Against the backdrop of automotive giants like Toyota, Nissan, Honda, and Mitsubishi, Mazda has always charted its own course. It wasn't afraid to take risks, rejected templates, and repeatedly surprised the world with solutions that seemed crazy but turned out to be ingenious. Born in the ruins of Hiroshima, Mazda has evolved from a cork product manufacturer to a symbol of Japanese engineering boldness - and much of this happened thanks to one idea: the rotary engine.
From the Ashes: How Mazda Rose from the Ruins
Before World War II, Hiroshima was a thriving industrial center in southern Honshu. Toyo Kogyo, founded by Jujiro Matsuda, then produced cork products and could hardly compete with large machine-building enterprises. But Matsuda had a dream - to create his own car.
The war ruined those plans. After the atomic bombing on August 6, 1945, the city turned into ashes. Tens of thousands of residents died, and the economy was destroyed. But Jujiro and his son Tenuji survived - and soon began to rebuild the business. By the end of the 1940s, Toyo Kogyo was back on its feet, producing three-wheeled trucks.
When Tenuji Matsuda took over the company in 1951, he continued his father's work but looked much further ahead. It took him a whole decade to gather the resources and engineering potential for his own passenger car model. In 1961, the first Mazda car appeared - the tiny R360, a representative of the Japanese kei-car class: microcars with minimal taxes and fuel consumption.
The R360 was simple, light, and affordable, but that wasn't enough. Mazda needed something that would set it apart from dozens of similar companies. Something that would give it a chance to survive in a world ruled by conglomerates.
A Miracle Born of Risk
Tenuji Matsuda believed that only technical innovation could save the business. Hearing about the German engineer Felix Wankel, who had invented a revolutionary type of engine without pistons, he became enthusiastic about the idea. The rotary engine promised to be more compact, lighter, and more powerful than a traditional one, with minimal vibrations.
In 1960, Matsuda personally went to Germany, visited the NSU factory where Wankel worked, and became convinced that this was exactly what Mazda needed. Despite the skepticism of shareholders, he paid a fabulous 280 million yen (about 3 million dollars) for the license.
Now, the main thing had to be done - to make this engine work stably. To do this, Matsuda gathered 47 of the company's best engineers. Colleagues nicknamed them the "47 Ronin," in honor of the legendary samurai who sacrificed themselves for the sake of duty and honor.
The work turned out to be agonizing: rotary engines broke down one after another, not lasting even 200 hours of operation. Funding was melting away, and the result was far from serial production. But the Ronin did not give up - step by step, they eliminated the design's teething problems. And in the end, they did the impossible: the Wankel rotor came to life under the hood of a Mazda.
Mazda's Space Age
The 1960s were the era of the space race. The world looked to the sky, and Mazda also decided to touch the stars. In 1967, the Mazda Cosmo Sport sports coupe was born - the first production car with a rotary engine. Even the name hinted at the era: Cosmo.
Under the hood was an engine with a volume of only 982 cm³, but developing 110 hp - an impressive figure for such a small engine. Later, the power was raised to 130 hp, and the lightweight coupe became a real sports car. The Cosmo Sport looked futuristic, drove fast, sounded unusual - and became the company's calling card.
Although only 1200 units were produced, the Cosmo Sport proved that the rotary engine is not just an engineering curiosity, but a real alternative to piston engines. Next came the Mazda Familia Rotary Coupe and other mass-produced models - more expensive than usual, but cheaper than the exclusive coupe. In the early 1970s, Mazda began exporting rotary cars to the United States.
The Rise and Fall of the Rotary Dream
America met Japanese rotors with interest. In the era of the fight for clean air, they turned out to be in trend: in terms of CO₂ emissions, such engines looked much more environmentally friendly than traditional ones. Mazda installed them on everything - from sedans and coupes to the REPU rotary pickup and even the Parkway Rotary bus. It seemed that this technology was the future.
But in 1973, the oil crisis struck. Fuel prices soared, Americans began to count every gallon, and the appetizing but gluttonous rotors were out of work. The second crisis of 1979 finally buried the idea of a mass rotary car fleet.
By the early 1980s, Mazda had only one model left with a rotary engine - but a legendary one.
RX-7: Rotary Queen
The Mazda RX-7, which appeared in 1978, became a symbol of the era. The compact coupe with perfect weight distribution, rear-wheel drive, and a unique character instantly won the hearts of speed enthusiasts.
Three generations of the RX-7 - more than 800 thousand cars sold, dozens of racing victories, and a cult status. The RX-7 appeared in the anime Initial D, where the Takahashi brothers race it, in the first "Fast and Furious" - driven by Dominic Toretto, and in "Tokyo Drift" - by Han.
The RX-8 replaced the RX-7, more practical and officially sold even in Russia. Its star rose in the film "Night Watch" - the scene where the red Mazda soars up the facade of the Cosmos Hotel is still etched in memory.
But the rotary miracle also had weaknesses: high fuel and oil consumption, complex maintenance, and low reliability. In 2012, production of the RX-8 was completed. It seemed that Mazda's rotary era had come to an end.
Legacy That Became a Legend
Mazda could have become another victim of the oil crises, but the rotor made it special. This technology gave the brand not only charisma but also the glory of a winner. In 1991, the Mazda 787B became the first (and for a long time the only) Japanese car to win the legendary "24 Hours of Le Mans."
The bright orange 787B with the squeal of a four-rotor engine overtook Mercedes, Jaguar, and Toyota, writing Mazda's name into the history of world motorsport. One of the pilots, Johnny Herbert, was so exhausted after the finish that he could not climb onto the podium - but Mazda stood at the top.
Many years have passed since then, but the spirit of rotary Mazdas lives on. From Cosmo to RX-7, from Hiroshima to Le Mans - this is the story not just of cars, but a story of audacity, loyalty to an idea, and faith in the impossible.