GT5 Transcripts/Mazda 110S

The Mazda Cosmo Sport was sold as the Mazda 110S outside Japan.

Mazda's reputation as an innovative sports car maker was started and cemented with the introduction of the Cosmo Sports in May 1967. Despite its radical futuristic styling, it was what lay underneath that was the big story. Under its hood sat the first mass-produced two-rotor Wankel powerplant, which Mazda called the rotary. The engine was the brainchild of Felix Wankel who sold the rights to Mazda in the early 1960s.

The engine, known in-house as the 10A, was a 491 cc twin-rotor that cranked out 108 HP, the same as a 2.0-liter piston engine of its day. What made the Wankel really attractive is that it was only about a third of the size and much lighter, allowing the Cosmo to tip the scales at a lean 940 kg. It came mated to a 4-speed manual gearbox that managed power sent to the rear wheels. The car's suspension system consisted of double wishbones up front and de Dion axles at the rear.

Mazda encased this revolutionary engine in a sleek sports car body that featured a long sloping hood and fixed round headlights. The thing looked so "out of this world" that it was featured in the children's television show "Ultraman". The Cosmo measured 162.9 inches in length and 45.8 inches wide. In July 1968, the engine power climbed to 126 HP, and the transmission got an extra forward gear. In September 1972, after selling 1,176 cars, production of the Cosmo Sports was discontinued.