#Dynamic Soarer

[lonestarflight]

Concept art of the launch of the Boeing X-20 Dyna-soar.

source, source

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Hi there!

If you haven't already, would you mind doing a post on winged beings? More specifically humanoid beings with wings? (How they dress, sit, lie down, how wings work, etc.)

Thank you so much for your time!

Writing Notes: Winged Characters

The "Winged Humanoid" Trope

A human with wings sprouting from their back.

Biologically improbable due to human bone and muscle structure (though at the same time, usually easy to rationalize at first glance due to the nature of our shoulders), and if they're intended for actual flight, you may have to write off several laws of physics as well.

Therefore, such characters are often assumed to be not entirely of this world, especially since the domain of birds shares a name with God's kingdom: Heaven. This ties into the classic depictions of winged angels as well.

The type of wing is usually indicative of the character's nature and/or morality; but in general:

white feathered wings indicate an angel,

black feathered wings or bat wings indicate a devil, and

insect wings indicate a fairy.

If there's something even slightly resembling feathers, expect a Perpetual Molt. Don't expect flapping — however, there will be plenty of floating.

By welding Greco-Roman art and religion, The Renaissance artistic movement started the whole idea of Christian angels being winged humanoids.

Generally seen as highly attractive, even if the Wings Do Nothing.

Some Types of Wings in Different Media

Angel wings (white bird wings) used to always represent good. While they still usually do, nowadays they are also possessed by Knight Templars or other Holy Is Not Safe types.

Bird wings that aren't either pure black or pure white usually represent a naturally-occurring Winged Humanoid. Probably morally neutral, with a strong chance of being a Proud Warrior Race Guy.

Bone wings are usually possessed by undead (especially undead dragons) but occasionally mean "too evil for bat wings".

Demon wings (bat wings with a horn instead of a thumb) still usually represent evil (or at least a primarily evil species that might have one or two good members).

Insect wings are seen on fairies and insectoid monsters.

Leaf and petal wings are another if rare type of wings found mostly on fairies and the occasional character with a Green Thumb.

Manta ray flying wings usually are an attribute of something really weird and cool, be it monster, vehicle or both at once.

There are 4 general wing types:

Elliptical Wings. Found on bats and most small forest and scrub-dwelling birds, such as robins and sparrows. These wings allow a high degree of control and manoeuvrability in confined spaces, and minimise drag to allow rapid ascent and descent. Wing beat is usually rapid. They are highly slotted between the primary feathers which helps to prevent stalling during sharp turns, low-speed flight, and frequent landing and takeoff.

High Speed Wings. Wings designed for speed are found on swallows, falcons, shore birds, and ducks. Birds that feed on the wing or make long migrations. The bones are relatively long, and the wings taper to a point to allow for high flight speed with low drag, and low energy consumption during flight. Because the wings are also thin, they must be flapped for short glides and during descent, and flaps are fairly rapid but small. This type of wing is aerodynamically efficient for high-speed flight but cannot easily keep a bird airborne at low speeds.

Long Soaring Wings. Terns, albatrosses, gannets, frigate birds, gulls and other sea birds tend to have longer wings for soaring. The wings have a high aspect ratio resembling those of sailplanes. The open spaces allow for long wings to create good lift with little energy expenditure. They are also adapted for high speed and dynamic soaring. However, they are less manoeuvrable than the wide, slotted wings of land soarers. Birds with this kind of wing can glide easily over large expanses of water and have exploited the sea winds.. However, the birds must usually run and take off into the wind to get off the ground, and usually land easily on water.

High-lift/Broad Soaring Wings. Broad wings which provide high lift and soaring are found on vultures, condors, hawks, ospreys, pelicans and eagles. These wings are broad and only relatively long, allowing for takeoff and landing in fairly confined areas, high lift, low speed soaring, and slow descents. Many of these birds are land soarers with good manoeuvrability required for tactic soaring in the air currents over land.

Wing Modifications

Broken or tattered wings imply a broken or disillusioned individual, likely a defector, an exile or bestial and savage being.

Cape Wings tend to belong to anti-heroes or villains.

Energy wings: Good or evil, these are the mark of power, and lots of it.

Metallic wings. These are often seen on Humongous Mecha, but these are usually mechanical, airplane-like wings, unless the designer wants to get theatrical. However, different rules often apply if it transforms or combines.

Tiny, stylized wings not connected to the body are generally there to look cute. The morality they indicate depends on what type of wing they are, though evil characters with these are usually not intended to be taken seriously.

Cluster wings consist of various unconnected parts of wings floating in place. They may or may not be connected to the body and pretty much come in only two materials: energy and crystal. Therefore, they are multicolored by default. These wings tend to indicate an insanely powerful being, a chosen one, or something else special.

Hybrid wings are used to communicate mixed heritage or the dual nature of the owner.

Upside-down wings are always the mark of something evil, though if it applies to a species there might be that one good person among them. Usually combines with devil or bone wings, but it can also combine with angel wings for that fallen or distorted angel look.

More Related Character Tropes

Bird People: A race of avian humanoids. Specifically this means a coat of feathers, a beak, scaly legs, talons, etc.

Draconic Humanoid: May be the descendants of dragons and normal humanoids, or a species of their own.

Harpies: Half-bird/half-human in varying degrees.

The Mothman: A cryptid said to resemble a bird-like humanoid.

Examples in Art & Literature

In Gabriel García Márquez's short story "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings", the titular character is found in a small South American village. The villagers think he might be an angel, but he looks human: he's an old, flea-infested, wrinkled man with no teeth and crippled, barren wings. At the end of the story, he flies away, and we never find out whether he was an angel or just a Winged Humanoid.

When Egyptian gods have winged humanoid forms, they usually have the wings fused with their arms. But occasionally a deity will have two wings fused to their arms and one or more pairs sprouting from their back.

Early Mesopotamic cultures had imagery of humanoids and animals (of non-winged species) with wings. Ancient Greece took that feature and incorporated it into its own iconography, resulting in various gods, personifications, and creatures with wings in Classical Greco-Roman Mythology and Imagery such as The Harpies. The wings depicted are usually feathered bird-wings, with the notable exception of Psyche's (Eros' lover) butterfly wings. Among the winged persons are among others: Nike (goddess of victory), Iris (goddess of the rainbow), Pegasos, gryphons. The Erotes Eros/Amor (love), Anteros (requited-love), Himeros (desire), and Pothos (longing) are usually depicted as young winged boys of various ages. Same as Thanatos (death). There's also the Gorgons, who were said to have wings of gold (as well as snaky locks, fangs, scales, and brazen claws).

Tengu from Japanese folklore. They're depicted as bird men with long pointed noses, mask-like faces, and feathered wings on their backs.

In Russian folklore, dragons (zmeys or zmeis) can assume human form, and can even produce offspring with humans. Dragons in human form and half-dragons are often described as retaining certain draconic features.

Aztec Mythology: The goddess Itzpapalotl had butterfly wings… made out of knives.

Psyche and Cupid (Bouguereau): Cupid is given fluffy white wings befitting a Christian angel in this romantic ode to the love he bore for Psyche, who gets a pair of (comparatively smaller) butterfly wings.

In The Divine Comedy, Satan's wings are directly compared to a bat's because they have no feathers, showing his corruption. In contrast, the holy and perfect angels of Purgatory are described as having pure white or pure green "eternal pinions, that do not moult themselves like mortal hair". Gustave Dore's art further depicts the Malebranche, devils who torment the souls of corrupt politicians, as having traditional batlike wings.

Paradise Lost: In the first twenty lines, God is described as "with mighty wings outspread dove-like" as an immediate sign of his innocence. From there, comparison of angelic and divine wings to eagles and pure white birds are common to indicate regality and goodness. In contrast, the demons have Red and Black and Evil All Over wings that make them look like swarming bees.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ⚜ Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

Hi, here are some related character tropes with examples, and also some information on how wings work on different animals, which you can use as inspiration to create your own fictional winged being. Choose which ones are suitable for your story, and alter as needed/desired. You can find more examples and details in the sources linked above. Hope this helps with your writing!

[harpagornis]

Why do frigatebirds lack wing slots?

Unlike other seabirds like albatrosses, which use dynamic soaring, frigatebirds are thermal soarers, riding on air collumns that form above the sea. Thermal soaring is, however, more often associated with continental flyers like storks, large raptors, ravens and cranes, which makes sense as continental settings tend to produce collumns of hot air.

These flyers also have a thing frigatebirds lack: wing slots.

Wings of the American Black Vulture Coragyps atratus.

The only other marine soarers with wing slots I know off are pelicans, and these tend to just as easily soar in continental settings. So what gives?

I don’t think an actual study has been conducted as to why frigatebirds lack these slots otherwise fundamental for thermal soarers. Closest I’ve found was Liu et all 2021, and that doesn’t explore the aerodynamics of frigatebird wings (even lumping them with dynamic soarers, which is flat out wrong).

My best guess is that, unlike most thermal soarers, frigatebirds are rather acrobatic. They routinely chase after other birds in flight and pursue flying fish; this might mean that a sharper wing shape is more desirable, much as in falcons, skuas and other aerial predators. The sheer size of frigatebird wings – some of the proportionally largest among living birds – might compensate for this, and as you can see in the above picture they do angle them forward, likely further macking up for the lack of slots.

What does this means for pelagornithids?

Pelagornis sandersi silhouette by corvarts. Note wing slots.

Another lineage of sea birds, the massive pelagornithids, were also thermal soarers. Unlike frigatebirds, however, I doubt these were acrobatic flyers, seeing as they were much larger. Thus, I think wing slots might be more appropriate in future depictions of these birds.

[muhammadnaeemtransportllc]

High Soarers: Premier Crane Rental Companies in UAE

Welcome to the world of Crane Rental Companies in UAE, where engineering prowess meets the soaring skyline of the Emirates. As a dynamic and fast-growing nation, the UAE is renowned for its iconic architecture and ambitious construction projects. 

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Read More:

[jdmcarotaku]

Fujimi Aero-Dynamics Tuning kits

フジミのエアダムチューニングのプラモデル

[tribbetherium]

The Early Temperocene: 135 million years post-establishment

The Sky's the Limit: The Pterodents

Another ten million years have passed, since the beginning of the Early Temperocene. The warming of the planet has seen an explosion of diversity in land, sea and sky, as survivors of the mass extinction rush to fill empty ecological gaps left behind in their wake. In these ten million years, many things have remained the same: dense jungles populated by arboreal lemunkies, vast plains patrolled by herds of piggalo, and shallow seas inhabited by huge pods of hamatees and cricetaceans flourishing in the shallow, sunlit seas. But also, some dynamics have been turned upside-down, as new species rise from obscure beginnings.

It is an early morning on the continent of Mesoterra. The main sun Alpha has just broken over the peaks of the Mesoterran Alps, flooding the mountainside in its golden dawn light, while its partner Beta vanishes on the opposite horizon, to bring Beta-twilight onto the opposite side of the globe.

Through the morning mist, a flock of small ratbats wheel in circles above the mountains, feasting on the bounty of swarms of flying insects that the ratbats excitedly snap up midair. Since their emergence in the Late Rodentocene, 20 million years PE, the ratbats had reigned the skies for over a hundred million years, their power of flight enabling them to spread throughout the world and diversify into thousands and thousands of species.

The small, brown insectivore fliers gather in large flocks for protection, amassing into evasive hordes when faced by their primary predator, an aerial hunter from their own ranks known as the falcyon. Today, however, the coast seems clear, and the ratbats feast greedily: darting in agile zig-zags as they pounce on flying insects, they proudly display the aerial acrobatics that had enabled them the sole rule of the sky for many eons long past.

But then, an enormous shadow passes over them.

The small flock panics, abandoning their eager chases and gathering in a tight, sweeping, fluttering mass, in a bid to evade whatever sudden intruder had crashed their space. But the shadow swoops on overhead, and it becomes clear that this was no falcyon.

It is something much, much, bigger.

Soaring through the morning sky on immense, slender wings boasting a span of an impressive five meters, this shadow belongs not to a ratbat, who for all so long had been the only hamsters to fly the skies of HP-02017. This creature, a descendant of the cragspringer of the Mesoterran Alps of ten million years earlier, is one of a novel new clade of flying podotheres, whose adaptations for the extreme altitude of the summit proved useful to challenge the ratbats' dominion of the air: the pterodents.

Fortunately for the ratbat flock, they have little to fear from this giant of the skies: this species, the silver soarer (Cygnomys ornithomus) has no interest in flying prey. A mountain-dwelling omnivore that feeds on plants, fruit, insects and small animals on the mountaintops and cliffsides, it passively soars past the flock of ratbats without a second glance, and disappears into the morning mist, leaving the flock to continue their aerial buffet.

Pterodents arose relatively recently, as little as eight million years ago when the leaping hunting methods of the cragspringers, along with their parachuting patagia, gave way to proper gliding, and eventually powered flight. Their membranes extended all the way to the hand, and an elongated fifth finger greatly hypertrophied to support the wing, while their tails became broader and flatter and fringed with stiff, barbed hairs to add extra lift and act as a rudder to help change direction. Their reflective, iridescent coats, adapted for reflecting harmful UV rays in the mountaintops, proved equally useful when soaring at high altitudes, with specialized pigments in their eyes also blocking the harmful rays from their more sensitive ocular regions.

Gradually, the pterodents would take to the skies as their new ability allowed them to spread far and wide to occupy new territory, but would find themselves crowded around in a sky ruled by the ratbats, numbering in over 5,000 flying species in the Early Temperocene. Thus, to alleviate competition and reduce pressure from them, they did something that no ratbat ever could: they grew much larger.

Ratbats, while efficient flyers, are constrained by their physiology: their solid structures, dense anatomy, and relatively inefficient respiratory systems made them unable to exceed a wingspan of two meters before they were no longer able to fly. But the cragspringer's adaptations to breathe at high altitudes-- large, chambered lungs that circulated air through partitions and maximized oxygen intake-- also allowed them to be proportionately lighter, and with some of the powerful tendons that acted as shock absorbers having also hardened and formed added strength and support to their lightweight skeletons without adding much weight unlike dense bone, the pterodents were capable to not only be lighter and more efficient flyers, but also to grow bigger than what their competitors could.

Surprisingly, today the pterodents ecologically compete little with the ratbats. Their larger sizes allow them to occupy niches entirely separate from their counterparts, with very little overlap between the size of the largest ratbats and the smallest pterodents. Even the smallest living species, the bald-footed ratavult (Gymnopodopteryx condorimys) measures at a wingspan of at least two and a half meters, being a specialized scavenger exploiting the abundance of megafaunal carrion in the Arcuterran mainland. As it relies more on thermal uprisings of air, rather than the wind currents of the ocean or high mountain, it has shorter, rounder wings than its relatives that enable it to catch and glide on warm updrafts and fly long distances without flapping its wings much.

Meanwhile, on the open sea, the long-billed wandergander (Pseudoanser pelagicus), with a modest four-meter wingspan, skims the ocean surface for small shrish and pescopods that comprise much of its diet. It catches small aquatic prey with the help of its long, hairless snout, possessing conical-cusped teeth yet creating the uncanny illusion of an avian bill when closed, and rides the air currents in a fast, energy-efficient looping pattern for miles on end as it crosses vast stretches of ocean in search of food. At times, when pickings are slim and push comes to shove, it may even bully sea-going ratbats into dropping their catch, then snatching up their plundered prize as it falls from its unlucky target's grasp.

Despite their aerial advantages, however, the pterodents themselves are faced with constraints of their own. Most significantly, they, like all podotheres, are bipedal, and thus proportionately have a less forceful takeoff than the quadrupedal ratbats, which take to the air with the aid of their wings rather than solely their hind legs. As such, all pterodents nest on mountaintops, on seaside cliffs or on the tops of tall trees where they can simply jump off to become airborne: and should an unlucky pterodent find themselves on flat ground, it would take considerable effort to take flight due to their size, often requiring a laborious running start that hinders their launch and leaves them vulnerable to ground-dwelling predators.

For now, the pterodents are large and few, occupying the niches best suited to the pros and cons of their unique biology: a biology, like its ancestor the cragspringer, is suited for high altitudes: but this time, borne aloft on immense wings, without the support of a mountain beneath its feet.

▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪

[edwhiteandblue]

Patch of the Day: X-20 Dynamic-Soarer

The X-20 Dynamic Soarer, or Dyna-Soar, was an early 1960s Air Force manned spaceplane program. It would have been able to perform a wide variety of tasks such as reconnaissance, space rescue, and satellite maintenance. For more information, visit my blog post linked here.

This patch is fan-made and in the shape of a hexagon

Depicts a bird’s eye view of the spaceplane in its center

Details of the vehicle are outlined in silver

The military branch name and vehicle name are in silver capital letters against a blue background with silver trim

Overall design comes from the pedestal on which Boeing’s mock-up sat during its unveiling

[severepeanutperfection]

Automotive Back-up Camera Market Future Trends, Industry Size and Forecast to 2032

An automotive back-up camera is a special kind of camera (video) which is produced precisely for the motive to be mounted to the rear side of a vehicle to support in backing up. These are specially designed to avoid back-up accident by a vehicle. These camera are commonly attached to the vehicle head unit display. The rear-view system increase the visibility for driver, and identifies additional information for combination with other parking systems and supports also trailer functions. A mountable camera concept offers from viewing only level up to active break and steering support different setups.

By 2022, the sales of automotive back-up camera are predicted to provide an additional market potential of more than US$ 2.6 billion, growing at a startling CAGR of between 8 and 9 percent from 2022 to 2032. Compared to the US$ 2.3 Bn recorded in 2021, the market for vehicle backup cameras is predicted to surpass US$ 5 Bn by the end of 2032.

Earlier (in 1991), Toyota Soarer Ltd. was the first production automobile to in-corporate a back-up camera in the U.S. Since being launched in luxury cars, back-up visibility systems have initiated to enter into non-luxury light vehicle market as original equipment manufacturer. Additionally, after-market options have been available over the past ten years.  The new regulations gave rise to an evolution that has taken back-up cameras from pricey luxury to industry standards.

Automotive Back-up Camera Market: Regional Outlook

Region wise, North America will be a prominent region for automotive back-up camera market owing to maximum OEMs are installing back-up cameras in the United States more than doubled, increasing from 30% to 60% of all new cars sold. Moreover, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has made rear view cameras mandatory on all cars by 2018. Also, Europe is also estimated to be a notable region for the demand for automotive Back-up camera market owing to the presence of most of the manufacturers. Most of the M&HCVs and light commercial vehicle (LCV) in Asia-Pacific are not equipped with a back-up camera that opens a wide opportunity for back-up camera vendors. MEA and Asia-Pacific is thus expected to be increasing at substantial CAGR over the forecast period.

Automotive Back-up Camera Market: Market Participants

Some of the market participants/vendors identified in the Automotive Back-up Camera Market across the world are:

Denso Corporation

Magna International

Valeo SA

Robert Bosch

Continental AG

Delphi Automotive

Astral

Fabtec

Garmin Ltd.

The report covers exhaustive analysis on:

Market Segments of Automotive Back-up Camera

Market Dynamics of Automotive Back-up Camera

Market Size of Automotive Back-up Camera

Supply & Demand of Automotive Back-up Camera

Current Trends/Issues/Challenges of Automotive Back-up Camera

Competition & Companies involved of Automotive Back-up Camera

Technology of Automotive Back-up Camera

Value Chain of Automotive Back-up Camera

Regional analysis includes:

North America (U.S., Canada)

Latin America (Mexico, Brazil)

Western Europe (Germany, Italy, France, U.K, Spain)

Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia)

Asia Pacific (China, India, ASEAN, Australia & New Zealand)

Japan

Middle East and Africa (GCC Countries, S. Africa, Northern Africa)

Automotive Back-up Camera Market: Segmentation

On the basis of vehicle type

Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV)

Passenger car (PC)

Heavy Commercial Vehicle (HCV)

Construction Vehicle

On the basis of monitor

LCD

LED

TFT-LCD

On the basis of position

Surface Mounted Automotive Back-up Camera

Flush Mounted Automotive Back-up Camera

License Mounted Automotive Back-up Camera

On the basis of sales channel

After-Market

OEM

Report Highlights:

Detailed overview of parent market

Changing market dynamics in the industry

In-depth market segmentation

Historical, current, and projected market size in terms of volume and value

Recent industry trends and developments

Competitive landscape

Strategies of key players and products offered

Potential and niche segments, geographical regions exhibiting promising growth

A neutral perspective on market performance

For More Info@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/automotive-back-up-camera-market

[britishsass]

Winged au Bob idea: his mind has some really obnoxious wind currents that dibt make that much sense - too many downdrafts, the wind shifts to exactly the direction you dont want it to go, the wind currents really screw with dynamic soarers like albatrosses too. So raz has to use the boat.

I could see that-- Something that makes it really hard for anyone to even try to help him, to be honest. It's not like he hasn't tried, it's just that after the first three crashes... he gave up.

[lonestarflight]

Concept art of the Boeing X-20 Dyna-soar being lifted into orbit by a Titan III.

source

[fuckyeahfluiddynamics]

Earlier this summer, I looked up on a bright, sunny day and saw a quartet of black and white figures soaring overhead. Initially, I thought it might be a formation of kites or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) because I saw no flapping as the group wheeled about. With the help of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s awesome Merlin app, I was able to identify the soarers as American white pelicans - not a species I’d expected to find flying along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains! (Turns out, they breed on lakes around here.)

The reason I saw so little flapping is that the birds were riding thermals. As the sun heats the ground, air near the surface warms up and begins to rise due to its buoyancy. Pelicans interested in flying between breeding and foraging grounds will start testing the thermals early in the day, as soon as they begin to form. As the heating continues, the intensity of thermals strengthens and they extend higher into the atmosphere. This is where the birds can really excel at using atmospheric energy for their flight. Pelicans will circle within a thermal until they reach roughly the middle of its height. Then they will glide, gradually losing altitude until they reach another thermal where they can climb without expending their own energy. With a 2.7 meter wingspan and a relatively low drag coefficient, the pelicans can glide and soar remarkably well. Researchers have even suggested using them as a sort of biological UAV for studying atmospheric dynamics! (Image credits: D. Henise, M. Stratmoen; research credit: H. Shannon et al., pdfs - 1, 2)

[wolfoftonight]

Here’s a guide on how I draw and understand wings.

Elliptical Wings: These are used mostly by forest dwellers, as their high maneuverability is useful for confined spaces with lots of obstacles. The shortness of the wings reduces surface area to allow faster upward and downward movement. However, they tend to be high energy consumption, and the wings must be flapped constantly to stay airborne.

Examples: Robins, sparrows, hummingbirds, and other forest birds

High Speed Wings: These wings are found most often on migratory birds, or those who feed while in the air. They are designed to move quickly with low energy consumption, but due to the thinness, it becomes difficult to stay in the air when moving at a slower speed. They are also characterized by a tapered end, which helps to reduce drag.

Examples: Ducks, falcons, swallows, and many shore birds

Long Soaring Wings: These wings are designed for large open areas like the sea for take off and landing. They are exceptionally long and able to execute dynamic soaring and high speeds, but cannot maneuver easily. They can be likened to airplane wings, and function best when over water because they can make heavy use of sea winds.

Examples: Terns, albatrosses, gannets, fulls, frigate birds, and other sea birds

Broad Soaring Wings: These wings are designed for long flights at relatively slow speeds. Their huge surface area grants them exceptionally high lift, but also restricts their speed. However, their slotted primaries give them good maneuverability and allow them to take off in relatively confined areas. Most are land soarers who make use of tactical soaring.

Examples: Vultures, eagles, hawks, condors, pelicans, ospreys

[scott-m-lubell-blog]

On October 24, 1957, 60 years ago, the United States Air Forces started a program for the Boeing X-20 Dyna-Soar ("Dynamic Soarer"). This program would lead to the 30-year Space Shuttle program. Ironically October 24 is also the day of the final Concorde flight in 2003.

[aviationhistory]

The USAF starts the X-20 Dyna-Soar program. "Dynamic Soarer" was a United States Air Force program to develop a spaceplane that could be used for a variety of military missions, including reconnaissance, bombing, space rescue, satellite maintenance, and sabotage of enemy satellites. The program was canceled just after spacecraft construction had begun 1963.

[jonathanbelloblog]

Behind the Wheel of Four Mazda Rotary Classics at the 2017 Japanese Nostalgic Car Touge California

First held in 2015, the Japanese Nostalgic Car Touge California is a scenic, non-competitive road rally that has grown into a hotly anticipated event that attracts participants from around the region. 2017 is Mazda’s second year as title sponsor, a deal that immediately makes perfect sense for the Japanese manufacturer most focused the idea that “Driving Matters.”

Mazda’s beloved rotary engine buzzes in its 50th anniversary this year and to celebrate, four mint-condition piston-less classics were dusted off for the Touge and carefully placed in our hands.

1978 Mazda REPU

The rally began on El Cajon Mountain, roughly an hour to the northeast of San Diego (and about 100-odd miles southeast of Mazda’s USA headquarters in Irvine). A swarm of low-displacement, high-revving classics from the Land of the Rising Sun staged at a municipal park, each eagerly awaiting the go-ahead from the rallymaster. To set a baseline, I grabbed the keys to the metallic green Mazda REPU, the oldest, and easily the most charming car of the bunch.

As far as compact trucks go, the Rotary Engine Pick Up (REPU) was a sports truck before sports trucks were really a thing. Sure, Dodge’s Custom Sport Special and, later, its Li’l Red Express, were the true predecessors to modern performance trucks, the little REPU was one of the first trucks to put a focus not just on straightline speed, but on sharper handling and steering as well.

Regardless of purpose, the 1.3-liter two-rotor lifted from the RX-4 punched way, way above its size. 110 hp was a moonshot away from its contemporaries, which relied on asthmatic four-cylinders often producing well under 100 hp to get the job done. This particular REPU was a bit of a mild hot rod thanks to a loud Racing Beat exhaust and five-speed gearbox from an early RX-7.

On the first leg of the rally, the REPU had no problem keeping up with other participants, but not without keeping my co-driver and me at the edge of our bench seat. Despite the raspy exhaust note and RX-7 gearbox, this was no Miata. Trucks have come a long, long way in the past 40 years, and the short stint in the REPU was enough to solidly drive that point home.

Body roll and vague steering aside, the REPU was easily the most charming of the rotary crew. The long-throw shifter, pencil-thin steering wheel, bench seat adds up to a delightful little package. Beyond the smiles, it also provided a much-needed dose of non-RX-7 rotary. I sometimes have difficulty mentally separating the rotor from the RX series, and the buzzy REPU was a great medium to experience the triangle in something other than a low-slung, two-seat sportster.

But speaking of the RX-7…

1988 Mazda RX-7 Turbo II 10th Anniversary Edition

For almost twenty years, a dirty black coupe sat in the alley driveway of one of my grandmother’s neighbors. At least two or three times a week, I would pass by that driveway and that coupe without investigation, taking note of its existence but not bothering to get any closer than the edge of the alleyway.

In high school, desperate for something cheap to wrench on, I developed a rather hazardous habit of poking around neighborhood alleys for undiscovered four-wheeled gold, and that driveway was one of my first stops. The mystery coupe turned out to be a Brilliant Black FC Mazda RX-7 Turbo II, sitting in what appeared to be bone-stock condition.

This was it—this was my project. I did my research, going so far as to find a full replacement engine from a local race shop. I cruised forums, aggregated prices, and learned what to look for. I returned to my grandmother’s house a few days later, only to discover a vacant driveway. After 15 years of sitting, the RX-7 was gone, never to be seen again.

Fast-forward eight years and I’m holding the keys to a mint-condition FC RX-7 Turbo II on the side of one of the best roads in the world. Life can be strange that way.

Mazda’s FC is a rare 10th Anniversary edition, indicated by the fabulous white-over-white exterior appearance. Like so many cars from the ‘80s, time has been kind to the FC. Its shape isn’t as striking as the later FD generation’s, but the clean, unadorned wedge is refreshingly simple when parked next to the newest Toyota Camry

Inside, the black interior is covered, from seat to pedals, in all manner of period-correct techno-clutter. The gauge cluster shouts out to the driver through orange accents, while the center console brims with buttons, knobs, and a supremely cool sound equalizer comprised of nine independent sliding switches.

Out in the canyons, my fears were confirmed—I really missed out all those years ago. The turbocharged 1.3-liter 13B offers up 182 hp, allowing the 2,800-pound coupe a 0-60 mph sprint in the mid six-second range, more than enough to get in trouble.

In motion, the Turbo II very much feels its age, but don’t mistake that for a bad thing. Sawing away at the embossed steering wheel returned a slight dead spot before engagement, a characteristic matched well with the slightly rubbery shifter and noticeable body roll. Buzzing through the cliffside roads, the FC was alive in the best way, dipping, diving and darting its way through corners.

Nostalgia aside, this was my favorite car of the day. It’s rooted firmly in the era which spawned it, and provided the perfect context for the indomitable FD RX-7 that came next.

1995 Mazda RX-7

In a world clogged with high-mileage, modified RX-7s with blown engines, Mazda’s white, 27,000-mile 1995 RX-7 was deliciously special. Coming out of the FC, it was clear just how much of a leap forward the FD was at the time. Sharp, angular lines turned into a soft, flowing design that remains one of the most cohesive and considered shapes ever to emerge from Japan. On the regular coupe, nothing appears tacked on. The headlights fold away, falling over a smooth front fascia broken up only by blended running lights and three intakes. Even the standard wheel design is “soft,” with rounded portions lifting out toward the edge of the rim.

Inside, it’s a nice, driver-focused cockpit, but not nearly as visually impressive as the exquisite exterior. Much like the contemporary Toyota Supra, Mitsubishi 3000GT, and Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo, the $33,000 ($55,000 in 2017 dollars) price tag when new meant that the FD was aimed at the same financial bracket that bought Corvettes. As such, it’s a luxurious, dark environment, with leather and soft touch plastics.

Contrary to all the earsplitting, backfiring RX-7s I’d seen online, the 13B in Mazda’s FD was as quiet as can be. Rotary rasp didn’t arrive until the 8,000 rpm redline. All FD RX-7s feature Japan’s first sequential twin-turbo system, pushing the little 1.3-liter two-rotor up to 252 hp and 217 lb-ft of torque, enough gumption to press the 2,700-pound coupe from 0-60 mph in a contemporarily blistering 5.0 seconds.

In places where the FC was thin and frail, the FD felt comprised primarily of granite and basalt. It’s not heavy, nor is it large, but out on tight backroads, the FD was substantial. It’s much faster than you would expect, quietly humming its way to modern sports car speeds without fuss. Everything was as dialed in as the legends claim, from the steering, brakes, and shifter.

It’s far too rare to meet a legend in this industry and walk away satisfied. Most older cars, despite hype, don’t live up to the stories, thanks to condition, performance, or setting. Mazda’s low mileage, mint-condition FD was perfect, and made the sweat, sunburn, and thirst from the SoCal sun worth it.

1993 Mazda Eunos Cosmo

Sitting amongst semi-angular Datsuns and Toyotas, the ruby-red Eunos Cosmo was wildly European. It’s so stylistic and sleek, it almost seems as though you’d run into an Alfa badge if you scratch away the paint. This was Mazda’s top-of-the-line grand-touring coupe for the Japanese market, offering the same cut of luxury and refinement found in the Toyota Soarer, known to us as the Lexus SC.

Power came from the mighty twin-turbocharged 20B-REW, the only three-rotor engine to make it to production. In keeping with the luxurious attitude, power is sent to the rear wheels exclusively through a four-speed automatic transmission. Adhering to the same power restrictions as other Japanese sports cars, power is capped at 276 hp, but it’s commonly belived the actual figure peaked somewhere just north of the 300 hp mark. Torque is a bit more than 280 lb-ft, more than enough to push the coupe its 111 mph top speed, limited by industry regulations of the time.

Where the FD RX-7 simply felt large, the Cosmo was one of the biggest cars on the entire tour. It’s long, lean, and incredibly handsome. Surprisingly, the Eunos was even quieter and fuss-free than the RXs, whoosh-ing its way to supra-legal speeds without effort.

Inside, it was a wonderland of leather, digital display readouts, and ice-cold air conditioning. Much like the Soarer, the Eunos was far from the most dynamic of the bunch, but served as a much needed aperitif for the sunny day.

IFTTT

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In the early 1960′s, the Air Force developed a reconnaissance spaceplane known as the X-20 Dynamic Soarer. What became of it? 

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