A wonderful anniversary: Rotax celebrates its 12-millionth engine from Gunskirchen

On 5 November, the 12-millionth engine rolled off the production line at Rotax’s headquarters in Gunskirchen. The engine specialist, founded in Dresden and relocated to Austria after the Second World War, now employs around 1,500 people at its headquarters and is best known in the two-wheeler sector for its single- and twin-cylinder engines, which were manufactured by the Hausruckviertel-based company for Aprilia and BMW.

Aprilia’s entry into road racing, in particular, was shaped by its collaboration with Rotax. Later, the Austrians also supplied engines for road motorcycles, including the Aprilia Pegaso. The Pegaso gave rise to the F650 series with a single-cylinder engine, which was manufactured in Noale until 2000; for this model, BMW used engines from Gunskirchen that were virtually identical in construction to those of its Aprilia sister company. Until 2019, BMW fitted the F model ranges with in-line twin-cylinder engines, which, although ultimately manufactured by Loncin in China, were based on Rotax designs.

Today, Gunskirchen primarily manufactures two-stroke engines for boats and snowmobiles, as well as for Can-Am. The Canadian trike and quad specialist, like Rotax itself, is part of the BRP group. Today, 1,500 employees in Upper Austria still account for around a third of the engine manufacturer’s annual production; the remaining two-thirds come from Querétaro in Mexico.

The anniversary engine from Gunskirchen is a 600 RR-E-TEC, designed for the BRP brands Ski-Doo and Lynx.