However, one of the protagonists of this drama, the rotary engine, was actually invented by a German named Wankel, not Mazda. Wankel also solved many key technologies on the basis of predecessors, which made the rotary engine truly realized.
As soon as the rotary engine came out, it was favored by major automobile manufacturers because of its simple structure, low price, small volume, light weight, smooth operation, easy speed increase and easy horsepower increase. At that time, the rotary engine was no different from a "new force". When they don't know which direction they will develop in the future, many car companies are worried that they will be abandoned by the times, so they have purchased the authorization of the "new force" rotary engine from NSU company where Vanke is located in order to gain the development opportunity. The situation at that time was very similar to the behavior of many car companies turning their attention to the field of electric vehicles in recent years.
In 1960s, Mercedes-Benz, Rolls-Royce, Citroen, Ford, General Motors, Alfa Romeo, Mazda, Suzuki, Toyota and other automobile companies all turned their attention to rotors. At that time, the fiery degree of the rotor even attracted domestic attention to the rotor engine, and the only truck equipped with the rotor engine in the world was developed, so the rotor engine was not unique to Mazda at that time. These authorized car companies have also developed related models equipped with rotary engines. In addition to the Mazda RX series we often see, let's look at different rotor models.
Mercedes benz C 1 1 1
Mercedes-Benz has always been a technology giant. When the rotor was first paid attention to, most car companies were in the stage of developing single-rotor or double-rotor engines. Mercedes-Benz directly developed a three-rotor engine without taking the usual road, and this rotor engine was also equipped with a direct fuel injection system, which was finally mounted on the C11model. This three-rotor engine has a displacement of 1.8L, can output the maximum power of 280 HP, and can push the top speed of C 1 1 to 260 km/h. Even now, the acceleration time of less than 5s is very fierce.
However, Mercedes-Benz thinks that the rotary engine has more room for improvement, so on the improved model of 1970, C11is equipped with a four-rotor engine with a maximum output of 350 horsepower, which shortens the acceleration from zero hundred speed to 4.8s The performance with a top speed of 300 km/h .. C 1 1 looks very ideal, but the fuel consumption is surprisingly high, so Mercedes-Benz finally did not mass-produce this C11model.
Audi 200
Audi is actually the most direct controller of rotor technology, because NSU merged with Audi after 1969 was acquired by Volkswagen. But Audi didn't try to revive the rotor until 1979. At that time, the model equipped with rotary engine was Audi 200. Because it missed the golden age of rotary engine, Audi 200 did not cause widespread influence.
By 20 10, Audi still has hope for the rotor. Will it be mounted on Audi A 1? On the e-tron model, only this time, the rotary engine is not directly involved in driving, but used as a range extender.
Citroen GS? birotor
At that time, Citroen did not take the risk of perfecting the rotor alone, but chose a joint venture with NSU to study the rotor engine. After all, NSU, as the patent owner of rotary-wing engine, will definitely have a deeper understanding of rotary-wing engine. Through the efforts of the joint venture company, Citroen finally launched GS? Double rotor model and M35 model.
However, both cars were born at the wrong time. Due to over-emphasis on motivation and high prices, the market recognition is very low. Moreover, when the oil crisis broke out, one of the major defects of rotary engines was high fuel consumption. A combination of various factors eventually led to the cumulative sales of these two models being only 1 1,000.
Suzuki RE5
Apart from automobile's interest in rotor engines, motorcycles are also very interested in rotors, but Suzuki RE5 was born in 1975, and has missed the best time of rotors. In addition, it is quite difficult to apply the rotor to motorcycles. In order to make this engine have good heat dissipation, Suzuki had to equip the motorcycle with a huge radiator, but this radiator was too big, which affected riding, so the sales of RE5 were not optimistic. Suzuki finally chose to continue to develop the traditional reciprocating internal combustion engine.
Seeing the above models, we found that the rotor seems to be not as perfect as we thought. However, the special sound that makes people's blood boil, as well as the sparks from the exhaust during the March, fascinate fans, but feelings are only feelings after all, and they still can't stop the bad luck of the rotor being eliminated. In the next issue, let's look at the fatal defects of the rotor. Mazda will also slow down.
This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.