Miguel Sánchez
Today, the electric transition poses one of the greatest historical challenges to the automotive industry. In this way, from the small neighborhood workshop to the large energy company, they have to rethink their business model in the midst of a slow process but without return. However, although now experiencing a questioning with signs of being definitive, the combustion engine with pistons has already been objected to in the past. The first of them came, precisely, from the field of electricity. In fact, were it not for oil interests spouting from new wells in Baku or Texas, motor racing could have been powered by electric motors since the early XNUMXth century.
Be that as it may, the truth is that battery improvement research finally fell out of favor until today. Something to which, in addition, the invention of the starter motor contributed, making combustion cars machines as simple to start as the electric ones themselves. Thus, the piston combustion engine has lived its hegemony for more than a century. A domain that has not been deprived of alternatives, among which the patent registered in 1929 by the German Felix Wankel stands out. Largely self-taught, this engineer tested the first working models of the invention in the garage of his home.
Undoubtedly modest beginnings, not predicting what would happen in the early sixties in Japan. And it is that, encouraged and financed by the Japanese government itself, Mazda designers Kenichi Yamamoto and Yushio Kono led a team of about 180 people to create a Wankel-powered production car. All this with the vision of being competitive in the international market thanks, among other things, to technological differentiation. Finally, the complex problems of maintenance and consumption given by engines of this type only resulted in the historic saga of RX rotaries so typical of Mazda.
A brief result. Although in the sixties and early seventies there were widespread convictions about the possibilities that Wankel engines exhibited to replace piston engines. An optimistic climate in which Mercedes, AMC, Toyota, Citroën and NSU participated. All of them with rotating prototypes that went more or less far depending on the case. Yes indeed, the German NSU can be attributed the greatest credit for launching its Ro80 model into series. One of the most interesting sedans in European motoring and, with the permission of the Citroën GS Birotor or the Mazda Cosmo, one of the best-known Wankel-powered vehicles of the XNUMXs and XNUMXs.
COMOTOR, THE JOINT INITIATIVE OF CITROËN AND NSU
When Volkswagen absorbed NSU in 1969, it decided to set it aside in the face of Audi's scheduled resurrection. A decision that is understood from the reorganization of brands within the German group, although it is still a pity for any follower of technical originality. And it is that, in 1967, NSU had launched its Ro80 with a rotary engine. A three-volume devised by Claus Luthe -who would become the head of design at BMW- capable of seducing any collector focused on mechanical heterodoxy.
Just that same type of fan who would also be attracted by Citroën's hydropneumatic suspensions as well as by the innovative nerve shown in past times by the French house. In fact, this shared nature led Citroën and NSU to engage in a joint venture in 1964 with rotary engines in the spotlight. Thus, the agreement came to be the following. While NSU - where by the way Felix Wankel worked - contributed experience with these mechanics, Citroën put on the table the necessary means for mass production.
Under these premises, NSU and Citroën founded Comotor in 1967. A consortium that two years later had its first major creation in the form of the Citroen M35. An interesting prototype with a rotary engine of which some 500 units were manufactured in pre-series. Distributed among buyers of the brand so that they themselves act as improvised testers. Undoubtedly a most interesting development idea. Thus managing to collect thousands and thousands of data taken from the day to day that the vehicle would have if it had reached series. Something that never happened. Completing the project in 1971 by adding the high consumption and the lack of knowledge that the mechanics had of the rotating mechanics. That yes, all the reports of the M35 spoke of its excellent power -almost double that given by the twin-cylinder boxer mounted as standard in the Ami 6- and its commendable smoothness.
CITROËN GS BIROTOR, A CAR THAT DID MAKE A SERIES
After the experience with the M35, Citroën had a bittersweet taste. In this way, convinced that with more research the problems would be fixed, they went ahead with the rotary engine. Something really remarkable. Well, in spite of everything, Citroën wanted to bury the M35 in oblivion making it easy to return almost all units to be able to destroy them. In fact, only about twenty were saved thanks to drivers who did see the historical importance that this prototype would have in the future for the history of Citroën.
Be that as it may, the truth is that in 1973 the bet with rotary engines was doubled by launching a model directly to series. It was the Citroën GS Birotor equipped with two Wankel rotors. Reaching up to almost two liters of displacement to yield 107CV at 6.500rpm with a top speed that exceeded 170 kilometers per hour. With all this, the GS Birotor was at the time one of the most powerful Citroën models. Only surpassed by options such as the Maserati engine SM or the DS 23 with direct injection.
Thus, the GS Birotor skyrocketed in price compared to what was marked by its peers in the range. Moreover, it was at the level of the apparent and representative DS. Point at which the problems began. In the end, Were there so many buyers willing to shell out that sum just to have a rotary engine? In addition, the speed with which the GS Birotor was devised made it impossible to coordinate a manual gearbox with the peculiar behavior of this engine. For this reason, a semi-automatic was chosen. Guarantor of smooth behavior, but very little desired by European buyers accustomed to fully manual.
AN END MARKED BY THE OIL CRISIS
With those problems, the market niche of the Citroën GS Birotor was already quite narrow. In this way, nothing foresaw a good commercial future for the model. What's more, a few months after its release on the market, it was already expected to be more profitable as a technological showcase than as a family vehicle intended to be sold in large series. However, the unforeseen Oil Crisis produced that same 1973 was going to give the final finishing touch to the GS Birotor.
With a consumption greater than that given by an equivalent piston model, this Citroën began to be one of those intolerable models in the midst of a shortage of crude oil. Moreover, due to its disproportionate spending in the city, taking it out of the garage was an operation only within the reach of unconcerned pockets. With all this, towards the middle of 1974 it was decided to dispense with the GS Birotor, abandoning its production. Of course, there were loose fringes. Specifically, the more than 800 loose fringes that the owners who had already acquired the GS Birotor meant for Citroën.
After all, leaving them without spare parts would be a scandal. Even more so for a generalist company that, for that year, it was heading for a dark decline from which it would only come out in 1976 after being rescued by Peugeot at the request of the French state. So, what to do? Well, something similar to what was already done with the M35. Neither more nor less than making substantial purchase offers to the owners. All this in order to recover and destroy all the units of the GS Bimotor. A costly turn of the page that did not take place as at least a quarter of the production managed to survive. Today they are true collector's items.
Images: PSA
