Wankel

Internal combustion engines have still got a few punches left in them. Case in point: Kiwi drifter "Mad Mike" Whiddett has unveiled "the wildest drift car I could think of," built around the world's first 5-rotor Wankel rotary engine.

LiquidPiston says its new XTS-210 solves the efficiency, lubrication and fuel type issues of Wankel rotary engines. This supercharged, liquid-cooled two-stroke claims 5X the power of an equivalent size or weight diesel engine, and 3X the torque.

The extraordinary Crighton CR700W extracts an incredible 220 hp from a 690cc twin-rotor Wankel engine, and weighs just 129.5 kg (285.5 lb) dry for a MotoGP-level power-to-weight ratio. Its maker believes it could be the final word in combustion bikes.

Knaus Tabbert has revealed its E.Power Drive research prototype at the 2021 Düsseldorf Caravan Salon. The motorhome dumps diesel for an all-electric powertrain supported by a rotary engine generator that doubles as a campground power source.

Mazda has announced the all-new MX-30, the firm's first battery electric vehicle to the US market. Aimed at the California market, it's a compact SUV-styled car that will also herald the return of the Mazda rotary engine for a plug-in hybrid version.

A fresh and extremely powerful take on the rotary engine. Connecticut company LiquidPiston is developing a portable generator for the US Army using its X-Engine, which promises as much power as the Army's current gen-set at one-fifth the size.

Group B saw drivers wrestling boxy tearaways along narrow tracks inches from fans desperate to get a close-up view of their heroes. It was enthralling, but deadly. This immaculate Mazda RX-7 Evo Group B Works managed to survive the chaos, though, and now it's up for auction in London.

The rotary engine enjoys a cult following thanks to Mazda and its range of sports cars past. Today marks 50 years since the Mazda Cosmo Sport 110S launched in Tokyo, and started a rotary love affair in the process.​​​

This concept from French company Furion​ pairs a twin-rotor, compact 654cc Wankel rotary engine with a 40-kW electric motor to produce a massive 180 hp and a ludicrous 151 lb-ft of instant, tire-deforming torque. Could a hybrid streetbike deliver the same kind of street lunacy as the BMW i8?

Advanced Innovative Engineering's 650S rotary engine's small, lightweight size makes for easy integration within vehicles like the cherry red roadster it put to the track last week. AIE calls that prototype the first British sports car powered by a single rotary rotary engine.

Imagine an engine that's 30 percent smaller than a traditional piston design of like output, and that runs smoothly, with less noise and vibration. Plus, it burns several types of fuel. That's the LiquidPiston X rotary engine, which was recently demonstrated powering a go-kart.

When you think of aircraft, the words compact and accessible don't necessarily spring to mind. A British team is trying to change that with the e-Go. Made of carbon fiber, it is powered by a compact Wankel rotary engine and sports a removable canard and wings so it can be parked in your garage.