Kenichi Yamamoto: 1922-2017

Kenichi Yamamoto, father of the Mazda Rotary engine, recently passed away at the age of 95.

His family announced his death on Christmas Day, when Classic Car Buyer’s editorial staff were on annual leave.

History has Yamamoto to thank for transforming Felix Wankel’s design into a saleable engine; far from perfect, it remained a credible alternative for scores of enthusiasts.

That a rotary-powered Mazda 787B won the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1991 is testament to the engine’s – and Yamamato’s – staying power. It was a far cry from Mazda’s first ‘Smokey Badger’ rotary, an oil guzzling, self destructive single rotor device cobbled together by Yamamoto’s team 30 years prior.

Yamamoto’s career enjoyed similar progress. As a newly graduated engineering student in 1944, he was rather over-qualified for the Mazda assembly line job he reluctantly accepted two years later. Precious few companies were hiring as Japan picked up the pieces after the Second World War and at the time, the firm’s mainstay was three wheeled pick-up trucks.

A chance discovery of blueprints detailing the specification and tolerances of the gearboxes and differentials he was building as a factory worker eventually caught the eye of a managing engineer.

Yamamoto, having examined the documents in his spare time, began moonlighting as an unofficial quality controller.