AutoCult Mazda Rotary Pick-up (1974) (Japan)

About the Original:

Felix would be proud!

The Japanese Mazda Motor Corporation relied quite early on the rotary engine-concept of the Wankel engine. As early as October 1960 Mazda acquired licenses of Audi-NSU. Since then the Japanse company proves that also this engine-concept can be powerful and long-lasting. Starting from 1970 the first Wankel-engined passengers cars were offered in the USA and Canada.

Two years later the Japanese company presented a small, sportive appearing pickup truck, which had a Wankel engine fitted underneath its hood. In common usage the car became known under the abbreviation REPU, which stood for Rotary-engined-pick-up. Centerpiece of the edgy pick-up with a common loading platform was a 110 hp-strong 2-disk Wankel engine of the passenger car RX-4 with a chamber volume of 2 x 654 cc. Back then the engine was considered to be very enjoyable, powerful and extremely dynamic, which contributed greatly to the enormous popularity of the world’s first and only Wankel-engined pickup truck. Visually the pickup met with great approval by the US-customers. Especially the flared fenders combined with the standard wide tires contributed to an appealing visual appearance. Other points like a less appealing dashboard or a only small storage space inside the driver’s cab were of no major consequence for the buying decision.

Starting from 1974 until 1977 the REPU was available at the car dealerships. At the end of the four-year production time the production figure stopped at 15,000 units. There was no Wankel-engined successor in the commercial vehicle sector. However, in the passenger car sector of Mazda this tradition was carried on and even today the rotary Wankel engine is still a thing at Mazda. Felix Wankel would have been delighted and proud that his invention won the heart of at least one renowned car manufacturer!