Keith, List,
I ain't "got's no pistons" neither, and the Wankel don't whine! Gotta
think about the tiny chassis that a turbo rotary in the easy 600+ HP/10,000
RPM range would fit into. Bet it would fit nicely in an Austin Healey. If
these little monsters (13B turbo on nitrous oxide) can push various small
cars to over 170 MPH in the quarter mile imagine their potential on the
salt. The turbo will tone down the sharp rotary exhaust note somewhat from
the way the naturally aspirated rotaries sound (loud enough to make your
ears bleed without mufflers.) but there's nothing whiney or wimpy about the
sound.
Now lets talk about new technology and how it's been received in the past
by the LSR community. Looking at the SCTA record book I see Racing Beat's
G/PRO record is still standing, as it has since 1973. (Racing Beat claims to
have increased the G/PRO record to 160.393 in 1974, but this isn't shown in
the SCTA record book.) Early rotaries on the salt were classed at their
actual displacement. After the novelty wore off and the noisy little
foreign cars with the NEW engine (which only began being commercially
produced in 1963) began setting some records race sanctioning bodies across
the country took measures to ensure it wasn't gonna have any further
advantages. (It already had the advantage of no reciprocating motion, only
three moving parts and tremendous increases in power from minor changes.)
The Sports Car Club of America doubled the factory displacement, rotaries
were banned outright from midget racing, and the SCTA decided it was best to
TRIPLE the displacement. That musta really stung the folks that were
running Wankel engines back then, but it's been nothing more than a
historical curiosity to me. It gives anybody really considering something
NEW TECH a lot to think about. Anybody on the list remember the raspy
little R100's and RX3's on the salt? Anyone in on the decision on the
engine class change? Might make for an interesting history lesson.
Chuck "No whine, no pistons and no pushin' rods" Rothfuss
"Skipper" of the USS Wankel, 1971 Datsun RX510 (E/ etc.)
ECTA
Pole Cat Hollow, NC
P.S. Remember, junk is something you throw away three weeks before you
realize you need it.
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