August 13.08.1902, XNUMX | Felix Wankel's birthday

Today is the birth anniversary of Felix Wankel, the German designer whose most important patent was the rotating piston engine.

Felix Wankel was born on August 13, 1902 in Lahr, but after the First World War he moved to Heidelberg, 150 km to the north. There, after graduating from school, he organized a workshop for the repair of cars and motorcycles DKW. For financial reasons, he couldn't afford a university degree, but that didn't stop him from developing a passion for design. He received his first patent at the age of 27.

The engine of his idea was built at the NSU factory in 1957, but the first commercial use had to wait until 1964, when a small convertible NSU Wankel-Spider went on sale.

If you are interested in the topic of Wankel engines, I recommend that you check out the list of the 10 most interesting cars equipped with such an engine.

Added by: 2 years ago,

a photo: Press materials