Papercraft model of the Mazda Cosmo Sport, Mazda's first production car fitted with a Wankel rotary engine.
| Manufacturer | Mazda |
|---|---|
| Season | 1967 |
| Category | Classics |
| Scale | 1:24 |
| Difficulty | Medium |
| Estimated time | 3-4 hours |
| Print format | 2 A4 sheets |
| Source | Mazda (official papercraft) |
What you'll need: 200-250 gsm paper or cardstock, scissors or a craft knife, a ruler and glue stick.
Launched in 1967, the Cosmo Sport proved the rotary engine's commercial viability and laid the technological groundwork for future models like the RX-7.
The Cosmo Sport (internally coded L10A) grew out of the ambitious rotary-engine program that Toyo Kogyo, Mazda's parent company, launched in the early 1960s after licensing Wankel technology from NSU. A team of engineers led by Kenichi Yamamoto — later nicknamed the "47 Samurai" for its size — spent years solving the apex-seal chatter marks that plagued early rotary prototypes before the car could reach production. Introduced in 1967 with a 982cc twin-rotor engine producing 110 hp, the Cosmo Sport was Mazda's first production car powered by a rotary engine, followed in 1968 by a Series II with a longer wheelbase and 128 hp.
Only around 1,176 units were built across both series, making the Cosmo Sport one of the rarest and most sought-after classic Mazdas at auction today. Styled by Fumihiro Hoshiya, its design blended European grand-touring lines with a futuristic, elongated body built to house the compact rotary engine. The car was never officially exported to Europe or the United States, so its reputation was built almost entirely within Japan and among collectors focused on the history of Mazda's rotary engine.