Mazda created the Mazda Cosmo, launched in 1967 as the first production car with a twin-rotor Wankel engine.
The Cosmo Sport used a compact 982 cc twin-rotor engine known as the 10A. Unlike a conventional piston engine, the Wankel design used rotating triangular rotors inside epitrochoidal chambers. Its compact size and smooth operation made it attractive for a lightweight sports car.
Mazda developed the car after obtaining a licence to produce Wankel engines from NSU and Felix Wankel’s work. The Cosmo was built in limited numbers, but it established Mazda’s long association with rotary power and demonstrated that the unusual engine could be used in a road car.
NSU had already produced the single-rotor Wankel Spider in 1964. Mazda’s specific distinction was the first production twin-rotor Wankel automobile, not the first Wankel-powered car of any kind.