Going hammer-down for an entire day will probably give you some idea of a car's durability. Mazda recently took two of its rotary-powered RX-8s on that kind of run, one of which was a bone-stock production model, the other with 19-inch track tires, on a track in Papenburg, Germany. Sure, this story is basically a regurgitated press release. Still, with an average speed of around 130 mph (probably governed) for 24 hours straight, it's a pretty good testament to why we like the RX-8 — performance-wise if not for its gawky looks.

Mazda RX-8 Sets 40 International Records In 24 Hour Race [Car Pages (UK)]

Related:
Wankel Event Showcases Mazda Rotarians [internal]