What is Chevrolet without the Corvette? What is Porsche without the 911? What is Mazda without a Wankel rotary sports car? Good news, everyone-- Mazda has announced that its magnificent RX-7 will be making a comeback!
After a rather long model run, the Mazda RX-8 finally ended its production with the final series Spirit R. According to Mazda, the automaker ended the application of the rotary engine due to its thirstier fuel consumption and higher emissions. While it's certainly a clever and compact engine, it just isn't right for the times. In fact, some industry observers were convinced that the rotary engine was obsolete.
Now, Mazda is working on an all-new vehicle that will receive a rotary heart. Mazda CEO Takashi Yamanouchi explained that rotary engines are at its most efficient at low RPM or under constant load. Thanks to that attribute, the Japanese carmaker is developing a rotary engine utilized as a generator for a range-extended Mazda electric car similar to the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. What's more, Mazda expects to unveil the new vehicle as soon as 2013.
Hold on, is Mazda suggesting that the RX-7 sports car is shifting its cross-hairs from Corvette and is taking aim at the Volt instead?
Absolutely not. A top engineer within Mazda has also revealed that a true RX-7 sports car is in the works and is slated for a 2017 launch. In fact, the year plays a major significance-- 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the very first production rotary sports car from Mazda, the Cosmo sport.
According to Mazda program manager Nobuhiro Yamamoto, the next RX-7 is to feature a new rotary engine codenamed 16X, which will apply much of the 13B's twin-rotor design but in a larger 1.6 liter displacement format. Peak power output is 300-hp before force induction.
What's more, unlike the Acura NSX or the Porsche 918, Mazda's new RX-7 will not apply a hybrid drivetrain in order for the vehicle to express a more purist characteristic. Finally, Nobuhiro Yamamoto expects the car to weight no more than 2,800 pounds.
Rather extensive information for a 2017 RX-7 sports car, we'll take these preliminary specs with a grain of salt. In fact, it's difficult to even predict what a 2017 sports car will look like at all. That said, we couldn't be more excited!
[Source: MotorAuthority]
