The RX-3 became so popular for motorsport drivers that finding a stock version of this car now is nearly impossible, all of them having undergone some kind of upgrade or transformation. A stock RX-3 topped out over 100 horsepower on only a one-liter engine-comparable to engines four times its size. Originally designed to house a piston engine whose weight and power were intended for an ordinary passenger car, when the RX-3 was equipped with the much smaller rotary, it became dangerous on the track. The RX-3 benefitted greatly from the rotary engine because of its size. They took the car to the 1972 Fuji Masters, and upset the favored Nissan with a win (and three more in ’72, ’73 and ’75), followed by a victory in its class at Bathurst. Just as with the Cosmo, Mazda put the RX-3 up for competition to prove its legitimacy, driven by the same person who had taken them to the fourth at the 84 Hours at the Nürburgring. The car was called the Grand Familia when it came with a piston engine, while “RX-3” was reserved for the rotary version, and in its home turf of Japan it was known as the Savanna. Sensible and affordable, the RX-3 gave Mazda their first chance to build their identity and brand, both as a manufacturer and a presence in the racing world, around the Wankel rotary engine. If the Cosmo was built as an expensive, commercially nonviable halo car so that its technology would influence future Mazda offerings, the RX-3 would be one of the first beneficiaries. The final model of the Cosmo was released in 1972.
#Forza horizon 4 update 37 series#
They had a vested interested in demonstrating the value and reliability of the rotary technology, which is why they entered Series 1 Cosmo into the 84 Hour Marathon de la Route at the Nürburgring it came in fourth. Mazda was inspired by the space race, but also by recent offerings like the Thunderbird and the Jaguar E-type, which informed the Cosmo’s styling. The car itself was designed specifically around the rotary engine. This meant a smooth and powerful engine in a compact body. The Cosmo’s rotary engine put out more power with less displacement and had fewer moving parts. And it worked! The Cosmo was never a huge seller, as each one had to be hand-built, but the rotary became a mainstay of Mazda manufacturing, appearing in numerous cars in the decades since its first appearance here.
The first Cosmo released in 1967 as a “halo car”: a type of car that a manufacturer creates to pioneer new technologies for use in future car development, even if the halo itself is never meant to be commercially viable. So Mazda set their sights on the Wankel rotary engine, and dedicated themselves to building a car worthy of it. This was the environment at the time when a Japanese car manufacturer decided to make a name for themselves with a new technology of their own. In the mid-1960s, countries like the US, the UK, the Soviet Union, and their allies were embroiled in the space race, each pouring resources into developing new technologies that would give them the advantage in reaching the stars. What is new in today’s Forza Horizon 4 (FH4) Series 36 Update? New Cars 1972 Mazda Cosmo
0 kommentar(er)
