Manufacturer Mazda Class Sports car Transmission 5-speed manual | Model years 1996 (concept car) Body style 2 doors sports coupe | |
Layout MSP-RE (multi-side port rotary engine) | ||
Mazda RX-01 was a concept car produced by Mazda that debuted at the 1995 Tokyo Motor Show.
Created partially in response to the state of the economy at the time and the resultant shrinkage of the high-end sports car market, the RX-01 undertook a back-to-basics approach of a compact, simple, fun-to-drive, yet inexpensive sports car much like the first generation RX-7. (By this time, the RX-7 had evolved into an uncompromising "super sports car" boasting ultra high performance with little creature comfort and a high price tag.) The RX-01 boasted a radical front end with a floating bumper/spoiler made possible by its compact rotary engine as well as a claimed true 2+2 seating arrangement.
More significantly, however, it marked the first public appearance of the next generation of Mazda rotary engine design, the 13B-MSP. A naturally aspirated Wankel engine, its exhaust ports were now located in the side housing instead of the periphery of the rotor housing, thus preventing overlapping intake and exhaust port timing. This has several benefits: higher output, improved thermal efficiency, better fuel economy, and cleaner emissions.
While it was hoped by enthusiasts that the RX-01 would be put into production as the next iteration of Mazda's rotary sports car and made available to world markets (the RX-7 was discontinued in North America after 1995), the declining interest in sports car over SUVs and Mazda's financial state at the time conspired to keep RX-01 merely a concept car. However, the 13B-MSP would go on to be further developed into the eventual RENESIS engine that powers the RX-8.