78 Mustang II revival

[sgtsandman]

The AMC car that was supposed to get the GM Wankel was the Pacer. Forgot to mention the actual name of the car above. Brain fade...

A Pacer with get up and go? Who ‘da thought...

The Wankel engine wasn’t everything it was cracked up to be and Mazda was the only one to stick with it.

Not a bad engine, just not the right application. It was originally built for aircraft use as is more suited to that kind of environment where engine RPMs are kept pretty much constant. It just isn’t that efficient of an engine in an automotive environment.

I’m not sure why it didn’t get used in aircraft. It could be weight due to the need for coolant. Maybe they just couldn’t find someone willing to gamble on the power plant. With most gasoline powered aircraft, weight is everything. So air cooled is king.

 

[1990RangerinSK]

A Pacer with get up and go? Who ‘da thought...

The Wankel engine wasn’t everything it was cracked up to be and Mazda was the only one to stick with it.

Not a bad engine, just not the right application. It was originally built for aircraft use as is more suited to that kind of environment where engine RPMs are kept pretty much constant. It just isn’t that efficient of an engine in an automotive environment.

I’m not sure why it didn’t get used in aircraft. It could be weight due to the need for coolant. Maybe they just couldn’t find someone willing to gamble on the power plant. With most gasoline powered aircraft, weight is everything. So air cooled is king.

I would suggest a Punchbuggy engine (from the original Punchbuggy) since it was air cooled, but it's probably the only engine in the world that a 2.9 could beat.