Arias Pistons 12.5:1 Compression 82mm Bore Honda B-series on 2040-parts.com

Mazda's rotary spins to its 40th

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 31 May 2007 02:03 Mazda yesterday celebrated 40 years of making rotary engines. It remains the only mainstream manufacturer persisting with this type of motor and has built 1.97 million of them since 1967. Rotary engines came to prominence in the 1950s as manufacturers experimented with turbine engines, but most admitted defeat in the face of technical difficulties and the inherent thirst of rotary units.

More than a (gull)wing and a prayer

They make up just six percent of Mercedes car sales in the United States—but nothing preserves and proliferates the top-shelf, seductive image of a Benz like a sports car. This is a point that's been driven home to me in a wide array of circumstances this year: Mercedes sports cars are still rock stars. I'll admit, I've often been a skeptic.

London Motorexpo competition shows future EVs

London's 2012 Motorexpo show has showcased the work of the winners in its competition to design an electric vehicle of the future. The brief, to create a circa 2032 zero-emmission city car capable of transporting four adults and luggage, was won by Michael Vlcek, a first-year student at London's Royal College of Arts' (RCA) Vehicle Design department. Vehicles of the future Vlcek's proposal displayed a car with electric motors mounted in the wheel housings to maximise interior space, and a front-hinged opening to allow access via the rear of the car, where Vlcek positioned the rear lights on vertical vanes to improve aerodynamic stability.