Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Mazda RX-8.

You've got to hand it to Mazda for its perseverance with the Wankel rotary engine design. Ever since it's engineers managed to make it semi-reliable, the turbine-like smoothness of the quick-spinning lump has seen duty in numerous Mazda-branded vehicles, and even a few others as well. Still, despite constant engineering work and updates to the basic rotary engine design, there is a lingering question about the reliability of the design. Most owners seem happy with the engines in their RX, that is, until a seal blows or they forget to keep the oil supply topped up and it fails to restart. Or it floods in the winter, needing a tow. Alright... so there may be a few problems.

To ease the minds of RX-8 owners and owners-to-be, Mazda has reportedly decided to extend the warranty coverage for the 2004-2008 Renesis rotary engine for a period of eight years or 100,000 miles. Mazda even goes so far as to offer reimbursement to those who've spent money on engine repairs before 100,000 miles. This seems like a nice measure made in good faith on Mazda's part. After all, most educated owners of the rotary-powered cars knew what they were getting when these purchases were made, and the engine was already covered under the same basic warranty that comes standard with all Mazda vehicles. Nice work, Mazda.

In the interest of full disclosure, this particular blogger bought an RX-8 new in 2004, though it was sold two years later.


[Source: RX8Club.com]

"We've just introduced a special edition of the RX-8" was the response from a Mazda rep when asked when we might get a new RX-7. Not the answer to the question, but we understand that it's all hush-hush when it comes to whatever might be in store on the 2-door, rear wheel drive, not-an-MX-5 tip. A new RX-7 (FE?) will debut within the next three years according to Autocar, and it will be the first production car to carry the design themes presented in Mazda's latest series of concept cars (Nagare, Ryuga, Hakaze, Taiki). The RX-8 will be freed up to evolve into more of a GT if the 7 comes to be. Autocar has had its digital image wizards whip up what they think the car might look like. We hope not, as it looks like what might happen if a Corvette stopped short in front of a Testarossa. In other words, it looks like 1988.

Joining the new "flow"-ing exterior lines will be a thoroughly revised rotary engine. Bumped out to 3.2 liters, the new Wankel will have direct fuel injection and sport forced induction via turbocharging. Reshaped combustion chambers are said to improve thermal efficiency, burn more completely, produce more low end torque, and return better fuel economy (woo-hoo!). We're surprised they didn't switch it's fuel to Unicorn sneezes, as the rest of the improvements seem like a fairy tale outcome for the wimpy, thirsty Wankel we know and love.

[Source: Autocar]

Say what you will about the styling of the Mazda Taiki concept that's currently on display in Tokyo. It's quite possible that what's underneath is more interesting, anyway. Under the hood of the Taiki is a new gen rotary engine from Mazda called the 16X Renesis. Of course, the Rotary engine has its share of detractors, but Mazda's sticking with it anyway.

Further refining Felix Wankel's trochoid wonder, the Renesis (known internally as the 13B-MSP) has been massaged and enlarged for the first time in a very long time. Capacity is now 800cc per rotor, bringing total size up to 1.6 liters. Direct injection allows the 16X Renesis to put out more power and torque while running cleaner than a port injection setup would have allowed. Attention was also paid to reducing the oil consumption that Wankels are known for. The size of the engine is still pony-keg compact, and the rotor housing is now aluminum, which should save a little weight. While the new larger chamber design and direct injection offer more efficiency, it still remains to be seen whether or not the Rotary is capable of modern horsepower numbers without turbochargers (difficult with the side-port design) or swilling fuel like a sailor on shore leave. The 16X may show up in a special version of the current RX-8, or Mazda may hold off until a new RX-8 bows in 2011.

[Source: AutoWeek, Photo: Winding Road]

Click the image above for a high-res gallery of Mazda Taiki Concept.

Mazda's presence at the 40th Tokyo Motor Show later this month will revolve around the awkwardly titled "Sustainable Zoom-Zoom" theme that seeks to incorporate the brand's driver-oriented two-word pledge with a long-term environmental outlook. The cornerstone of the Mazda booth will be the Taiki concept, which follows in the tradition of the Nagare design theme that's graced shows across the world for the last two years.

The fourth installment in the series takes a considerable step away from its design predecessors' radical yet feasible philosophy, with a cab-backward design that evolves the aerodynamic wedge-on-wheels ethos above and beyond what we've seen with past concepts. The short overhangs and glass canopy are designer dreams, and Mazda asserts that the concept's exterior lines are inspired by wind flowing through a Hagoromo, the "flowing robes that enable a celestial maiden to fly."

Beyond the hyperbole, a front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout bodes well for its enthusiast credentials, complete with power provided by the next-generation Renesis rotary engine.

The Taiki will join share the podium with the new Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid and the redesigned Atenza (Mazda6 to us).

Mazda's full press release is posted after the jump, and we've included a few shots of the Taiki in the gallery below.

Mazda is celebrating 40 years of putting engines inspired by pony kegs in their cars by rolling out a special version of the RX-8 2+2. Mazda's official hyperbole about the RX-8 brags that the car changed customer expectations of what an affordable sports car should be when they launched the four-place coupe in 2003. It sure did; we've now come to expect less than the stated power output from the Renesis Wankel, which also swills oil like a... well, like a Wankel. Now that we've ensured that every single Rotary fan on Autoblog will lambaste us, let's go on to say that we really do like them. Any engine you can mercilessly spin out to 10,000 RPM without aerating the block has significant entertainment value. The fact that there's about three major moving parts is cool, too.

The Special Edition RX-8 has two new colors for its sinewy sheetmetal, Metropolitan Grey and Crystal White Pearl. There's also new ten-spoke wheels, blue tinged foglamps, and the obligatory emblems to dress up the exterior. Open the clamshell doors and the Special Edition greets you with a specially outfitted interior, full of Alcantara, contrast stitching, leather, and silver bits. It's not all just prettying up, either. The suspension crossmembers get shot full of foam for quieter operation, and there are new springs that are held in check by Bilstein dampers. So, while there's been no massive power upgrade to the RX-8, the Special Edition is more than just a glamorization of an affordable, entertaining coupe.

Press release after the jump.

Click image for photo gallery

This year marks the 40th anniversary Mazda rotary power, and to celebrate, the automaker is building 200 RX-8 Rotary Engine 40th Anniversary edition cars for sale in Japan. Each is finished in Marble White, features special badging and some unique features like a leather and Alcantara interior. Retro-style contrast-stitched leather trim is meant to evoke the classic Cosmo Sport, and it's also got Bilstein dampers and a foam-filled front cross member. Power output is the same as what's found in standard RX-8 Type S (6MT) and Type E (6AT) models, so like other RX-8 specials, this is all paint, accessories, and trim. It sure looks nice, though. Complete details are in Mazda's press release after the jump.

[Source: Mazda]

click on the pic to see more of Chuck's shots

Autoblog addict Chuck Goolsbee was out in his E-Type last weekend and naturally wanted to avoid the freeway in such a delightful car. Pulling a Clark Griswold, Chuck got lost on an Indian reservation. Rather than have the neighborhood assist in stripping excess mass from his swoopy kitty, Chuck noticed the sun glinting off a vaguely familiar shape off in the distance. The front bumper wrapped tightly around a low nose, and chrome-ringed headlamps were tucked safely behind plexiglass lenses. "Wow," Chuck thought, "another E-Type!" Car people are social creatures, so Chuck's plans changed in an instant. Passenger footwell clogged with grocery bags, ice cream turning into warm milk, he pulled up to the curb and suddenly realized he was in the presence of something even more special than an E-Type.

[Source: Chuck Goolsbee]

Click image for a gallery of the Mazda Cosmo Sport

The good old internal combustion engine has been in service since the 17th century when Sir Samuel Morland rather impractically used gunpowder to drive water pumps. It was not until 1876 when Nikolaus Otto invented the modern four stroke engine that the internal combustion engine became practical for automobiles, however. Those same four cycles, intake, compression, combustion and exhaust are used in the Wankel rotary engine, although instead of the strokes of a piston the rotary creates it's cycles as a roughly triangular shaped rotor spins inside its housing. Doesn't make sense? Click here.

2007 marks Mazda's 40th in using the rotary engine. Our favorite application of it would have to be the Cosmo Sport, of course. Many of you will choose the RX-7 as a personal favorite. It's also alive in the current RX-8, which even sports a hydrogen-powered version for the alternative fuel crowd. And we'd be remiss if we forgot to mention the jaw-dropping four-rotor 787B racer that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Those of us who own, or have owned, a rotary engined vehicle and loved it can take this moment to say "thanks" to Felix Wankel and to Mazda for its commitment to the rotary. Forty years and going strong!

We've assembled four galleries of famous Mazda rotaries, including the Cosmo Sport gallery below, as well as galleries of the RX-7, RX-8 and 787B Le Mans racer.

[Source: Mazda]

In the late sixties and early seventies, many car companies were enamored with the power density of Wankel rotary engines, including NSU, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz and General Motors. GM ultimately built at least two mid-engine "Corvette" concepts with Wankels, one with two rotors and the other with four. The four-rotor was eventually replaced by a small block to become the Aerovette. When John Z. Delorean left to create his own car, he envisioned it propelled by a rotary engine as well.

As was the case with every other carmaker save Mazda, the Wankel was ultimately abandoned in favor of a piston engine. But one Delorean owner didn't forget the original vision. Through the 1980s and 1990s the only rotary-powered car sold in the US market was the Mazda RX-7 although Mazda did offer the engine in other Japanese-market models. One of those was a coupe called the Eunos Cosmo. The Cosmo eventually got a 2.0L three-rotor version of the engine that put out 300hp. One of these was sacrificed to provide a new heart for the Delorean you see here.

There's more commentary after the jump, and a video, too.

[Source: EliseUSA.com via CarScoop]

When the newest issue of Road & Track arrived in our mailbox, we were impressed that the 60th anniversary issue was sport compactalicious. The cover sports the new Mitsubishi EVO X alongside a photochopped '08 Impreza STI, and the inevitable shootout consists of the Civic Si, MazdaSpeed3, MINI Cooper S, Sentra SE-R Spec V and the VW GTI.

What was more interesting was one of the subtitles proclaiming that a new RX-7 is in the works by Mazda and that Toyota is (finally) beginning to develop an honest-to-God sports car based off the Lexus IS platform.

As for the RX-7, R&T's inside sources say that due to slowing sales of the RX-8, the engineers at Mazda are hard at work improving the 13B rotary's output. If (when?) the new RX-7 debuts, it will be powered by this new and improved Renesis, supposedly sporting an electrically assisted supercharger, much like the one found on the RX-8 Hybrid that debuted in Tokyo in 2003.

Additionally, the rumored RX-7 will grab styling cues from the Kabura concept (pictured) that was unveiled at Detroit in 2006 and will be built on the platform that underpins the MX-5/RX-8. Whether or not the next gen. 7 will come in a 2+2 configuration remains to be seen, but regardless, don't expect anything until the end of the decade.

[Source: Road & Track]