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Kenichi Yamamoto has died

275 points by artsandsci 9y ago

gr3yh47 9y ago
no doubt the Takahashi brothers are mourning this one
JPLeRouzic 9y ago
I think the NSU/Audi Ro-80 [0, 1] predates Mazda, isn't? And Mazda (as well as Citroen and others) used this engine, I think. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSU_Ro_80 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSU_Ro_80 [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wankel_engine#Early_developments https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wankel_engine#Early_developmen...
- jacquesm 9y ago
  It says he is the father of Mazda´s rotary engine, not of all rotary engines.
flavio81 9y ago
The first commercial Wankel engine was brought by NSU in the 60s. They licensed the technology to other manufacturers, including a consortium (Comotor) of many well known manufacturers, that shared research results between them. Already in the early 1970s, Mercedes Benz solved the apex seal problem, created engines with side ports, and three-rotor racing Wankel engines (see Mercedes Benz C111). They concluded that the Wankel engine had an inherent, fundamental fuel efficiency problem and thus abandoned the project. Mazda realized the same conclusion in the early 2000s, it being the only problem of Wankel engines nowadays.
- Narretz 9y ago
  I'd say Mazda realized the fuel effiency problem much earlier than the early 2000s, but they still wanted to produce a car that was a symbol for the technology and the company's history. It was also unique and sold well enough because of that.
  - busterarm 9y ago
    Right. The lack of of a rotary Mazda on the market right now is really more of a success story for politicians and government regulation. It is a good thing, but we are poorer some damn fun cars because of it. That said, you're not really going to truly enjoy it east of the Mississippi anyway... Disclosure: RX-7 owner.
    - flavio81 9y ago
      >is really more of a success story for politicians and government regulation. Why? I thought the latest Mazda rotary engines were of very low emissions.
      - mikepurvis 9y ago
        Not really; they're burning oil all the time because the seals need to be actively lubricated. And to the extent that "low emissions" can be claimed, it's achieved by burning the uncombusted fuel in the exhaust stream, which is cool but horrendously inefficient. Then again, who knows: http://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/14064/mazda-confirms-rotary-sports-car-engine-in-development http://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/14064/mazda-confirms-rotary...
        deleted 9y ago
        [deleted]
      - Grazester 9y ago
        No and this may be inherently due to the rotary engines design.
    - faultyerwin 9y ago
      > Right. The lack of of a rotary Mazda on the market right now is really more of a success story for politicians and government regulation. I've heard that many RX-8s didn't keep factory spec after relatively short period of usage. They require also quite often (every 30-40000 km) the change of apex seals.
devy 9y ago
Mr. Yamamoto deceased on Dec 20th, 2017. The title should probably be noted "(2017)
- vorotato 9y ago
  That would be misleading given that it was 17 days ago.
  - jimmaswell 9y ago
    It's already misleading because the title made me think it happened today or at least this year.
  - gozur88 9y ago
    The clear thing would have been to use the full date.
- pvg 9y ago
  The purpose of these year doodads is to show something isn't recent news and how unrecent it is. This is recent news.
rdoherty 9y ago
Not only is he the father of Mazda's rotary engine, he also recommended as president that Mazda build the Miata, arguably the best two seater sports car ever made. The Miata probably also kept Mazda in the spotlight and alive through the 90s. Mazda is an interesting car company. Example: they have 0 electric or hybrid cars and don't have plans to make any afaik. They have a new 'X-Active' gasoline engine that also runs like a diesel at times to gain efficiency and power (https://jalopnik.com/mazdas-upcoming-skyactive-x-compression-ignition-engine-1797643172 https://jalopnik.com/mazdas-upcoming-skyactive-x-compression...). I'm not sure it's a great idea to continue working on gasoline engine technology considering the industry and market, but it is impressive engineering. They've also managed to keep the Mazda Miata at nearly the same weight (only 300lbs more than the original) and size (3 inches wider, 1 inch shorter) after over 20 years of safety and convenience improvements. I can't think of any other car model that's done that. Somehow this small car company always punches above its weight, which is impressive.
- csours 9y ago
  I would call the Miata the most successful "driver's car". Other sports cars have better numbers and do better at the track, but the Miata is darn fun to drive.
  - rdoherty 9y ago
    I agree, they never are the fastest, but they know how to make a perfectly balanced in all factors, enjoyable driver's car. Source: I race cars and have driven a Miata on the track.
- tinbad 9y ago
  And not just the Miata! Almost every Mazda is the best handler in its class. It’s somewhat tragic they don’t sell as well as they should. They are objectively better in many ways. It’s one of those that having an objectively superior product is not a guarantee to perform well in the market. I truly hope Mazda will be around for many decades to come.
  - 9y ago
legitster 9y ago
As a car nut, Mazda holds the most special place in my heart. Affordable, reliable, and fun cars to drive. They proved you could have it all. And when driving them, you get the sense that it was made by happy, passionate engineers who never had to compromise their principles.
mengibar10 9y ago
What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset. --Attributed to Crowfoot (ca 1830-1890), chief of the Canadian Blackfoot tribe.
- mengibar10 9y ago
  Who downvoted this comment? This is a beautiful poem reminding how short life is. However you are achieved and done it passes like a flash. What is wrong with some people? They are trigger happy I guess, downvoting what they could not understood. Shissh!
  - ionised 9y ago
    I didn't downvote, but your comment has absolutely nothing to do with the subject of the thread.
    - mengibar10 9y ago
      It is. We all live a life, like Kenichi, successful or not, full of achievement, but in the end we all die. The poem tells how short the life is regardless. Some HN readers are one dimensional people, even worse can not ponder for a second and give the benefit of doubt. Also, downvote should be for something negative, not just you think it is irrelevant.

275 points by artsandsci 9y ago

no doubt the Takahashi brothers are mourning this one

I think the NSU/Audi Ro-80 [0, 1] predates Mazda, isn't? And Mazda (as well as Citroen and others) used this engine, I think. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSU_Ro_80 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSU_Ro_80 [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wankel_engine#Early_developments https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wankel_engine#Early_developmen...

jacquesm 9y ago
It says he is the father of Mazda´s rotary engine, not of all rotary engines.

flavio81 9y ago

The first commercial Wankel engine was brought by NSU in the 60s. They licensed the technology to other manufacturers, including a consortium (Comotor) of many well known manufacturers, that shared research results between them. Already in the early 1970s, Mercedes Benz solved the apex seal problem, created engines with side ports, and three-rotor racing Wankel engines (see Mercedes Benz C111). They concluded that the Wankel engine had an inherent, fundamental fuel efficiency problem and thus abandoned the project. Mazda realized the same conclusion in the early 2000s, it being the only problem of Wankel engines nowadays.

Narretz 9y ago
I'd say Mazda realized the fuel effiency problem much earlier than the early 2000s, but they still wanted to produce a car that was a symbol for the technology and the company's history. It was also unique and sold well enough because of that.
- busterarm 9y ago
  Right. The lack of of a rotary Mazda on the market right now is really more of a success story for politicians and government regulation. It is a good thing, but we are poorer some damn fun cars because of it. That said, you're not really going to truly enjoy it east of the Mississippi anyway... Disclosure: RX-7 owner.
  - flavio81 9y ago
    >is really more of a success story for politicians and government regulation. Why? I thought the latest Mazda rotary engines were of very low emissions.
    - mikepurvis 9y ago
      Not really; they're burning oil all the time because the seals need to be actively lubricated. And to the extent that "low emissions" can be claimed, it's achieved by burning the uncombusted fuel in the exhaust stream, which is cool but horrendously inefficient. Then again, who knows: http://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/14064/mazda-confirms-rotary-sports-car-engine-in-development http://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/14064/mazda-confirms-rotary...
      - deleted 9y ago
        [deleted]
    - Grazester 9y ago
      No and this may be inherently due to the rotary engines design.
  - faultyerwin 9y ago
    > Right. The lack of of a rotary Mazda on the market right now is really more of a success story for politicians and government regulation. I've heard that many RX-8s didn't keep factory spec after relatively short period of usage. They require also quite often (every 30-40000 km) the change of apex seals.

devy 9y ago

Mr. Yamamoto deceased on Dec 20th, 2017. The title should probably be noted "(2017)

vorotato 9y ago
That would be misleading given that it was 17 days ago.
- jimmaswell 9y ago
  It's already misleading because the title made me think it happened today or at least this year.
- gozur88 9y ago
  The clear thing would have been to use the full date.
pvg 9y ago
The purpose of these year doodads is to show something isn't recent news and how unrecent it is. This is recent news.

rdoherty 9y ago

Not only is he the father of Mazda's rotary engine, he also recommended as president that Mazda build the Miata, arguably the best two seater sports car ever made. The Miata probably also kept Mazda in the spotlight and alive through the 90s. Mazda is an interesting car company. Example: they have 0 electric or hybrid cars and don't have plans to make any afaik. They have a new 'X-Active' gasoline engine that also runs like a diesel at times to gain efficiency and power (https://jalopnik.com/mazdas-upcoming-skyactive-x-compression-ignition-engine-1797643172 https://jalopnik.com/mazdas-upcoming-skyactive-x-compression...). I'm not sure it's a great idea to continue working on gasoline engine technology considering the industry and market, but it is impressive engineering. They've also managed to keep the Mazda Miata at nearly the same weight (only 300lbs more than the original) and size (3 inches wider, 1 inch shorter) after over 20 years of safety and convenience improvements. I can't think of any other car model that's done that. Somehow this small car company always punches above its weight, which is impressive.

csours 9y ago
I would call the Miata the most successful "driver's car". Other sports cars have better numbers and do better at the track, but the Miata is darn fun to drive.
- rdoherty 9y ago
  I agree, they never are the fastest, but they know how to make a perfectly balanced in all factors, enjoyable driver's car. Source: I race cars and have driven a Miata on the track.
tinbad 9y ago
And not just the Miata! Almost every Mazda is the best handler in its class. It’s somewhat tragic they don’t sell as well as they should. They are objectively better in many ways. It’s one of those that having an objectively superior product is not a guarantee to perform well in the market. I truly hope Mazda will be around for many decades to come.
- 9y ago

legitster 9y ago

As a car nut, Mazda holds the most special place in my heart. Affordable, reliable, and fun cars to drive. They proved you could have it all. And when driving them, you get the sense that it was made by happy, passionate engineers who never had to compromise their principles.

mengibar10 9y ago

What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset. --Attributed to Crowfoot (ca 1830-1890), chief of the Canadian Blackfoot tribe.

mengibar10 9y ago
Who downvoted this comment? This is a beautiful poem reminding how short life is. However you are achieved and done it passes like a flash. What is wrong with some people? They are trigger happy I guess, downvoting what they could not understood. Shissh!
- ionised 9y ago
  I didn't downvote, but your comment has absolutely nothing to do with the subject of the thread.
  - mengibar10 9y ago
    It is. We all live a life, like Kenichi, successful or not, full of achievement, but in the end we all die. The poem tells how short the life is regardless. Some HN readers are one dimensional people, even worse can not ponder for a second and give the benefit of doubt. Also, downvote should be for something negative, not just you think it is irrelevant.