Felix Wankel

Felix Wankel was born on August 30, 1902 in Luhran, Germany. At age 28 Wankel opened his very own engine research facility. From 1926 to 1945, Wankel worked at an aeronautics factory where he aquired his knowledge on valves and how to seal them. In 1951 he began to work for an auto mobile factory. He then dedicated himself to finding a better alternative to the internal combustion engine. Four years later, he completed the design of a rotary cylinder engine. He tested the first completed one in 1957. It one of few rotary cylinder engines that was successful. It was also lightweight and had very few moving parts. However the rotor seal was the only problem, and he could not fix it. Wankel died on October 9, 1988.