Reports about a new rotary-powered sports car from Mazda refuse to die and a couple of months after hopes were revived, a Japanese publication has speculated that the new vehicle could debut at October’s Tokyo Motor Show.
If the new car, reportedly dubbed the RX-9, were to debut in October, it would come 50 years after the Mazda Cosmo premiered and debuted the famed Wankel rotary engine.
Levolant Boost reports that the RX-9 will be heavily inspired by the RX-Vision that premiered in Tokyo 18 months ago and tip the scales at between 1,300 and 1,350 kg (2,866-2,976 lbs).
Few specifics have been offered about the car’s powertrain but the rotary engine could be dubbed ‘Skyactive-R’ and debut with forced induction to produce approximately 450 hp. The RX-9 may also be priced at around 8 million yen ($71,000).
As exciting as this news is, we’re taking it with a handful of salt, not just a grain. While it would be fitting for Mazda to celebrate the rotary engine’s 50th anniversary, the company has never said it is planning a new sports car and only admitted to continuing development of the Wankel hoping to find a breakthrough.
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