Mazda’s rotary powered rocket, the RX-8, has been given a few updates by the Japanese automaker in order to keep their sports car current and a bit more user friendly. The four-door, four-passenger sport compact has received rain-sensing windshield wipers, Mazda’s auto-light system and an audio-less option, all standard. However the most striking of the recent upgrades comes in the form of two new color choices for the exterior: Aluminum Metallic and Metropolitan Gray Mica.
Mazda has left the lovable 13B alone; the two-rotor motor still makes 232 HP in manually shifter vehicles. However, we are still awaiting word of a turbocharger.
Press release after the jump.
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Mazda is looking for some promotion during the 2009 Targa Tasmania by calling its entry "the only rotary-powered performance car in Australia". This Aussie race is something that we normally wouldn’t cover very heavily, and low-level news like an RX-8 entering the competition would usually only be posted on a very slow day, but then something interesting caught our eye in the press release.
As it turns out this RX-8 will be allowed to compete with a turbocharger. The rotary cars from Mazda haven’t been turbocharged since the RX-7, which was discontinued in 2002 (1995 in the U.S.)
Mazda didn’t release performance figures on the car it’s calling the RX-8 SP. We’re betting there is a significant increase to the 232 hp and at least a second shaved off the standard car’s 0 to 60 time of six seconds.
Press release after the jump.
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The facelift version of the Mazda RX-8 made its world debut last year at the Detroit Auto Show. And since then we haven’t heard much about it. But today we bring you the first real life photo of the car made here in Miami.
The facelifted Mazda RX8 was presented side by side with the SpeedSource Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8, winner of the GT class at the Rolex 24 at Daytona to kick off the 2008 GrandAm season.
The 2009 Mazda RX-8 is available as either a 232-hp model fitted with a six-speed manual transmission, or a 212-hp model fitted with a six-speed Sport A/T automatic with steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters for a Formula 1-style driving experience.
The Mazda RX-8 is a hit with those who love high-revving engines, but after five years on the vine, it may be growing a little stale. Now Mazda is doing some heavy breathing on the rotary-power car with the introduction of a special edition RX-8 called the "Circuit Trial" at the Tokyo Auto Salon (January 9 to 11).
The exact specifications of what Mazdaspeed has applied to the RX-8 for the Circuit Trial upgrade was not announced, but we expect modified suspension, brake, and engine components. We do know that it will offer Recaro bucket seats, large diameter tires, new alloy wheels, and a body kit.
The Circuit Trial treatment will also be applied to Atenza (AKA Mazda6) and Demio (Mazda2 in Europe, nothing in the U.S.)
There has been no announcement to offer RX-8 Circuit Trial in the U.S., which means Mazda’s fanboys over here are probably figuring out how to get parts (or whole cars) on container ships.
For those folks who don’t know, the
Mazda RX-8 R3 Edition features a new sport pack consisting in a re-designed front bumper, new side skirts and rear wing spoiler, Recaro sport buckets and stylish 19” alloy wheels. According to the Japanese manufacturer the new edition promises to deliver more stability and better steering due to the new Bilstein sports suspension kit. Mazda announced that the pricing for the new R3 Edition will be approximately £25,000 or $50,000.
