Long before the RX7, Mazda had a rotary-engined sportscar.

Called the Cosmo Sport back home in Japan, the 110S Coupe was released in 1967.

It had taken five years to develop, and it needed to be good because NSU was struggling to make the rotary engine concept work in Europe - and a generation of drivers thought of them as dirty, smelly and unreliable.

The 110 figure was arrived at because the 2.0-litre rotary engine (with its unique carbon tipped rotors for improved sealing) put out 110bhp.

WHEN WAS IT MADE? Launched on May 30, 1967, this car was a child of the Woodstock generation, the late-Sixties when petrol was only 35p a gallon and no one gave a second's thought about the ozone layer or global warming. It was so far ahead of its time it even featured in a Japanese TV series as the sole transport for a sci-fi character called Ultraman. Irrespective of such great product placement it went out of production in 1972.

WHAT MADE IT GREAT? The unusually smooth twin-rotary engine. Although it redlined at 8,000rpm (an unheard of figure for a passenger car), Mazda “suggested” owners stick to a maximum of 7,000rpm. That still gave the 110S a top speed of 118mph – fast for 1967. Part of the speed was down to low weight, the 110S was on a par with the Lotus Elan +2.

WHAT DID OWNERS HATE? The fuel consumption was still pretty hairy – high speed runs could see it plunge into the low teens – and as the rotary engine wore out it only got worse.

IS IT WORTH GETTING ONE? If you can find one of the beauties don't hesitate, they are money in the bank. Only 500 or so still exist. Talk show host Jay Leno owns one – but he can afford it.

HOW MUCH WILL IT COST? Only 1,519 of these Japanese beauties were ever made (roughly one per day during the production run) so, if you have to ask, you probably can't afford it. Heck, even a 1:18 scale model costs £67 from Amazon.co.uk!