Yup, those are all correct. I should double check how I had things remembered. Felix Wankel and NSU did the early work. GM licensed it and did development work. Their plan was to use it in the Vega actually. In '70 gasoline was still about $0.25/gallon and gas mileage was not important, but they thought the rotary would be the savior of the environment. That is how it was being sold to us. Who was to know that the savior of the environment (as far as car emissions) would be computer engine controls. The gasoline crisis and the sudden change of the public being interested in MPG more so than BHP just killed the gasoline hungry rotary in GM.

I obviously had things grey about the AMC Pacer part. The Pacer was designed around the GM rotary, but when GM killed it after the gasoline crisis AMC had a car without an engine. What a poor bastard child the Pacer is. But there are still Pacer enthusiasts.