Down Under, the Royal Australian Mint withdrew our 1 cent copper piece well over 30 years ago and then the 2 cent copper piece not long after that.

We have no actual copper coins anymore (if you have any copper they are still legal tender, but shops and banks will not accept. AFAIK).

So we have our silver looking 5 cent coin, 10 cent, 20 and 50 cent, then next plastic Notes are $5,10,20,50, and $100.

Talk here that paper/coin currency will be gone sooner as this Covid-19 bullshit has moved that faster into reality...IMO.
Most retail shops today will not accept plastic notes or coins because of this Covid-19 infection issue, Only electronic purchases.
Very few people (those over 60) actually use notes/coins, most people for purchases use EFTPOST or electronic POS for payment, credit/debit cards, PayPal or Afterpay.
This is the future hey...:)

As much as I love this RX- Vision it really does have timeless looks that IMO will never age, my truth is that Mazda will never make it becasue production ready it is not, and then there is the ENGINE??

MAZDA must be very careful, even more so, ALL car brands have lost a fortune with this Covid Shutdown bullshit, which has pushed back any ALL NEW Mazda....I am starting to doubt Mazda will even survive this right now, probably Toyota will take them over, probably a certainty.
Even though the Japanese Government has never let a car brand fall over, either a merger happens or they survive with taxpayer investments from Government.

Anyway, GOOD LUCK to all ...

Canada killed the pennies a few years ago as well.

I know some businesses want to save money on transaction charges but usually they at least allow either VISA or MasterCard as well as debit cards, but I do carry spare cash because there are shops/restaurants that are cash-only which they usually do for shady purposes(tax evasion mostly).

Personally I maintain that if a rotary sports car is a thing, it will just be an MX-5 with a rotary engine in it, which honestly is good enough. Saves them the money to develop another platform and they just need to make a good engine that can easily trickle down into SUVs and cars.

In Store retail transactions are done with cards, been the 'tap and go' card on the counter top (transmitter) for about 5 years, all shops have this now, even the small local 'RARE' stores/shops still exist if one can find these shops.
Each retailer usually has a 'tap and go' no PIN required limit of $100-150, so it is so fast and easy, tap credit/debit card on machine and go, that is why me even as an old bastard don't even carry cash as it is too inconvenient and it is just not needed anymore, even car washers use tap and go.
Soon no paper money will exist here, don't know what drug dealers will do...lol J/K.
Banks have scaled down in size it is ridiculous (about the size of a large lounge-room), but again apart from some Loans nobody goes there anymore, no waiting cues, all done online for small loans, no service.
Even ATM's are disappearing with the Cash/Coins, what ATM's that do exist are all stocked by Armaguard truck workers, not Bank people.

Agree about MX-5 Rotary, should have done this with NC as it was the same platform as RX-8, Mazda's decision makers in Japan are dead from the ass up, I have seen it now for 40 years, as much as I hate to say this but the Rotary has held them back.

YES, Mazda realized RE is a specialized engine back when SA22C RX-7 was released, hence none of the Rotary Piston twins like Capella 1600 and RX-2, 808 and RX-3, 929 and RX-4, etc....BUT Mazda FAILED to invest in an affordable 6 cylinder and even IN the correct platform/body (V8).

To think Mazda was Japans 3rd largest behind Toyota and Datsun/Nissan, to let that disappear when Honda started to build Plants overseas to cater for LOCAL buyer needs Mazda continued with their pig headed production polices for decades.
And they let the South Koreans take their market share AGAIN.
Mazda sold off KIA ownership at the wrong time, look at KIA now even they are larger than Mazda, with Hyundai and Kia (same cars now) they will take over Toyota soon.

Mazda Japan management with the Sumitomo Bank has been a good partnership since the 1950's but a conservative disaster when it come to making cars, as many around the world say, MAZDA is all show but no go. (great looking product, but slow and gutless engines).
ALL their cars are GREAT IF you are the only passenger as the Driver, but put in a passenger and someone in the back seat and are gutless cars to own and drive.
As usual MAZDA never listens and those bosses at MME, MNAO, MA, MC, MNZ, MSA are ALL gutless YES MEN, they are told what to do with very little input when new models are getting ready, look at Mazda again, the current ND MX-5/Miata was only going to have a 1.5 engine Worldwide until USA said we need a 2.0 minimum.

That's one bad idea and one common fallacy. :)

1) Melting them down and selling the copper, even if you could find enough pre-1983 pennies, would be a federal felony punishable by 5 years in PMITA prison.

1) The cost to mint is higher than one penny, but a coin is used tens of thousands of times during its lifetime, making the minting cost moot.

As for the first point, I also got asked this by a relative as well. About 10 years ago when pennies were still a thing in Canada, I went to an aquarium and they have a few machines that you could put in pennies, rotating the lever and it will crush the penny and "mint" a special commemorative coin for you. My relative was pretty curious about the law on that since you are technically still destroying a penny, but I guess you can technically argue with the loophole that you are "purchasing" the said coin with the penny? Either way, I find it hard for Feds to track you down for a single freakin' penny(especially in Canada where they are useless now). Even hundreds of thousands of them ultimately will just be a few thousand dollars and probably not worth the effort for any law enforcement. Not saying I would do it, but just saying.

The second point, well we are all going cashless as mentioned. Pennies were already pretty useless, and going cashless will just make it even more useless. Canada already realized this and that's why we don't use them up north anymore.


And wow, we just started a whole discussion on pennies and it's actually more engaging than talking about the rotary sports car. The absolute state of Mazda rotary today...

We used to put them on train tracks and flatten them.

People sell flattened pennies.
This joker claims the money's going to charity.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...63e7efd092.jpg

putting primers on train tracks as a kid was a lot more fun than pennies

That... is the truth. :crying:

The four rotor RX-Vision is now available...


on PS4. See more: https://www.mazdastories.com/summer-...ign=groupthree

It's virtually real folks.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...6fc9f218e8.png

at least they can get away with claiming whatever engine HP/TQ output they want without getting sued in both the legal courts and in the court of public opinion. :suspect:

Bump for updates.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...67dc12f93c.gif

Here's the kit that Mazda will be offering for a 2022 sports car with a rotary engine:

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...dxyQw&usqp=CAU

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...4e52b5dfd5.gif

A glimmer of hope:

https://jalopnik.com/it-sure-seems-l...p-s-1847428889

I saw that yesterday - it feels like a tease to use the Vision concept in a patent but it keeps the dream alive.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...0ba3d2b72a.png
...future Mazda sports car....

My guess this will be a hybrid with a rotary engine to help charge the battery for the electric motors. It will be a high-end flagship sports-coupe car for Mazda, showcases all its best technology. It will sell out immediately IMHO. Mazda will get its "Zoom, Zoom" mojo back !!!!

Cheers

the patent further shows spacing to accommodate a transmission and (assumedly) engine bay. If this were electric, it would have no need for a transmission and drive shaft.

Given Mazda's more luxury approach nowadays, I think it might end up being closer to a GT car, or at least a GT car in lower trims(think C7 Corvette).

Of course, this assumes Mazda has the money to do this... Patents are not indications of things that will happen.

Patents cost money to file and to maintain as active in each region. The motivations are many - sell the IP as royalties to others, invest the IP in cars, or sell the IP outright. At my Company we tend to patent the ideas to maintain superiority over competition and deliver best in class technology to the user. In that effort we teach others the science behind the features. But to do this you need to invest and pay out to get that IP.

For an automotive manufacturer, that fee may just be a drop in the bucket, even for a smaller company like Mazda. They might just not want other people to come up with similar ideas and get ahead.

I mean, I don't really think we will see that turbo rotary patent come to life now, and I remember GM also had an electronically actuated clutch system that some rumoured to be made for C8 Corvette, except C8 doesn't even have a stick shift option(and very likely won't).

Here's the obligatory annual "Mazda is developing a new rotary motor" article.
https://bestcarweb.jp/news/scoop/309507

According to this one translated through a native site, it is in an early development stage, to be burning hydrogen (not a bad idea, tested too with the rx8 re hydrogen something) with electric(?) turbo.

Edit 8/23: new rotary logo?

The car shown on the bestcarweb site looks more like the next generation electric miata.

"electric miata"
:puke: :crying: :icon_no2: :icon_no2: :icon_no2: :icon_no2: :icon_no2: