Although the Mazda RX-8->ke341 has passed on and will be replaced in the near future, we still find it to be one of the most interesting vehicles on the road. Sure, it might not be the best to drive, as it takes a whole new approach to get it to go fast, but it looks great and it's pretty fast as the higher rev range.

Mazda->ke53 may be killing off the RX-8 due to the motor not meeting the new emissions regulations and the fact that it hasn't really sold the way the company had hoped, but it's not gone yet. And Mazda is ensuring that the RX-8 will be remembered as it has presented everyone at SEMA with the RX-8 Grand-Am GT. This version of the Mazda RX-8 has just completed its 2010 racing season and did extremely well, walking away with six out of the 12 races.

Hit the jump for this winning Mazda Grand Am GT RX-8's specifications.

2010 Mazda RX-8 Grand-Am GT

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2010 Mazda RX-8 Grand-Am GT
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array

Exterior and Interior

Normally, we tell you to imagine a vehicle going to jail, but this statement doesn't work for the RX-8. It doesn't look an more aggressive than then normal version, it just appears to have been sponsored by many different companies.

The car itself is a dark gray machine with logos and graphics in every corner and on every surface. Companies like Castrol, BBS, Bosch and Pirelli are littered all over this vehicle. If you've ever seen a race car, you'll get the idea.

The rest of the look is racing car inspiring. The wheels are black and wrapped in racing tires. There is a massive rear spoiler on the back of the vehicle and the front grille has been blackened. It also seems to have side exhausts, as there are exhaust outlets in front of the rear wheel wells.

As far as the interior goes, we aren't sure. We think that it's basically stripped out, so no fancy seats or climate control systems. It probably features a racing seat, racing harnesses, and a roll cage. Not much else is known at this time.

The Power

Like the exterior and the interior, we don't have much information on the motor of the Grand-Am RX-8. Basically, it was designed to be one hell of a fast sports car.

It is based on a tube-frame chassis jointly developed by SpeedSource and Riley Technologies, and powered by Mazda's three-rotor 20B Renesis rotary engine. The 20B three-rotor engine is a big part of Mazda's Grand Am GT RX-8 program and it's based on the engine used in the RX-8 street car, with some added power of course.

With its small size and light weight, the rotary motor is sure to be top notch on the racing circuit. It can rev to over 9,000 rpm giving it the distinctive 20B rotary engine sound. When you hear one these, it sticks with you.

As far as specifications, just take a guess, because we don't have anything at this time. If you want to know if this motor is any good or not, just look at the cars race results. The Mazda RX-8 dominated the 2010 Grand-AM GT season not only winning six of 12 races as previously mentioned, but also walking away with the top podium spots at the driver's, team, and manufacturer's championship. Well done.

The Competition

On the track there are numerous rivals. While Mazda took the manufacturer's championship title, Chevrolet was close behind, as was Porsche->ke1, BMW->ke178, and Ferrari->ke252. The second place team used the Chevrolet Camaro->ke248 GS.R vehicles and these machines are very quick.

When Will It Be Ready

It already is.