NAGAO, Japan — Back in the early 1960s, Mazda signed a licensing agreement with NSU, a small German company building a single rotor rotary engine. The reason for looking at this oddball technology was somewhat of a self-preservation move. The Japanese Government was looking at ways of strengthening its domestic auto industry and was looking at merging companies to make a stronger entity. Mazda wanted to remain independent and so the search for a reason began. The rotary engine proved to be the reason.
At the time, the aero industry was transitioning from reciprocating engines with propellers to the jet engine age. Having a car engine make the same shift from an up-and-down engine to something that spun like a jet gave it an almost magical allure.
Developing the engine, however, was a labourious venture that had more downs than ups — the original engine was panned by Mazda’s competitors for being a gas-guzzler. This eventually spawned the Phoenix project — the aim was to cut consumption by 40 per cent. It also gave rise to the first-generation RX-7.
1978 Mazda RX-7.
Graeme Fletcher, Driving
The biggest challenge was developing an effective apex seal — it does what a piston ring does in a regular engine. The search for the right material left no stone unturned — even seals fashioned from horse bone were tested. In the end, Mazda developed an aluminum-impregnated carbon seal that was laser treated to harden the rubbing surface. This never-give-up outlook on engineering has seen Mazda through some very tough times. It has also given birth to the MX-5 and the company’s current SkyActiv technologies.
A few years ago, Mazda bought the Mine race track and turned it into a proving ground for future products. On this day, however, the 3.33-kilometre circuit was hosting a retro-fest that put past and future on the track. The past was represented by laps in a 1968 Cosmo Sport and three generations of RX-7. The future was hinted at by a dual-fuelled RX-8.
Driving the Cosmo Sport reminded me of my grandmother. Despite her age, she still had presence and a style that has endured over the years. Sleek and expressive, the Cosmo Sport still puts many of its modern peers to shame when it comes to strutting style. Cranking the rotary engine to life filled the air with a reminder of a bygone era — unburned hydrocarbons. Growing up in the pre-emission control era it was a smell that brought memories of my former mechanic’s life flooding back.
Selecting first gear it was off on a parade lap. Heading into the first corner I coaxed the old girl in. She obliged and tucked into the bend. The steering was, like all vintage cars, vague, which means you guide it rather than steer it into a corner. Yes, the steering was manual and it had a steering wheel that looks like it came from a Mack truck, a heavy clutch and a gearbox that was more crash than synchronized, but it mattered not — I got used to the lot and loved every minute of the brief drive. For a car that was engineered 50 years ago, it still had the ever-present feel of the freedom only a true sports car brings. The Cosmo Sport is a very rare ride — there were 343 Series I cars and 1,176 Series II models produced.
The next few laps were in three generations of RX-7. Each became slicker to the feel and ever faster around the track. My favourite of the trio was the original RX-7. While all RX-7s have that distinctive rotary whirring sound to the engine, the original still out-rotaried the others as it was wound upward towards it stratospherically high (for the time) 7,000 rpm redline. It’s a sound quite unlike anything on the road — then or now. As with the Cosmo, the RX-7 had real presence, up to and including the tester’s red interior and big recliner-like seats. Out on the track, it pulled willingly – 135 horsepower in a big skateboard tends to do that! – the steering was sharp and, in a moment of exuberance, it reminded me of what driving a car sans electronic aids does when the driver takes liberties — the back end stepped out, but, thankfully, was easily caught before I did some unscheduled lawn mowing.
The second-generation RX-7 had more poise to its drive and with a twin-scroll turbocharger in place it had more low-end punch than the original, but, to me, it remained a rather staid interpretation of things RX. Looks aside, it drove well and danced through the corners in exactly the same manner as I remember from my original road test back in 1988.
The fun lap came in the twin-turbocharged third-generation car. Rotary engines were always weak in the torque department and so driving in the upper echelons of the rev range was a must. Force-feeding the rotary hid most of this shortfall. The sleek gen-three car cantered out of the gate and down the straight, and it tucked into corners as well as many modern speedsters. It would still make a very viable sports car to this day.
The highlight for me was the dual-fuelled RX-8 — it ran on both hydrogen and gasoline, with a button on the dash that allowed the driver to switch between fuels as needed. I started in hydrogen. When burning this clean fuel the engine only puts out 107 horsepower, but that was enough for booting out of the pits and into the first corner. The free-revving nature of the engine masked the compromise nicely. Once around turn one, I held said button for three seconds and the engine jumped to life on gasoline. It was now spinning out 207 horsepower, which gave the RX-8 a fleet turn of speed as I worked it through the gears and around a testing track.
While firmly planted in the past, the dual-fuel RX-8 does speak to the future. The ability to run on hydrogen and produce nothing other than water makes it as zero-emission as an all-electric car. It was also forward thinking and revolutionary in its day because the gasoline side could be viewed similarly to the current range-extending gas engine that is being used to rid pure electric cars of range anxiety. Even today, it represents the most practical solution to bridging the gap between the gasoline and hydrogen eras. The fact it is a cost-effective way of accomplishing the feat only adds to its allure. Here’s hoping Mazda live up to its enthusiasm for all things rotary and considers a dual-fuelled version of the RX-Vision Concept.
