The Rise and Fall of the Wankel Rotary Engine | Automotive Timeline
- Candace Watkins
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
The history of the automobile is filled with ideas that were simply too early, too expensive, or too inconvenient for their time. Few technologies embody that truth more clearly than the Wankel rotary engine.
Below is a timeline showing how the rotary engine rose, spread across the automotive world, nearly challenged the dominance of the piston engine, and is now experiencing a limited resurgence in Japan.
1924 – The Concept
Felix Wankel conceives the rotary engine concept, imagining an internal combustion engine without pistons and laying the foundation for all future Wankel designs.
From the earliest working Wankel engines, engineers explored applications ranging from automobiles to aircraft and industrial power units.
1936- Wankel receives his first patent for the rotary engine.
1954- Wankel and NSU
begin developing a prototype.
1957- The first working prototype (DKM 54) runs successfully.
1957 – The First Working Rotary Engine
The first rotary (Wankel) engine is built and successfully run.
In this year, Felix Wankel and German automaker NSU complete and operate the DKM 54 (Drehkolbenmotor), the first working Wankel rotary engine. Unlike later designs, the entire engine housing rotated along with the rotor, making it impractical for automobiles but historically crucial.
Shortly afterward, NSU develops the KKM (Kreiskolbenmotor), a design with a fixed housing and rotating triangular rotor that becomes the basis for all automotive Wankel engines.
1964 – NSU Wankel-Spider
The NSU Wankel Spider becomes the first production car with a Wankel engine.
1967 – Mazda Cosmo Sport
Mazda’s first rotary car and the beginning of the only long-term manufacturer commitment to Wankel technology.
1967 – NSU Ro 80
The most ambitious early rotary car, combining a twin-rotor engine with advanced aerodynamics and exposing durability limits that nearly bankrupt NSU.
1969 – Mercedes-Benz C111
A dramatic experimental program testing three- and four-rotor Wankel engines that demonstrated extreme performance but never entered production.
1969 – Citroën M35
A limited customer test vehicle used by Citroën to study real-world rotary durability and maintenance.
1970 – Mazda RX-2
Mazda expands the rotary engine into mainstream sedan production.
1971 – Mazda RX-3
A lighter, sportier rotary application that helps establish Mazda’s performance reputation.
1972 – Mazda RX-4
A larger rotary-powered sedan proving the engine could scale beyond compact cars.
1973 – Citroën GS Birotor
A refined but commercially disastrous twin-rotor sedan withdrawn during the oil crisis, with most examples recalled and destroyed.
1974 – Hercules Wankel 2000
The first production motorcycle powered by a Wankel engine, demonstrating the rotary’s smoothness and compactness while highlighting sealing and heat challenges in two-wheeled form.
1974 – Suzuki RE-5
This was the only rotary bike from a major Japanese manufacturer and the most widely sold overall. Famous for its bizarre “tin can” instrument cluster and turbine-like smoothness, the RE-5 proved the concept could work, even if it scared traditional buyers.
1975 – Mazda Cosmo (AP / CD Series) RX-5
Mazda’s luxury rotary coupe emphasizing smoothness and refinement rather than outright performance.
1978 – Mazda RX-7
The first truly successful rotary sports car, lightweight and affordable enough to reach a global audience.
1978 – Van Veen OCR 1000 Motorcycle
The 1978 Van Veen OCR 1000 packed a 996cc twin-rotor Wankel engine and 100 bhp into a hand-built Dutch superbike so rare that only 38 were made, turning it into one of the most elusive and collectible machines of the 1970s.
1985 – Mazda RX-7
Turbocharging brings increased power and complexity as Mazda pushes rotary performance further.
1988 – Norton RCW588(Commander/F1 program)
A rotary-powered motorcycle developed from Norton’s rotary program, combining smooth operation with touring practicality and representing the most refined road-going rotary motorcycle offered to the public.
1991 – Mazda 787B
The only rotary-powered car to ever win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, marking the high point of Wankel performance.
1992 – Mazda RX-7
The most advanced rotary road car ever sold, combining twin turbos with peak engineering ambition.
2003 – Mazda RX-8
The final mass-production rotary car, redesigned for cleaner emissions but ultimately ended by regulatory limits.
2023 – Mazda MX-30 Rotary-EV
The modern return of the Wankel engine as a compact generator rather than a primary drivetrain.
Beyond Automobiles
While the Wankel rotary engine struggled to survive in mass-market cars, it quietly found lasting purpose beyond the road. Its compact size, smooth operation, and ability to run reliably at constant speeds made it well suited for aircraft, drones, generators, and military and industrial power units, where vibration control, compact packaging, and steady-state operation mattered more than fuel efficiency.
See the Rotary Engine Up Close
The Wankel engine’s story is one of ambition, experimentation, and limits pushed too far to survive unchanged. These cars represent moments when engineers chose bold ideas over safe solutions and accepted the consequences.
See the rotary engine story brought to life in the Rotary Engine exhibit at the Tampa Bay Automobile Museum, where rare vehicles, experimental technology, and unconventional engineering are preserved not because they succeeded, but because they mattered.