An ingenious engine design which avoids the reciprocal motion of the piston engine and manages to incorporate the suck, squeeze, bang, blow of internal combustion engines into a rotating piston.
Not a torture device of any kind.
The Wankel rotary engine is far more efficient than the latest hybrid cars, but nobody will buy one because it sounds too much like "wanker".
A phychological condition rendering the victim unable to purchase a vehicle not powered by a Rotary engine. Many people with Wankelitis are Mazda fans. Severe cases may cause ranting on the ininefficiencies of the 4-Stroke Engine.
Because of my Wankelitis, I'm buying a Mazda RX-7 FD.