Between 1971 and 1978, Mazda launched nine new rotary-engined vehicles; by 1979, only three survived, and the company had come perilously close to collapse. In the second part of our history of Mazda's early rotaries, we take a look at those vehicles -- including the RX-2, RX-3, RX-4, and RX-5 -- and trace Toyo Kogyo's dramatic reversals of fortune in the 1970s.

The Mazda Capella/RX-2, Savanna/RX-3, Luce/RX-4, Cosmo RX-5, REPU, and more

Mazda has a long history with rotary engines, going back to the Cosmo Sport and R100 of the late 1960s. With the recently announced demise of the RX-8 -- the last rotary-engined model still in production -- we look back at the origins of the Wankel engine and the history of Mazda's early rotary-engined cars.

Mazda, the rotary engine, the Cosmo Sport 110S, the Familia Rotary (R100), and the Luce Rotary Coupé (R130)

Recently, we were invited to an event at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, introducing the newly restored 1934 Ford Model 40 Special Speedster, an aluminum-bodied one-off originally designed by stylist E.T. (Bob) Gregorie for Edsel Ford's personal use. This week, we explore the history of that car and its lesser-known predecessor, and take a look at the evolution of Edsel Ford and Bob Gregorie's role in Ford Motor Company styling.

Edsel Ford, Bob Gregorie, and the Ford Special Speedster

(Photo © 2004 Pat McLaughlin; used with permission)

The Swedish automaker Volvo is best known for its solid (and often square) sedans and wagons, but starting in 1961, it also offered a sleek two-door sports coupe called the P1800 -- best known for its role in the 1960s TV version of The Saint. This week, we look at the origins and evolution of the P1800, its 1800S and 1800E successors, and its ultimate metamorphosis into a sporty two-door shooting brake, the 1972-1973 1800ES.

The 1961-1973 Volvo P1800, 1800S, 1800E, and 1800ES Sportwagon

(Photo © 2007 Murilee Martin; used with permission)