Mazda · Mazda Rotary
Mazda 13B-REW
The sequential twin-turbo 13B that powered the FD RX-7 and became Mazda's most famous street rotary.
79.8
Cubic inches
The 13B-REW paired the compact rotary with sequential twin turbochargers, helping the FD RX-7 achieve world-class power-to-weight and balance.
Displacement
79.8 ci
Bore
—
Stroke
—
Years
1991–2002
Key Takeaway
The 13B-REW combined Mazda’s 1.3-liter twin-rotor layout with sequential twin turbochargers and intercooling. The compact rotary core kept the FD RX-7 light and low, while sequential boost control was engineered to deliver strong response across a wide rpm range.
Technical Specifications
- Horsepower
- 255 PS at 1991 FD launch; top manual trims reached 280 PS by the late 1990s, while some RB/automatic versions remained at 255–265 PS
- Torque
- Up to 32.0 kg-m in 280-PS late FD manual trims
- Architecture
- Twin-rotor Wankel rotary
- Block
- Aluminum rotor housings with iron/steel wear surfaces
- Cylinder heads
- Not applicable — rotary architecture
- Valvetrain
- Not applicable
- Aspiration
- Sequential twin turbocharged and intercooled
- Fuel delivery
- Electronic fuel injection
The 13B-REW combined Mazda’s 1.3-liter twin-rotor layout with sequential twin turbochargers and intercooling. The compact rotary core kept the FD RX-7 light and low, while sequential boost control was engineered to deliver strong response across a wide rpm range.
Internal Specifications
Variant-specific values are labeled. Engine families that span multiple years or RPOs can have different heads, cams, induction and rotating parts, so the exact code/year always takes priority.
Notable Applications
Strengths
- Compact and light
- Excellent boost response
- Large global tuning aftermarket
Weaknesses / Watch-outs
- Heat management is critical
- Sequential turbo control adds complexity
- Apex-seal/rotor-housing condition strongly affects rebuild cost
Common Upgrades
- Single-turbo conversion
- Fuel-system and ECU upgrade
- Intercooler and cooling-system improvements
Racing History & Legacy
The 13B-REW became the most famous turbocharged production rotary engine and remains the performance benchmark for street-driven Mazda rotaries.
References & Image Credit
Engine image: C0rbin99 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Engineering Notes Worth Knowing
Twin-rotor Wankel rotary with 1.308 L nominal displacement.
Sequential twin turbocharged and intercooled.
Electronic fuel injection.
Factory output started at 255 PS and reached 280 PS in late manual-transmission FD RX-7 trims.
History · context · related reading
The Story Behind Mazda 13B-REW
The FD RX-7 is remembered as one of Mazda’s purest performance cars, and the 13B-REW is the reason it could be so light, compact, and powerful at the same time. Sequential twin turbos gave the small rotary the response needed to compete with much larger engines.
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