Tag: Wankel

This is the only rotary-powered Mustang ever built – Richard Lentinello @Hemmings

This is the only rotary-powered Mustang ever built – Richard Lentinello @Hemmings

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Rotary Pony

This is the only rotary-powered Mustang ever built

If there was any engineer who had an out-of-the-box mindset, Felix Wankel would be king of the pioneering thought process. His rotary engine concept, based on three-sided rotors spinning on a single shaft, was truly innovative, as it used 98 percent fewer moving components than conventional OHV or OHC combustion engines. Its simplicity of function is truly astounding.

The fan shroud is almost as long as the rotary engine itself, and sits well back in the chassis. Photo credit: Richard Lentinello

Wankel, an engineer in Germany, designed his rotary engine back in the 1920s, receiving a patent in 1929, but it wasn’t until he was employed at the German car company NSU that his engine was developed. In the ensuing years, NSU licensed the Wankel engine design to various car companies around the world, including AMC, Mercedes-Benz, Citroen, General Motors, Nissan, Suzuki, and Toyota, yet it was Mazda that made the Wankel engine a household name.

This is the only rotary-powered Mustang ever built

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Related – A mid-engine Corvette with rotary power – the 1973 XP-897 GT concept

A mid-engine Corvette with rotary power – the 1973 XP-897 GT concept – Kurt Ernst @Hemmings

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Built atop a shortened Porsche 914/6 chassis, fitted with a steel body designed by GM but crafted by Pininfarina, and powered by a GM two-rotor engine mounted amidships, the 1973 Chevrolet Corvette XP-897 GT concept hinted at a future that might have been – but never was – for America’s sports car. Rescued from the crusher by British Corvette enthusiast and author Tom Falconer, this evolutionary dead end will make a rare North American appearance at the 2019 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, taking place on Sunday, March 10, at The Ritz-Carlton on Amelia Island, Florida.

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