Mazda

The Mazda Cosmo was introduced in 1967. It was one of the first production cars to feature a two-rotor Wankel engine. Mazda decided on the name Cosmo, reflecting international cultural fascination with the Space Race. The company wanted to showcase the Mazda Wankel engine as forward-thinking, with focus on future developments and technology. Cosmos were hand-built at a rate of approximately one per day, for a total of 1,176 (343 Series I cars and 833 Series II cars).

The second generation Cosmo appeared in 1975, known as the Cosmo AP (Anti-Pollution) in Japan, and sold internationally as the Mazda RX-5. In some export markets its piston-powered counterpart was called the Mazda 121. The anti-pollution label reflected that the cars were able to meet the strict, 1976 Japanese emissions standards, thanks to the installation of a thermal reactor which kept hydrocarbon levels down.