ArcaMax

Then came the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), presidential penned into existence by Richard Nixon and along with it, the Clean Air Act of 1970.

These two developments would prove to be the death warrant of the rotary engine as a passenger car powerplant - and by dint of that, The End for Mazda's rotary-engined sports car.

And not just Mazda's rotary-engined sports car. Also GM's (intended-to-be) rotary-engined economy car, the Chevy Vega. It, too, was originally designed around the rotary concept. But when GM engineers were unable to get the NSU-licensed mill passed the EPA's smog gantlet, a conventional piston-engined replacement took its place.

The same fate befell the (also-planned) rotary-engined AMC Pacer, which likewise ended up being sold with an overly heavy and underpowered but smog-approved piston engine instead. LIke GM, AMC had poured millions - in 1970s money - into the rotary engine and spent years trying to make it pay off. It never did.

There were other victims, too. Suzuki had planned a whole line of motorcycles built around the rotary engine and even built (and sold) a few. But the whole thing had to be kiboshed and - to this day - motorcycles (not just Suzukis) continue to be powered by conventional (piston) engines.

Mazda hung in there for a long time - and managed to keep the rotary engine within plausible EPA spec all the way through 2011, in part by relocating the exhaust ports. But the changes Mazda made to the engine killed the engine's fuel economy, leading to a Catch 22 scenario. The engine could either be reasonably fuel-sippy and and "dirty" (as defined by EPA's increasingly unreasonable standards) or it could be "clean" (by the early 2000s, fractional reduction in exhaust emissions separated "dirty" vs. "clean" engines) and thirsty. Either way, Mazda was screwed.

The cost to keep the rotary smog legal was also high - and this rendered the RX8 an increasingly pricey car. The final year - 2011 - the car's bas price was $26,680.

Meanwhile, the Miata cost thousands less - and it handled nearly as well. It got much better gas mileage, didn't annoy the EPA and had a well-earned reputation for being all-but-indestructible. Miatas could - and still do - run on the track every weekend, then drive their owners to work every week…. for 200,000 miles. It has been - cue Borat - a great success for Mazda. The RX8 not so much.

While it is common to see 20-year-old Miatas still in daily driver service, it is rare to see an RX8 on the road at all. A few still survive, tucked under covers safely in enthusiasts' garages - beautiful reminders of a great idea that never quite panned out.

RX8 Trivia:

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