the term is much better known as a nickname for the Mazda RX-7 — one of the few cars that used a Wankel, or rotary, engine. If you ever wondered how these worked, why not print a model?

The RX series of sports cars has been synonymous with Wankel rotary engines for decades. The last model was the RX-8, discontinued in 2011. Mazda has not given up on the Wankel though, with ...

What most people may not realize is that a German originally created the rotary engine that powered those Japanese Mazda ...

Mazda's Wankel rotary engine has always been unique in the automotive landscape as a mass-produced internal combustion engine that eschews such unsightly items as pistons, valves and camshafts.

Powertrain engineering firm AVL has built a prototype Mini with an ER-EV powertrain that uses a 254 cc single-rotor Wankel to produce 15 kilowatts at 5,000 rpm or 25 kW at 7,000 rpm.

The only cars in recent times to utilise a Wankel rotary engine have been Mazdas – the RX-8 being the most recent. But the revolutionary engine has made an appearance in plenty of other vehicles ...