Tag: rotary

Video: Discover the meaning of bike control with this crazy rotary-mounted helmet cam

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Videos, Motorcycle

Motorcycle Fairy View - video screencap of gymkhana run using helmet-mounted camera

This is the unnamed winner of the third round of the 2013 Dunlop Autoby Cup Motorcycle Gymkhana, and the video of their run is mind-boggling for two different reasons. First, the motorcycle control on display here is extremely impressive, with excellent precision throughout.

Secondly, the videography is great. The rider attached a counterbalanced rotary video rig to the top of his helmet, allowing a free-spinning, constantly changing point of view, that the title of the video calls “Fairy View.” We call it “Trippy View.” Either way, it looks outstanding, and is a far cry from the dime-a-dozen GoPro videos that can be found all over the internet. Now, if we could just figure out how to adapt one of these for a car. Take a look at the full video below, and just try to keep your head on straight.

Continue reading Discover the meaning of bike control with this crazy rotary-mounted helmet cam

Discover the meaning of bike control with this crazy rotary-mounted helmet cam originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 Aug 2013 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Mazda rotary reportedly at least a year behind schedule, but work continues

Filed under: Technology, Mazda

Mazda Renesis rotary engine

Renesis rotary engine in 2009 Mazda RX-8 – Click above for high-res image gallery

“We will never give up,” says Mitsuo Hitomi, general manager of Mazda’s powertrain division, referring to the automaker’s long-running investment into the rotary engine. This vote of confidence in Felix Wankel’s replacement for displacement will surely come as welcome news to rotor-heads the world over, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t problems in World of Wankel.

Apparently, the so-called 16X engine, which is the latest take on the pony-keg-sized engine that spins into the stratosphere, is failing to meet emissions requirements set by the engineering team at Mazda, despite the fact that it is 30 percent more fuel efficient than the previous Renesis rotary. Impressively, Hitomi stated that the 1.6-liter 16X is slightly more fuel efficient than the automaker’s standard 2.0-liter gas engine.

It would seem that the rotary’s well-known thirst for fuel has at least partly been quenched, but until the 16X is tuned to hit its emissions targets we can expect it to stay in the engineering department and off the showroom floor. So, when might we see a new rotary-powered machine from Mazda? “Maybe within two years we can tell you when we will introduce it to the market,” responds Hitomi.

Now, let the debate continue as to what kind of body and platform that engine will be featured in…

Gallery: 2009 Mazda RX-8 R3

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req’d]

Report: Mazda rotary reportedly at least a year behind schedule, but work continues originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RSC Raptor GT does a wicked rotary-powered Fiorano impersonation

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Performance, Europe


RSC Raptor GT – Click above for image gallery

Based on the photo above, you might think that you’re looking at some version of the Ferrari 599. You’d be wrong, though, as this is actually a specially-built rotary supercar from an independent German manufacturer known as – you ready for this? – Rotary Super Cars.

Underneath what appears to be replicated fiberglass and carbon fiber Fiorano bodywork sits a four-rotor Wankel engine developed by RSC with parts sourced from that other House of Rotor, Mazda. The supercar is projected to offer four levels of trim including S, RS, RSR and N-Spec, featuring single or twin turbochargers with output ranging from 500 metric horsepower all the way up to 1,200. An in-house eight-speed sequential transmission is also part of the package, along with active aerodynamics and suspension, electronic differential and a carbon-aluminum driveshaft, making its resemblance to its Maranello counterpart (rotary engine notwithstanding) more than passing.

Inside, the RSC Raptor GT is also said to feature a pair of seven-inch digital displays coupled with a five-inch tachometer, gear indicator and shift lights, the entire package supposedly weighing in at a claimed 2,425 pounds. RSC also plans an all-wheel drive, mid-engine project with similar specs, which seems like a lot to bite off while they still appear to be chewing on this one. But in the meantime you can check out the trio of renderings in the gallery below and the press release after the jump.

Gallery: Rotary Super Cars Raptor GT

[Source: Rotary Supercars via World Car Fans]

Continue reading RSC Raptor GT does a wicked rotary-powered Fiorano impersonation

RSC Raptor GT does a wicked rotary-powered Fiorano impersonation originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Next Mazda RX-8 to use Sky G rotary

Filed under: Japan, Technology, Mazda

Mazda Rotary Engine

Mazda has big plans for the future of its rotary engine. According to GoAuto, the company is currently hard at work on improving the powerplant’s fuel economy by a full 50 percent. If it can pull it off, the new mill will proudly wear the same “Sky” designation as its traditional four-cylinder counterparts. The site quotes Seita Kanai, Mazda’s director of R&D and program management, as saying that upping the rotary’s fuel economy is essential for the engine’s survival.

From the sound of things, Mazda is wholly committed to keeping a rotary in its stable. In the report, Kanai says the company is investigating every possible aspect of the engine’s design to look for ways to increase efficiency, down to the very principles behind the design. Even so, he stopped short of saying whether or not the company is toying with an electric turbocharger as part of development.

Even with word that the Japanese automaker is stoking the rotary flames, GoAuto reports the company currently has no plans for a legitimate RX-7 successor. While designers and engineers within the company may be itching to jump onto a new sports car, the company’s decision makers are currently more occupied with slimming its corporate average fuel economy.

[Source: GoAuto]

Report: Next Mazda RX-8 to use Sky G rotary originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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