Well. the reliability of Wankel engines was rather poor even in OTL's late 60ies / early 70ies as my uncle with his NSU Ro 80 could attest if he was still alive. But it certainly was one hell of a cool car for its' day and age.
The high power to weight ratio might be useful in a motorjet which has a gasoline engine driving the compressor and side stepping developmental problems with the turbine.
maybe someone wants to write a wankel wank? (i just had to say that)
I don't know where the reputation for being unreliable is coming from. Wankel engines have been successfully used in automobile racing, aviation, and seat belt pre-tensioners, all roles where reliability is vital.
Or my father who traded it in for an Audi 100 in 1972 after nearly 3 years of far too frequent repairs at the local NSU garage.Well. the reliability of Wankel engines was rather poor even in OTL's late 60ies / early 70ies as my uncle with his NSU Ro 80 could attest if he was still alive. ...
My Dad had both 1st and 2nd gen RX-7s and I remember him saying the one thing they should have added was a separate oil tank with a metering valve, same as the Japanese two strokes of the 1970s. This was due to the Mazda's high oil consumption. Other than that, we liked the cars.THe war ending so quickly is a bit of a joke, but to be perfectly honest do some research on Mazda RX8s. You will not find one with an original engine and less than 120,000 miles.
Since we're talking about unconventional options, what about auxiliary power units and starter carts for heating tank tracks and engines and starting aircraft? Wankel engines are ideal as APUs because of their compactness. I'm not sure if piston aircraft used starter carts in the 1930s though, is that more of a turbojet era thing?
I don't know where the reputation for being unreliable is coming from. Wankel engines have been successfully used in automobile racing, aviation, and seat belt pre-tensioners, all roles where reliability is vital.