by Louis Albornoz

Created on: February 28, 2007   Last Updated: April 14, 2007

The first functional rotary engine for cars was invented by German engineer Dr. Felix Wankel in 1957, after many years of experimentation and development. Other rotary engines existed as early as the late 1800's but those rotary engines were used to power aircraft.

A rotary engine is a unique internal combustion engine that uses a centralized rotor, or several rotors, instead of pistons. Even though its core design is dramatically different from that of conventional engines, it still uses similar ignition and fuel delivery systems.

A rotary engine has several design advantages over a typical reciprocating piston engine, such as:

1. A higher rev capacity
2. A more compact and lightweight design
3. A higher power output than a conventional engine of similar size and displacement
4. The ability to run on lower octane
5. They are less prone to overheating and seizing
6. They have better reliability because they contain fewer moving parts

Rotary engines operate on the principle of producing power by revving to very high rpm's (revolutions per minute). They are most commonly found in Mazda cars, and one of the most advanced rotary engines nowadays is the Renesis engine found in the Mazda RX-8 sports car.

Rotary engines are also used in airplanes, motorcycles, go-karts, and watercraft. They power Formula Mazda race cars too, which are some of the fastest race cars in the world.

Rotary engines are often referred to as Wankel engines or Wankel rotary engines because they were invented by Dr. Felix Wankel.

Some people believe that there are disadvantages to owning a car with a rotary engine but in my experience, rotary powered cars are extremely reliable and cost less to own.

Thanks for reading!

Learn more about this author, Louis Albornoz.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.