Is the Mazda RX8 the last Rotary Engine car?

The rotary engine was seen almost as an engineering miracle in the 60ies. Every car maker wanted to have it in its car. Mercedes experimented with it others did the same. But only NSU (now Audi) and Mazda followed through on it and when the NSU RO80 ceased production, Mazda was the only manufacturer to offer rotary engine cars. And they did it with quite some success. They even won Le Mans with a rotary engine car! And they improved the engine a lot and made it reliable. But they were never really able to solve one of the key problems - the high fuel consumption. The Mazda RX8 is still built today and sold reasonably well. It is an exceptional design because of the way how the doors open and because it quite nicely combines the shape of a coupé with the need to properly seat four people. The small rotary engine allows for a very sporty weight distribution with the engine mounted low and behind the front wheels. Power is sufficient with 231 hp, torque is of course an issue with only 211 nm. Mine was a grey 2004 model and it was actually quite fun to drive. The engine sound was very special with basically now low frequencies and this touch of a coffee mill. The car depreciated quicker than most cars I ever owned, also because Mazda pushed sales with heavy discounts. Fuel economy was a disaster especially compared to equally fast alternatives. The handling was exquisite and it's one of these cars you can really look through the side window when you go around corners!
Due to its characteristics and the current need to be green it may well be the last rotary engine car that is being built. But it could be an inexpensive good and fun track day car if this is what you need.

Is this what we will drive in 2030?

As every year some design studios situated in or close to California revealed their visions for the future of motoring at the LA Autoshow. This year the designers where asked to design cars that would appeal to 16 to 23 years old chaps in the year 2030. Quite a challenge. You see three results here, one from GM, one from Mazda and one from Honda. Clearly they look futuristic. However I really wonder about the usability of these "things". Either these "cars" are very big or very difficult to enter. But clearly they look cool and I could imagine my son dreaming about such a thing (even today).

So, let's see. In 20 years we will know better. Given that apparently we have gone beyond "peak oil" already, more than smart design will be needed so that future generations still can commute and travel individually.

The Mazda MX 5 Superlight - lightweight?

Mazda has built a lightweight version of the MX5 to indicate how much sportscar is in each MX5. They took off the windscreen, lightened many bits and pieces and added quite a number of racing and tuning accessories. The result is the Mazda MX-5 Superlight version. It's a prototype, production isn't impossible though. The result: 980 kg, 0-100 km/h in less than 9 seconds and a truly open and sporty feel when you drive the car, I reckon. So far so good. I am disappointed though. What this experiment shows is that you can't take a modern car and make it REALLY light. 980 kg for a small simple car is still heavy. Let me compare it with some other small simple cars from the past, what about the Lotus Elite with less than 550 kg, Lotus Elan with roughly 650 kg, Austin-Healey Sprite Mark II with 696 kg, Fiat 850 Spider with 720 kg, Alfa-Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA with 845 kg, or even the more luxurious cars like the Fiat 124 Spider with 907 kg, Porsche 356 S90 with 920 kg or VW Porsche 914 with 940 kg? They all were lighter than the Superlight MX5. Now, of course modern safety regulations and crash tests impact the weight, but by that much? I strongly believe to be able to build a lightweight car you need to engineer and construct it to be one, not to take stuff away off from an existing (heavy) car. And the Mazda MX-5 Superlight version is a clear proof for this.

20 years of Mazda MX-5 Miata - what an impressive track record!

A couple of days ago, Mazda celebrated the 20ies birthday of the Mazda MX-5 / Miata. When it was presented in 1989 it was an instant sensation. It was quite a good amalgam of Lotus Elan roots and 90ies car engineering practices. And it was a pretty simple car with almost no electronic gismo. First only available in the US and Japan it came 1990 to Switzerland. Mine was one of the first ones sold here, it was red with a black interior and I loved it a lot.
I can well remember the trips I did with it, chasing Alfa-Romeo Spiders, and being quicker thanks to the very efficient convertible top mechanism, giving me an edge when it started to rain.
When it appeared it was basically the only car of its kind, but later Fiat and other makes copied the concept. It was clearly a success, with roughly 900'000 cars built it is clearly more than the fashion of a summer. Mazda did a very good job in keeping the car updated, I especially like the latest versions while I wasn't too keen on the ones between the MK1 and the current cars.
The MX-5/Miata has all it takes to become a classic and it only takes another 10 years until the first examples turn into the "oldtimer" age. Today it's a "youngtimer" and it's a "classic" I could well imagine giving my son one of these as a present when he turns 18. I wonder whether my "own" MX-5 has survived ....
(more information for example on wikipedia)