In an effort to increase the basic understanding of automobile technology for those new to the hot rod world or those who have been involved for a while but don't have a good foundation of knowledge.

The mind-bending world of birotary engines - a hybrid of piston and rotary technology that could revolutionize aviation. But ...

Last month's "How It Works" story gave you the basics of the four-stroke cycle, describing the motion of the intake and exhaust valves in relation to the piston moving up and down in the cylinder.

If you are a motorhead, an unusual engine will immediately get your attention. Most vehicles today have either an inline or V-shaped configuration, so anything peculiar will immediately stick out. If ...

The rotary engine is unique in its success and failure and its ability to make an impact with a completely different way of thinking. As it is, every production car for the last 130 years, aside from ...

Meet the Birotary, a crazy new and complicated engine that has three cylinders arranged like a star, a rotating block, a ...

High-output engines live in a world of brutal cylinder pressures, extreme temperatures and razor-thin safety margins, and the humble piston sits at the center of that storm. When power levels climb, ...