We don’t want to get anyone too overexcited, but Mazda has come out and said that its planned next generation of rotary engine is “being considered for use in sports cars.” Okay, everyone stay calm.
The word came at Mazda’s recent joint announcement with Subaru and Toyota that the three manufacturers would engage in ‘friendly competition’ in order to develop a new generation of internal combustion engines, all designed to run on fossil fuel alternatives and work as part of hybrid systems.
The Iconic SP previewed what could become a new production sports car
Mazda got us all excited by specifically mentioning the rotary, and even showing off a concept for a new twin-rotor engine, and now, as Top Gear reports, the company’s chief technical officer, Ichiro Hirose, is making more noises about a possible sports car project with this engine.
“This concept unit is equipped with two longitudinally mounted rotary engines for power generation, enabling a larger power supply and realising low centre-of-gravity proportions,” said Hirose.
The quote that really caught our eye, though, was this: “It is also being considered for use in sports cars.” There you have it.
The Iconic SP uses a rotary engine as a range extender
Before we all start rushing off to our nearest Mazda dealer, let’s just temper expectations. Nothing is confirmed yet, and if the new rotary does find its way into a sports car, most rumours point to it being as a range extender for an electric drivetrain rather than driving the wheels directly. Still, Mazda wants to build another sports car with a rotary!
We’ve been given some idea of what a potential sports car could look like in the form of last year’s gorgeous Iconic SP concept. While its styling is said to preview the next MX-5, the Iconic SP itself is clearly a slightly larger, more serious prospect… y’know, just like the RX-7 used to be.
Mazda has already made noises about wanting to put the Iconic SP into production, and this latest development only serves to make those noises louder. Come on, Mazda: you want it, we want it – make it happen.
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