and the " rotary part" that wheres out is called a seal.....and when rebuilding you can purchase much stronger seal for heavy duty apps...
Actually, I thought it was "Apex seal" if you want to be technical
(and I usually do)
and all of your praises for engine design are a credit to German Engineering.
the proper name of the engine concept is the "Wankel Rotary" engine,
developed by a German for use in airplanes.
Being of German origin, I certainly respect the engine,
and there are a few distinct advantages over piston engines:
(Very few rotating parts, and not having to transfer the energy from linear to rotational, therefore most awesome power per displacement numbers from any engine mass manufacturered)
But there are also some negatives:
Apex seals are the weak link in the motor, regardless of what you say
No matter what you do, if you open up the exhaust, the engine sounds like CRAP
And no matter what, you are driving a japanese car.
I wont go off on the other tangent of why German cars are the best in the world,
but suffice it to say, the Japanese did what they always do: They are the world's best re-engineers.
But the Germans are still the world's best Engineers.
-Brad