By CHRIS LADNER

Almost 10,000 miles away in the mysterious Orient, a revolutionary new automobile is being produced. From Japan comes the Wankel rotary engine powered Mazda.

Responsibility for the furor caused by these unique imports goes to their controversial rotary engine. With this new type of power under their hoods, German inventor Felix Wankel has found the apparent answer to pollution, fuel economy, (t h e Mazda gets anywhere from 18 to 23 mpg.), putt‑putt small cars, and compacts that resemble a shoebox on wheels.

The original rotary engine was devised over 10 years ago when Wankel perfected the dynamo. At first, as with almost all great products, Wankel experienced humiliation from his competitors at the unveiling of his product. Time, however, usually proves skeptics wrong, and Wankel's case was no exception.

In 1961 the Japanese manufacturing corporation of Toyota first began to draw the blueprints for the car, a car so unlike the others that it would revolutionize an entire industry. Six years and hundreds of thousands of dollars later the Mazda was introduced.

Immediately after its opening, a number of car centers around the world, including Detroit, showed a marked interest in Felix Wankel's invention. It is estimated that by 1985 rotary engines will power over 85 per cent of all cars produced in the United States.

One of the many selling points of the Mazda is the fact that it cuts repair and

maintenance bills drastically. In fact Car and Driver magazine said that "Out of over 500 cars tested this Japanese beauty ranks as number one in the area of least breakdowns."

That extraordinarily low number of repair bills can be linked directly to the lesser number of moving parts that the rotary engine has. For example, the typical piston engine of today has an average of 230 basic parts, 166 of which move. By, contrast, the Mazda's engine features only 70 basic parts, three of which move.

The typical piston engine still moves in the same up and down fashion.

The Mazda's rotors, however, move in a circle, one of the oldest ways of driving power known to man. The change over to this new type of power has eliminated the need for pistons, valves, and rods.

The base price of a Mazda RX‑2 two door coupe is $3,195. Standard equipment on all models includes power front disc brakes, fully recycling bucket seats in the two door models, excluding the B1600, a four-speed, all syncromesh transmission, and white sidewall tires.

Recommended options include automatic transmission, a vinyl roof, the AM‑FM radio, and the air conditioning. The total price for all of these options is a hit over $800.

So for around $4,000 you can get a car that is at least 10 years ahead of its time and a warranty of 12 months or 12,000 miles on all parts but the engine block and internal parts, which are covered by a 24 month, 24,000 mile guarantee.