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This morning when i woke up at 3am to get ready for school, dont ask me why i got up so early, i began surfing the web on the new Mazda RX8. That thing is a beast!!!! Its Rotary Engine is SMALLER and LIGHTER than MCS's engine AND produces 250hp !!!
So, what im wondering is....why doesnt BMW develop and use a Rotary engine for the Mini ??? It would be lighter, smaller, and faster! So if any BMW/Mini people read this...how bout make a M Cooper w/ a rotary engine hehe
Ahh.. the rotary engine. Technically interesting, but not really the 'big answer' it was once supposed to be back in the 1970's when almost every automaker was considering developing a rotary engine mass-market model. Only Mazda stuck with it and I think only Mazda has the legal rights to make rotary engines for passenger cars.
Too thirsty, too fragile, too dirty, too expensive. Take your choice. It's been all of those in the past 40 years since Mazda started playing with Dr. Wan kel's invention.
Mazda has made some wonderful advancements in refining the Wan kel design, but consider this: even Mazda doesn't think enough of it to do what they once did for about 5 years back in the 1970's: install it under the hood of every single model they sell. Back then they sold an all-rotary engined range of vehicles in the US - including a small pickup truck.
(the MINI2 "automatic bad words censor" keeps editing the inventor's last name, W A N K E L, which is why it is spaced weirdly above)
+ 2002 MINI Cooper S - Dark Silver / White roof, Sport, Premium, Lapis blue leather
+ 1965 Mini Traveller - Tartan Red / White roof, 1275, Cooper S discs, fully restored/renewed
As reported in the March edition of Australian Wheels magazine:
"In 2005, BMW and Peugeot will begin manufacturing a new range of small petrol engines to be shared between the two companies. The all-new alloy fours (ranging from 1.2 to 1.8 litres) are destined for Peugeot 207s and 307s, Citroen C2s and C3s and the Mini. BMW is said to have been a primary force behind the project, as it is reportedly unhappy about sourcing Mini engines from a former Chrysler facility, now owned by arch-nemesis, Mercedes-Benz"
the thought did cross my mind of fitting a twin turbo rotary engine from the rx7 into the mini.... but then I decided it will be easier just to buy an rx7!
Yah, it will be interesting to see how this new engine fairs (it's called the Renesis, btw goin440). Considering the advances in engineering and materials in recent years, it could be a hell of an engine. Of course on their website they make it (along with the rest of the car) sound like the best thing since sliced bread, but I think they might be a tad bit biased
I, too, owned an RX-7; mine was an '87, and I loved it. Of every car I have ever driven-- not owned, but merely driven or taken for a test drive-- it was, hands down, the most fun. Mine wasn't even the turbo model, but the 145hp base model, and man, it felt really good. It must have SEEMED a lot faster than I think it could really have been.
Part of what I loved about that car was that it seemed so ergonomically perfect for me-- it was as if it had been designed to fit MY BODY; maybe I'm the size of Japanese designers. The shifter, steering wheel, all three pedals, the A/C and radio all seemed to be in exactly the right place, and at exactly the right distance. The driving position was comfortable, with fine visibility, and the particular thing I remember most fondly, curiously, was how the turn signal stalk fit perfectly behind the steering wheel for fingertip operation, without taking your hands off the wheel. You couldn't see it sometimes behind the wheel, but just lift your fingers, and there it was. It was brilliant.
Best of all, though, was DRIVING it. I had never driven a manual before, and it took perhaps a month or six weeks for me to grow comfortable with it and skilled at driving the thing; most of that time was probably spent just in learning to drive a manual transmission, and the rest spent in mastering the car itself. I LOVED flinging the back end out and then gunning it in a line out of a corner. I was pretty terrified when it rained, which happens a lot in Houston; it seemed like I had a lot of power and a pretty slippery rear, in a car that would have weighed a lot more with a conventional engine.
And getting used to having unassisted steering was a chore at first, though eventually I really liked the feel, at least when I was moving at proper driving speeds (until the day I sold the car, I really dreaded having to turn in parking lots.)
The combination of these experiences made the RX-7 the most fun car I've ever experienced. It was more fun, for me, than a friend's Miata, or the TT 225 Quattro I tested, or a friend's early M3 (which was great, but lacked the sports-car feeling of the little 2-seat RX-7). The rotary engine was clearly a big part of that experience. It made good noises... it pulled in a predictable, linear, intuitive way... it fit under a low hood, to offer superior visibility... and its low weight gave the car great balance.
That said, it was a maintenance nightmare. Every RX-7 was hungerier for oil than a pair of President Bushes. That was normal for the engine, but still troubling to me. It got unbelievably lousy fuel economy. And although the particular problems that I had to repair weren't faults of the engine itself-- I can remember having to replace the starter some two or three months after I got the car-- they were all terribly, terribly expensive, because everything under the hood was unique to the RX-7. An air filter cost $45, in 1992. I remember seeing all the air filters in a row at the auto supply store... $12... $14... and then the one I needed. A square, little thing. $45.
So I sold the car, and it broke my heart. Nothing since has been half as much fun. I did buy the most reliable car I could find, to replace it: a 1992 Nissan Maxima SE, and to this day, it's been the most reliable car anyone in my family has ever owned; I still drive it. But despite its own speed-- which is at least on par with the old 2-seater, and is probably a good bit faster, in fact-- it's nothing like the fun of that Mazda, with its ****el engine.
The Renesis design features simple, brilliant, almost obvious improvements over the older rotary engines, and offers tremendous improvements in efficiency and emissions control. If it proves reliable over time, I think it would be an ingenius choice for the MINI, and I thought that several weeks ago as I was reading again about the Renesis, because I realized for the first time that it's smaller than MINI's engine. No more torque than the Cooper S, but with another 2000 RPMs to enjoy, an additional 100hp, and reduced weight, it would make the Cooper fast. And, it would do it without a supercharger and intercooler. With this reduction of parts and complexity, I'd bet a Renesis solution will prove at least as reliable as the Cooper S's engine, over time.
Yeah, there's no way it's going to happen, so this is just a dream. But, I think it's an obvious fantasy, and maybe a brilliant one. The MINI has to make compromises because of its modest proportions, and I certainly approve of not making the car any larger (I'm especially fond of the incredibly compact dimensions of the original Mini.) But it IS a little disappointing that it's so difficult to safely make the Cooper as fast as we'd like, to keep up with other cars on American roads, because there's simply no room for more engine. The smaller, faster, lighter Renesis really stands out as an obvious solution. I would love to see that engine in my favorite car.
!!! I just reviewed my post, and nearly died laughing when I saw that the profanity-filter had edited ****el! BAH ha ha ha ha ha! ...I think that must be a British thing.
...I should also add that I've driven several MINIs, both Coopers and Cooper S, and they're also great fun to drive, of course. The MINI offers a very different sort of fun, in a weird way-- it's odd, to go sailing around a curve or corner at crazy speeds, and feel like you're in a video game rather than a car, because there's no body roll, or oversteer, or other indications that you're turning, except for watching your 96-ounce American ludicrous-sized soft drink go flying from between your legs to sail out the window. I LOVE it. Very different from the sports-car type fun of a 2-seat RWD RX-7, but still a tremendous experience that has to make you smile, and drive around the block again to buy another soft drink.
Texan. Goofy. Sometimes witty. Pacifist. Imperfect, nice guy. Trying.
It's an interesting thought... as mentioned in a previous Mini Vs. RX8 thread (which was a bit silly) I have switched to an RX8 now after changing my Mini Cooper for a Smart Roadster - Ooops what was I thinking I know
Anyway, the Wankel engine in the RX is indeed a BEAST and the car is fantastic. It would be interesting for someone like Z Cars to try one out and see what the Mini really does turn into!
Something for a tuning house to look into methinks
Anyway, I do miss the Mini crowd but I'm glad to report that RX8 owners have etiquet too and I get waives all over the place whenever two 8's cross paths!
Joy!
Chris
Black HP RX-8, Red / Black Leather, Electric Sunroof... ZOOM, ZOOM!
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What was BMW thinking?! (MCS/rx8 engine) 
!!!
??? It would be lighter, smaller, and faster! So if any BMW/Mini people read this...how bout make a M Cooper w/ a rotary engine 
hehe
!!! I just reviewed my post, and nearly died laughing when I saw that the profanity-filter had edited ****el! BAH ha ha ha ha ha! ...I think that must be a British thing. 
