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Posts Tagged “

2008 Mazda RX-8

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around the block

Taking A Spin In A JDM Nissan Skyline

The new Nissan GT-R may be stirring up a lot of hype, but before the R35, Skyline lovers on this continent had to have their cars independently imported. The problem is, since the gray-market heyday of the '80s, the American import laws have been pretty dang strict. So, we decided to make our way up to Toronto, to check out how hoons in great white north do things. This particular operation, ONI JDM, has brought in everything from kei cars to fully-modded RX-7s, Supras, and of course Skylines. They offered to take us for a ride in their drift-spec R32 Nissan Skyline, so we bolted down the video camera and strapped ourselves in.

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Feature

12:30 PM on Fri May 9 2008
By Mark Arnold
5,415 views, 58 comments

Latest by mr.chophoppers: Oh lawd I want the Subaru Vivio RS-R on kei-cars.com It's been a dream since 1992, knowing that one is available for $7,900 canadian but that I can't have it is really hurting. As for the Sera arguments: You are both correct. more »

jalopnik reviews

2008 Mazda RX-8, Part Three

Why you should buy this car:
You've been complaining that no one makes interestingly different cars anymore, and now you have a chance to own one. You like the idea of an engine that not only can but must spin above six grand to be entertaining or useful. You think all doors should be suicide doors. You've never thought fuel economy or stoplight drags were primary considerations in buying a car. A good healthy session of Wankelry is an important part of your day. The thought of having one of the best-handling vehicles on the road is enough to make you overlook a few considerable flaws. You're the kind of person who laughs often, for a lot of reasons, and want a car with a similar disposition.

Why you shouldn't buy this car:
You don't get jokes. Ever. You like to let others have the interesting new experiences and the headaches that come with them. You have a thing about good old stump-pulling torque, or at least briskly-away-from-a-stoplight-pulling torque. You strongly disapprove of rear-hinged automotive access apertures and call them "genocide doors." You can't get past the idea of getting 16 city mpg and a 7-second 0-to-60 time out of the same vehicle. You were brought up to believe Wankelry is immoral, filthy and should be outlawed. Handling either just isn't important to you or you live where it isn't even a factor.

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Feature

12:00 PM on Thu May 1 2008
By John Krewson
7,534 views, 49 comments

Latest by n/a: Hi all, I leased an '07 because it is quirky & unique and also because I wasn't sure if that rev-happy engine would last to 100k. Do I enjoy merging onto a highway in 2nd gear, screaming up the more »

jalopnik reviews

2008 Mazda RX-8, Part Two

Exterior Design:***
The 2008 Mazda RX-8 shows all sorts of pleasing shapes amidst all of that strong idiosyncrasy. It's good clean fun to look at the profile of the front fenders rising slightly above the curve of the hood while you're driving. Molded-in Wankelry on the hood flows nicely into subtle twin speed bumps on roof, but then the line drops into the rear, which is just kind of there. Our test car had the optional chrome Wankelry on the front and rear air dams. Frankly, there are better ways to spend $159. From outside, the infanticide —er, "Free Style" doors are well-integrated. Overall, a rather handsome car with "grows-on-you" versus "...Damn!" styling — although we hear the Mazda killer-guppy front fascia will be somewhat improved for 2009.

Interior Design:***
The 40th Anniversary edition includes leather trim and seats in a color Mazda calls "Cosmo Red," but your parent's living room group knew it better as "Dusty Rose." It seems, unfortunately, like a compromise color. The exterior Wankelry extends to the interior in the shape of the shift knob, headrest inserts, special badges on the floor mats... Rotors, rotors, everywhere rotors as far as the eyes can see. The instrumentation is crisp, but the luminous blue LCD-lit dials (Warning! Digital speedo, Will Robinson!) contrast with the red LEDs in the center stack, giving a pleasingly patriotic affectation to the dash.

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Feature

12:00 PM on Wed Apr 30 2008
By John Krewson
6,052 views, 43 comments

Latest by Unregular: excellent, thanks guys. more »

jalopnik reviews

2008 Mazda RX-8, Part One

I'm going to go ahead and hazard a marketing-based guess that the good folks at Mazda want me to think of the 2008 Mazda RX-8 40th Anniversary Edition as the culmination of their design and engineering genius. Unfortunately, the first thing going through my mind was that the suicide-doored, rotary-engined little 2+2 is one profoundly and unapologetically weird automobile. And figuring out whether the RX-8 was the refreshing and fun Mitch Hedberg/Lotus Europa/Devo kind of weird or the exhausting and tiresome Gallagher/Citröen DS/Buckethead kind of weird was not immediately apparent to me as I tried like hell to get as far from the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway as possible.

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Feature

12:20 PM on Tue Apr 29 2008
By John Krewson
6,475 views, 111 comments

Latest by Moordryd: I've owned an '04 RX-8 for over 4 years now. I am so happy that it has the free-style doors, two useable back seats and a trunk. This is truly a "family sports car". Although the gas more »

media

That Mazda RX-8 Sure Looks Like a Fisker Karma

This just in from the NUMBER TWO television market in the country: The RX-8 looks exactly like the Fisker Karma! More »

3:30 PM on Tue Jan 22 2008
By burstein
4,226 views, 24 comments

detroit auto show

Mazda Furai Concept Running in Display Stand

You thought you had seen the last of the 2008 Mazda Furai concept didn't you? We certainly had enough coverage on the lusty concept that didn't make Popular Mechanics' Top 10 New Cars of Detroit list. What with the teaser photos, track video, live reveal shots, and super sneaky close ups - but no, we're not done yet. How about video of the ethanol powered Nagare-gasm running on the floor of the Detroit Auto Show? Would you like that? Yeah, we thought you would.

Feature

3:00 PM on Fri Jan 18 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
4,988 views, 47 comments

Latest by MeDuh: yup, the chase car was a 997, with no hope of keeping up seemingly. more »

detroit auto show

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Mazda RX8 Officially Unveiled

Not that it's a surprise to anybody, but the new RX-8 looks a lot like the preview shots we brought you earlier. Shown in a very Subaru shade of blue, the RX-8 is in fact destined for an update. Most of the changes happen in the nose with slightly revised headlights, a new grill treatment, the hood has a bigger rotary shaped indent, and of course the trend of the day - faux side vents. Sadly those side vents can only be attributed to additional horsepower of the psychological kind. Check out the live galleries and there's an exhaustive press release below the fold.



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Feature

3:37 PM on Mon Jan 14 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
10,296 views, 33 comments

Latest by n/a: Wow! Car looks amazing and equipped with a powerful engine. My dream car is formula1 car, Wish I could to drive it one day recently, I participated in a raffle where we can win a Formula1 driving course, I am more »

detroit auto show

Detroit Auto Show: Up Close and Personal with the 2008 Mazda Furai

We just can't get enough of the 2008 Mazda Furai concept. We brought you preview pics, video, and live floor shots. That's all well and good, but thanks to some overzealous designers, we now have pictures showing off the whole enchilada. Engine bay, interior, detailed close ups... we want it; we want it bad.





Feature

1:55 PM on Mon Jan 14 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
4,035 views, 48 comments

detroit auto show

Detroit Auto Show: 2008 Mazda Furai Concept

We brought you the first shots of the 2009 Mazda Furai Concept a couple weeks ago, and some hot video yesterday, now we've got photos from the floor of the 2008 Detroit Auto Show. In person the Furai is poetry even without the motion - long and low and wide, it is a monster in Nagare clothing. All it needs is me in a matching fire suit and helmet.


Feature

5:50 PM on Sun Jan 13 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
3,642 views, 41 comments

Latest by n/a: the front, reminds me of megatron. more »

detroit auto show

2009 Mazda Furai Concept on Video: Auditory Bliss


The three rotor banshee planted in the 2009 Mazda Furai Concept is at full scream in this track time video at Leguna Seca. We're eagerly awaiting the unveil at the Detroit Auto Show on Monday, but it's a slim chance we'll see it blasting around like this on the frozen roads of Detroit. If you listen closely when the driver steps off the throttle, you can hear yourself wet your pants.

Feature

2:15 PM on Sat Jan 12 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
25,176 views, 56 comments

Latest by n/a: Simply Gangsta! Auditory Bliss, great job Mazda! more »

detroit auto show

Detroit Auto Show: Mazda RX-8 RS Images Released Before Tokyo

Before the facelifted RX-8 makes its debut at the Detroit Auto Show, the facelifted RX-8 RS was supposed to show up at the Tokyo Auto Salon. The smart money says that, with a few minor exceptions (those wheels, for one), this is what the new RX-8 for North America is going to look like. Mazda released two photos of the RX-8 today and then the nice people at MotorAuthority decided to release a whole bevy of photos showing off every angle of the new RX-8. Some blogs these days, we tell ya. More below the jump.

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9:45 AM on Thu Jan 10 2008
By Matt Hardigree
4,511 views, 39 comments

Latest by Shapeshifter: @MeDuh: The problem with that is the Mustang is Ford's cash cow right now, so the RX-8 is going to always have to live under its shadow. more »

detroit auto show

Detroit Auto Show: Scan Of Facelifted RX-8 Leaks Onto The Web

We have a scan of the a facelifted RX-8 for those tempted to give in and buy a new RX-8 before the next generation RX-9 is available for purchase. The rotorheads over at Mazda-Madness.nl managed to pick up this Japanese mag story of the Mazda RX-8 RS, which will bow at the Tokyo Auto Salon and include those fierce looking wheels, Recaro seats (as pictured), spoiler and new rear suspension.

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Feature

9:30 AM on Fri Jan 4 2008
By Matt Hardigree
2,507 views, 20 comments

Latest by Hello_Newman: Wow looks like the Corvette Jr. there's no other car they could have copied and shrunk any better. As a Vette owner I can give a big "screw you" to GM for going with the crap headlights, it's the reason more »

gossip

Could This Be The 2012 Mazda RX-9?

The illustrator's over at Winding Road have been having fun with a possible future RX-9 based on previous concepts such as the Mazda Nagare. Their guesstimation picks up some of the Nagare aft of the A-pillar, with a modernization of lines from the current generation RX-8 and last generation RX-7 in the rear. As for under the hood, guesses range from a modified Renesis to something as out-of-character as a V8. But before you rotorheads get up in arms, remember this is all just educated dart throwing. [WindingRoad]

1:30 PM on Mon Dec 31 2007
By Matt Hardigree
5,402 views, 31 comments

Latest by crevans: How about we make a 2 stroke and burn MORE oil? 11,000 oil burning RPM would be a wonderous sound. Brrrrrring-a-dingdingdingding baby. more »

thunderhill lemons

The LeMons Casualties Mount

Now we're starting to see more and more cars limping- or being dragged- into the pits for hours of frantic repair work. In some cases, it becomes clear that the car is finished. Here's one where it's too early to tell: an RX-7 gushing smoke from the engine compartment, surrounded by worried team members. A while back, we heard plaintive calls over the PA for someone with an extra Honda Civic transmission, followed by pleas for a BMW alternator.

11:00 PM on Sat Dec 29 2007
By Murilee Martin
318 views, 2 comments

Latest by camp6ell: i love the community of sharing - it's like a freecycle race. more »

detroit auto show

Mazda to Reveal Furai Concept, 2009 Mazda RX-8 at Detroit Auto Show

Mazda's just revealed the above shot of the Mazda Furai concept vehicle along with the release below the jump detailing the Japanese-by-way-of-Dearborn automaker's game plan for the 2008 Detroit Auto Show next month. Want to know what the Furai is? Well, if the track background behind the cockpit doesn't give you some indication, here's a paragraph lifted directly from the press release:
"Furai takes Mazda's unique Nagare (Japanese for "flow") design language a step further as it is translated into a concept car based on an American Le Mans Series (ALMS) racing car. The car utilizes the Courage C65 chassis the company campaigned in the ALMS series only two seasons ago, and the 450-hp three-rotor rotary engine that distinguishes it from anything else on the track."
C65 chassis and a 450-HP rotary? Yes, please. Oh, and did we mention they'll be showing off the "heavily revised" Mazda RX-8? Waiter, would you mind adding one of those to the order too? Full press release below the jump. Want to see a high-res photo of the Furai teaser shot? Click here. More »

Feature

9:55 PM on Tue Dec 11 2007
By Ray Wert
8,879 views, 34 comments

Latest by n/a: @RocketSled: Find any results from any SCCA or NASA race weekend from anywhere in the country and count the cars. There will be more Mazdas than any other make, and than most other makes combined. Mazda utterly dominates grassroots motorsports. more »

joining the rotary club

Over the Back Fence: 2010 Mazda RX-7

Despite a small issue with verb tenses, How Stuff Works apparently has a line on the 2010 Mazda RX-7. The info comes by way of Consumer Guide, which says a return of the RX-7 is imminent, possibly as a replacement for the aging RX-8. Word is the new RX-7 will ride on a stretched MX-5 platform. That means 2+2 seating. Perhaps the most notable tidbit is the possibility for a new booster rocket atop the Renesis rotary. That is, a turbocharger assisted by an electric motor at low rpm. That novel hybrid system would both widen the power band and reduce the rotary's nagging low-rpm emissions. As for styling, speculators say look to the 2006 Kabura concept (shown) for clues. [How Stuff Works]

9:00 AM on Thu Aug 23 2007
By Mike Spinelli
9,556 views, 34 comments

Latest by n/a: @vinnchan: Most rotaries generally don't have a physical rev limit. They are mainly limited by fuel and air supply...1st gen RX7s could spin 12k-13k stock; the problem is building a transmission that can reliably shift at those speeds. Modern synchros more »

question of the day

What The Hell Happened To This Mazda RX-7?

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classic ad watch

RX-7NOW!

It goes without saying that we love the RX-7, so it just makes sense that we'd like a vintage Japan-market ad for the '80 model. This one features a stirring combo of rugged-looking Western guy (who may or may not be a B-list American star of some sort), the requisite tough-sounding voiceover, and some Quaaludy wow-chicka-wow porn music. Enjoy. – Murilee Martin More »

5:30 PM on Wed May 16 2007
By Murilee Martin
828 views, 17 comments

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