Wankel

Rob Dahm, notorious rotary-powered car builder, has firmly jumped into the deep end of the pool with his latest project: The world's only 15.7-liter, tri-turbo Y12 rotary engine. If that doesn't make any sense, you're not alone.

One of the rotary engine's biggest champions, AIE has been advancing rotary design since 2012. Its latest release shows that Wankel engines can be a perfect fit for compact, power-demanding applications in robotics and aerospace.

LiquidPiston is testing a 10-kW generator it's prototyped for the US military, which it claims is just a quarter of the size and weight of the Army's current genset. That's thanks to its innovative rotary engine that delivers extraordinary power density.

Astron aerospace has shown a partial prototype of a new rotary combustion engine it claims runs at an extraordinary 60% thermal efficiency, burning totally clean with zero NOx emissions and nothing but fresh water out of the tailpipe.

An innovative new combustion engine eliminates half the guts of a traditional engine, and uses a fascinating internally rotating piston and sleeve arrangement, making it lighter, simpler and more efficient while still making strong power and torque.

Internal combustion engines have still got a few punches left in them. Case in point: Kiwi drifter "Mad Mike" Whiddett has unveiled "the wildest drift car I could think of," built around the world's first 5-rotor Wankel rotary engine.

LiquidPiston says its new XTS-210 solves the efficiency, lubrication and fuel type issues of Wankel rotary engines. This supercharged, liquid-cooled two-stroke claims 5X the power of an equivalent size or weight diesel engine, and 3X the torque.

The extraordinary Crighton CR700W extracts an incredible 220 hp from a 690cc twin-rotor Wankel engine, and weighs just 129.5 kg (285.5 lb) dry for a MotoGP-level power-to-weight ratio. Its maker believes it could be the final word in combustion bikes.

Knaus Tabbert has revealed its E.Power Drive research prototype at the 2021 Düsseldorf Caravan Salon. The motorhome dumps diesel for an all-electric powertrain supported by a rotary engine generator that doubles as a campground power source.

Mazda has announced the all-new MX-30, the firm's first battery electric vehicle to the US market. Aimed at the California market, it's a compact SUV-styled car that will also herald the return of the Mazda rotary engine for a plug-in hybrid version.

A fresh and extremely powerful take on the rotary engine. Connecticut company LiquidPiston is developing a portable generator for the US Army using its X-Engine, which promises as much power as the Army's current gen-set at one-fifth the size.

Group B saw drivers wrestling boxy tearaways along narrow tracks inches from fans desperate to get a close-up view of their heroes. It was enthralling, but deadly. This immaculate Mazda RX-7 Evo Group B Works managed to survive the chaos, though, and now it's up for auction in London.