The revolutionary heart that beats inside the Mazda RX-8 began life nearly 80 years ago when a young man, Felix Wankel, had a dream that dared to challenge conventional wisdom. In 1961, Mazda took up the vision and launched a massive development programme into the rotary engine. From that day forward, Mazda has become the acknowledged world leader in rotary engine technology, culminating in the innovative RENESIS engine, which marks the latest chapter of the Mazda rotary engine story. Unlike a conventional piston engine, the Mazda RX-8’s rotary engine has no cylinders, pistons or valves. Instead, two triangular-shaped rotors spin within their oval housings around a common output shaft. As combustion occurs, each rotor instantly turns, and the revs increase rapidly with virtually no vibration. And with only three main moving parts, compared to a minimum of 40 in a piston engine, power delivery is incredibly smooth and refined. With this level of ingenuity, it’s no wonder the Mazda RX-8 has won the International Engine of the Year award two years in a row.