otro buen producto de los 70, ahora en venta para nostalgicos MAZDA RX-3 – THE SECRET SAMURAI BY CHRIS PICKERING August 16, 2021 Spring 1972. The first-generation Nissan Skyline is at the peak of its powers. The all-conquering ‘Hakosuka’ is so dominant in Japanese touring car racing that it sits on the verge of scoring its 50th consecutive win. But the Skyline’s supremacy is about to come crashing down. At the Fuji Touring Car Grand Prix in May, the new Mazda RX-3 sweeps to victory, claiming first, second and third places. It wins its class in the forerunner of the Japanese Touring Car Championship that year too. And in 1973. And again in 1975. The RX-3 also went on to pick up a string of class wins in the Bathurst 1000. In 1975, only the much-modified 5-litre Holden Toranas denied the little Mazda an outright win, after it beat a field that included BMW 2002s, Datsun 260Zs and Escort RS2000s. So why is the RX-3 comparatively little known today? Along with modest UK sales, the answer is perhaps that it sits in the shadow of its siblings to a certain extent – the earlier and far-rarer Mazda Cosmo that kicked off the marque’s fascination with rotary engines, and the RX-7 that followed. And while the two-door coupé is now the most sought-after version of the RX-3, many were actually produced in less glamorous saloon and estate forms. Nonetheless, the RX-3 has achieved cult status. It’s also a hugely significant car in the story of Mazda – popularising the rotary engine concept that the company would champion for the next 40 years, and paving the way for the RX-7s that launched millions of Gran Turismo fantasies. ROTARY POWER It’s easy to imagine the RX-3 as a giant-killer when it starts up. This immaculate 1973 example, owned by Mazda UK, is now fitted with a slightly larger 12A rotary from the 1975 model. It’s also running on an aftermarket carburettor and exhaust, which give it a distinctly fruity soundtrack; an offbeat burble that pulses through the air like the sound of an idling speedboat. There’s a hint of muscle car swagger to the styling too, with its chrome-rimmed grille and fastback tail. But inside it feels delicate – dainty, almost – with a large, thin-rimmed steering wheel, pencil-sized indicator stalks and a spindly gear lever. Even the handbrake feels like it was fashioned by a watchmaker. 8-Ball gearknob is long gone now, thankfully! The first surprise as we pull away is how tractable the RX-3 feels. Looking at the deeply dished dials ahead, the red line sits at a comparatively ordinary 7,000rpm, so it’s not quite the screamer that you might imagine. In fact, there’s a decent spread of torque right across the rev range. The clutch is progressive, and the gearshift – although quite a long throw – engages with an oily smoothness. I’ve been warned not to switch the engine off when I stop for photos, and there’s a faint whiff of petrol in the air, but the RX-3 feels quite civilised. The brakes take a good shove and the steering is quite high-geared by modern standards, but both seem to get better the harder you lean on them. So does the engine. At higher revs it takes on a metallic warble – a bit like a vee twin motorcycle on fast forward. The throttle response is pin sharp, while the rotary spins away with its characteristic smoothness. RX-3 – BIGGER THINGS In other respects, the RX-3 feels quite similar to any other compact 1970s saloon. In fact, there was even a four-cylinder piston engined version known as the Mazda 818, which went directly up against the likes of the Mk1 Escort and the Hillman Avenger. But here, the experience is totally dominated by that oddball rotary unit. It defines the RX-3’s personality every bit as much as the V8 in a Mustang or a Camaro. Clearly, I’m not the only one who thinks this. The RX-3 has always been a relatively rare sight in the UK, but despite costing a hefty £335 more, it outsold the four-cylinder 818 coupé by three-to-one over here. It probably helps that the RX-3 was in a different league when it came to performance, with the original 10A-powered car good for 0 to 60mph in 10.2 seconds, while its four-cylinder sibling took more than five seconds longer to cover the same sprint. Globally, the RX-3 was a success, with a total of 286,757 sold between 1971 and 1978. That makes it the second best-selling rotary car of all time, behind the much longer-lived RX-7. More to the point, Mazda sold more RX-3s than every other car it had manufactured previously combined. It helped to put the Japanese brand on the map, laying the foundations for generations of sports cars to come, not to mention outright victory at Le Mans with the rotary-powered 787B in 1991. Of course, it’s far from perfect. We won’t talk about fuel economy, rotor tip wear or hot start issues. But with its charismatic powerplant, rarity value (in the modern market) and strong performance, the RX-3 has to rank as one of the most interesting of all the go-faster saloons produced in the 1970s. Just ask the Nissan Skyline.
muy interesante, alguien sabe el por que de esos bruscos y cortos acelerones hasta altas vueltas ? que objetivo tienen ? y que beneficio presentan frente a una aceleracion mas suave y progresiva ?
Estos motores son interesantes,pero desde que tube mi rx8 por el 2005 y me salio tan malo se me quitaron las ganas,desde que año hay este tipo de motores??
Más bien desde el principio, el NSU Spider es de 1964, el Mazda Cosmo de 1967. El desarrollo del rotativo Wankel fue colaboración entre Mazda y NSU. El segundo modelo de NSU, el RO 80 de 1967, fue el que arruinó a NSU por sus problemas y permitió que Audi la absorbiera.
Por lo visto estos motores son muy prestacionales, dados a girar a altas vueltas, con pocos bajos. Con pocas piezas internas en funcionamiento, no es muy complejo tecnicamente. La pega es que son gastones y contaminantes por su alto consumo de aceite. Siempre me he preguntado si hubiera sido posible perfeccionarlos y hacerlos más eficientes. No se apostó por ellos, por algo será. Su sencillez mecánica es importante, es más parecido a un motor de dos tiempos que de cuatro.
¿Quiere alguien una moto Rotativa a estrenar?.. Aluciflipamos. Esta Hercules W2000 de 1975 está nueva Desempolva una Hercules rotativa de 1975 a estrenar VER GALERÍA 16-08-2021 El concesionario americano Bullpen Cycles, especializado en motos clásicas, desembala una Hércules con motor rotativo Wankel guardada en su caja original desde hace 46 años. Una interesante rareza ideal para coleccionistas. MOTOS CLASICAS La Hercules W2000 está considerada como la primera moto de serie impulsada por un motor rotativo, una tecnología que únicamente se dejó ver en la Suzuki ER5 (1974-76), Norton Classic (1987-88) y la Norton F1 JPS (1990-91). Esta germana es una de las menos de 1.800 unidades vendidas entre 1974 y 1977, con denominación DKW (propiedad de Audi desde 1932) W2000 en otros mercados. El motor de esta DKW es la parte más llamativa de esta moto, un propulsor rotativo tipo Wankel (en honor a su creador Félix Wankel, patentado en 1924) que, a pesar de no generalizarse en la industria del motor, tiene sus ventajas: ligereza, compacidad, suavidad, sobrerrégimen y sencillez. Por el contrario, tienden a recalentarse rápidamente y son algo más frágiles debido a los sellos del rotor, que deben estar siempre lubricados mediante una pequeña cantidad de aceite mezclado en la gasolina. Las últimas unidades de la W2000 incluían un sistema de lubricación automática independiente que lo inyectaba en las partes más delicadas. El cuerpo de un motor rotativo de cuatro tiempos es una cavidad con forma de 8 en cuyo interior un rotor triangular excéntrico realiza un giro de centro variable constante. Este pistón transmite su movimiento rotatorio a un eje cigüeñal que se encuentra en su interior, y que gira ya con un centro único. Esta DKW W2000 de 1975 mostrada por Dave (Bullpen Cycles) tiene 294 cc, 32 CV a 6.500 rpm, 33.2 Nm a 4.500 rpm, refrigeración por aire, carburador Bing de 32 mm y 180 kg llena. Con ello es capaz de superar los 140 km/h. Caja de cambio de 6 velocidades, transmisión por cardan, frenos de disco y pinzas Grimeca son otras características.
