The world of automotive engineering is filled with innovation and experimentation, leading to some rather unusual engine designs that made it to production, albeit briefly. These engines often broke ...

Wankel rotary engine powered thousands of aircraft. One of several problems: It spewed castor oil on its pilots.

For more than a decade the name Wankel has popped up whenever car enthusiasts start talking about advanced-design automotive powerplants. The theory of the Wankel engine goes back to 1954 when Dr.

The rotary engine is perhaps one of the most polarizing motors to have ever been commercialized. From its checkered past to its intent to live on as a range extender, the small spinning triangle has ...

Washington — Remember the Wankel? There's a new spin on the rotary engine whose quirky name once made it fodder for a Monty Python sketch. Conceived by German inventor Felix Wankel in the 1920s, the ...

Toyota is famous for its 2JZ engine. Mazda has the Wankel rotary. Subaru gets the "boxer." These engines have earned our respect and admiration, even with their shortcomings. Honda has its own ...

When I wrote about Mazda’s attempt to create the perfect range extender, I mentioned I wanted to examine the ideas that seem to be closer to that goal. Unfortunately, the Japanese company’s attempt ...

The German carmaker NSU Motorenwerke last week displayed an ultra-utilitarian sedan that will, it hopes, sire a new generation of automobiles. Called RO 80, the new car has a strange engine under the ...