STORIES / Engineering × Motorsport
The engine without pistons
ピストンを持たないエンジン
From the Cosmo Sport's two rotors to a four-rotor win at Le Mans: Mazda's rotary, in sourced facts.
victor miyakawa / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
01
Two rotors, 1967
The Cosmo Sport brought Mazda's rotary engine to production, hand-built in small numbers.
- 1967
The Mazda Cosmo, produced from 1967, launched Mazda's Wankel rotary engine and was, along with the NSU Ro80, one of the first production cars with a two-rotor Wankel engine.
Source: Mazda Cosmo — Wikipedia (English)
02
Turbocharged and refined
Through the RX-7 generations the rotary gained turbocharging and, later, a redesigned port layout in the RX-8.
03
Le Mans, 1991
In 1991 a four-rotor prototype crossed the line first at the Circuit de la Sarthe.
- 1991
The Mazda 787B No. 55, driven by Johnny Herbert, Volker Weidler and Bertrand Gachot, won the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans; it was the first Le Mans win by a Japanese manufacturer and remains the only win by a car without a reciprocating engine.
Source: Mazda 787B — Wikipedia (English) - 2018
Toyota won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times in a row from 2018 to 2020 with the TS050 Hybrid, and again in 2021 and 2022 with the GR010 Hybrid.
Source: Toyota GR010 Hybrid — Wikipedia (English)
Narrative paragraphs are editorial summaries; every date, figure and record is tied to the source shown beside it.