In the spring of 2015, after a few months of not having an online gathering place, Vancouver's rotary engine enthusiast group started up a new forum. Along with that new forum came a new name - West Coast Rotary - and the desire for some new designs that would allow members to show their allegiance to the newly-founded community.
After messing around with a few ideas, I floated this one to group, and it was well-received enough to get people interested in getting some hoodies made.
After messing around with a few ideas, I floated this one to group, and it was well-received enough to get people interested in getting some hoodies made.
The original idea was an homage to the back patches of old-school Motorcycle Clubs, and a nod towards the patch jackets and vests often seen in the punk and hardcore scenes. I wanted it to reflect the DIY nature of the rotary community.
The central design is a cross-section of the rotor from which the rotary engine draws it's name - this particular rotor is modelled after that of the Mazda 13b engine, by far the most successful and widely-available rotary engine design.
The roman numerals along the bottom represent the years in which the rotary engine was commercially available from Mazda. Their first rotary-powered car was the 1967 Mazda Cosmo, powered by the 10A engine, while the final production car with a rotary engine - the RENESIS-powered RX-8 - ceased production in June of 2012
The roman numerals along the bottom represent the years in which the rotary engine was commercially available from Mazda. Their first rotary-powered car was the 1967 Mazda Cosmo, powered by the 10A engine, while the final production car with a rotary engine - the RENESIS-powered RX-8 - ceased production in June of 2012
We ended up getting about a dozen of these printed at local screen printing shop, who were kind enough to take on such a low-volume job. They're now being worn by RX-7 drivers from across the Lower Mainland, and there's been so much interest from other rotary drivers upon seeing these hoodies that we're likely going to do another run soon.
