ajc

Thought I share this with you guys. Enjoy.

http://www.rotaryeng.net/boing21.avi

integlikew

Cute but wrong forum. Well wrong website. This a lexus fourm.

ajc

That's the point!

mcfly

Completely wrong forum, but holy c r a p that was funny.

dfw350

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

AJC,

its absolutely fine to post stuff like this here on CL, but we try to keep the model forums focused on posts that are related (or at lease somewhat related ) to the model being discussed.

We have a non-Lexus automotive forum called 'Car Chat' which is where this post belongs. I'm moving it there for you

Ludehrt

.....then the apex seal goes......POOOOOOF!

mmarshall

We certainly do a lot of Lexus chat in this forum as well. ( mostly comparing them to BMW's and Infinitis )

I'm surprised nobody commented on the obvious in that commercial. That was not an RX-7 like the writing on the screen said. That was, I believe, an RX-3 rotary wagon from the early-mid 70's...several years before the first RX-7 debuted in 1978. Mazda also at the time sold the slightly higher-priced rotary RX-2 coupe and sedan and the smaller, less-expensive 808 which was piston-engined. The Cosmo sports coupe was offered a year or two later....still before the RX-7. A close friend of mine from high school bought one of the first RX-2 coupes sold here.

What that commercial, by the way, DOESN'T tell you is that early Mazda rotary engines drank both gas and oil, spewed out a lot of emissions, sometimes flooded like hell on a cold start and filled the air around the car with both gas and oil smoke, and had wear problems with the rotary apex-tip seals ( which correspond to piston rings in a conventional engine) .....problems which, while better now, have not yet been completely solved even in the new Renesis rotary in the RX-8.

Lil4X

Those commercials were typical of a 2 year campaign by Mazda to sell the Wankel engine on the basis of smoothness. It really was! It was also a little thirsty, and I think it required premium fuel.

I used to rent RX-3 rotary wagons out in Midland when I called on my clients in West Texas. Whenever I drove into my clients' parking lots, the engineering staff would have to come out and have a look - always asking me to pop the hood. They (and I) were amazed at the engine - about the size of a cake box with four plug wires coming out of it (dual ignition on two rotors). I never experienced a problem, although I probably put over 10K on a series of new cars over the space of two years.

They'd haul a fair amount of equipment, were quite well finished, and although producing only about 100 hp, they were lightweight and would really move. You had to be careful (the rent cars didn't have cruise) to watch the speedo because the engine was so smooth (Hmmmmmmmm).

More than once on long, straight stretches of empty West Texas highway, I'd glance down at the speedometer to see the needle clawing its way to 110. I promise you it didn't SEEM like more than 70. Smooth, quiet, and well-balanced . . . a station wagon???