Yes, you read that right, a 450hp, triple-triangle-powered smiley Mazda. And it sounds sweet!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfSQD0AvtEQ
I can't find any more details on it, sadly, but it rocks nonetheless.
Ohh, my medulla badidea is tingling! If anyone of you lurkers works for Mazda, listen up:
2013 Mazda3 + 16X rotary = 2013 Mazda RX-3. DO EEETTT!!!
Just found a website with a few photos and a little more detail. The car will race in the Belgian Touring Car Series and the engine used to reside in a Mazda RX-8. Still no specifics otherwise (i.e., FWD, RWD, or AWD, build photos, etc.).
Area JDM (translated from Polish via Google Translate)
This story reminds me of the most ear splitting sound I ever heard. It was while watching the AS/R race at Road Atlanta. I don't remember the date but I do know there was a skimmpy field that race. The car was a large disp. 3 rotor engine in a custom built tube frame chassis with a very low fiberglass body. The big block Lolas and McClarens were shaking the earth as usual but the rotory engine drowned them out. Holding my ears closed as hard as possible still didn't seal off the pain. Other spectators had pained looks on their faces. The fence wire was vibrating in tune with the sound. This sound was more painful than a AA fuel dragster or even a Matra 12 cyl. F1 car. It wasn't long after that that mufflers were required on rotory engined race cars.
yea... magical triangles do seem to pierce the air..
Oh my. I've never wanted and RX8 but I'd be at the Mazda dealer tomorrow morning with cash in hand if they sold them.
A 3 rotor would put a smile on the face of any car.
The noise comment made me think of a weird story. Once at the dragstip, two hispanic groups brought out these weird cars I had never seen before or since. They were boxy, and obviously rotary powered. They were painted crazily, in many different spray bombed colors. They were even towed there. When started up in the pits, they sounded very weird. I had never heard a rotary before that, let alone an unmuffled one. No turbo either. One car literally was winging the engine full on then idle for 10 minutes. That was enough to make me retreat back to the rumble rumble of the high compression big blocks.
Then they got to the line.
"WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII" goes the worst noise I ever heard. More obnoxious than any engine ever. Tree comes down "WIIIIIIIII, Buuh. " it just about stalls, then accelerates more slowly than any car that day - I drove my 17.40 Camaro that day. This car was easily slower than 20 something. I have no recollection. Then the next guy came. Same exact thing. I think they made three launches each that day. Each one ended the same way. We're talking auto four cylinder Corolla from the early 80's slow here. I mean maddeningly slow.
That was my introduction to rotaries. My buddies RX8 though, sounds pretty OK.
That is one evil smilie face