Mazda RX-01

Mazda RX-01

Manufacturer	Mazda Motor Corporation
Also called	RX-01
Model years	1996
Class	Sports car
Body style	2 doors sports coupe
Layout	MSP-RE (multi-side port rotary engine)
Transmission	5-Speed Manual
Wheelbase	2344 mm
Length	4055 mm
Width	1730 mm
Height	1245 mm
Curb weight	1100 kg

Mazda RX-01 is a concept car produced by Mazda Motor Corporation 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 engine, its exhaust ports are 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.

See also

• Mazda RX-7
• Mazda RX-8

References

• Long, B (2001). "RX-7: Mazda's Rotary Engine Sportscar", Veloce Publishing.
• Yamaguchi, JK (2003). "The Mazda RX-8: World's First 4-door, 4-seat Sports Car Plus Complete Histories of Mazda Rotary Engine Development and Rotary Racing Around the World, RING Ltd./Mazda Motor Corporation.
• Road & Track (2003). "Road & Track Guide to the Mazda RX-8", Hachette Filipacchi Media US, Inc.