Morning Symphony: Mad Mike’s “RUMBUL” Rotary-Powered Mazda Waking Up The Countryside!


Morning Symphony: Mad Mike’s “RUMBUL” Rotary-Powered Mazda Waking Up The Countryside!

In 1977, the last Mazda B-series “REPU” (Rotary Pickup) was produced. After that, Mazda left rotary mills to sports cars…and one grand tourer. Was there a grand fault for the rotary engine in the pickup? No, not really, and given the size of the B-series REPU, saying it was because torque was a factor is kind of moot. They were tiny trucks…if you needed torque, you bought an American pickup, not a Mazda. REPUs have a loyal fan base, but after 1994 any Mazda truck sold in America was a Ford Ranger with a new grille and and the only way a rotary would find it’s way into one would be when someone was hauling an engine in the bed.

Or, you have a Mazda-faced Stadium Truck and your nickname is “Mad Mike”. Mike Whiddett’s claim to fame is making the triangles of power howl and hoon, and his truck does both quite nicely. It’s pure rotary noise (think a nest of angry hornets inside of a megaphone) and it’s pure action, with the truck flung sideways, drifter-style with the tach going towards the moon. You have to wonder just how loud it was in person, don’t you?


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