted through 2 generations from 1978 to 1991. It replaced the first attempt with the RX-3 coupe to become a wildly successful and iconic sports car. For its performance, it had the added advantage of having an engine displacement of under 1.5 liters @1.1L  avoiding expensive road taxes. With its cool pop-up headlamps and all glass hatchback, it was an esthetic success. On the track, it scored 100 IMSA victories. The first gen later saw turbocharging and the 2nd gen upped displacement to 1.3 liters and produced 200 HP. The 1st gen Savanna actually beat the Nissan GT-R in races. It saw 22 class victories at Daytona with a 4th overall.

  This AUTOart model is the 1st year '78 model with a carboreted 1.1 12A rotary engine.  Finished in off-white the interior is upholstered in this cute butterscotch plaid.