This Car Is S O L O U D

Yesterday I put up a story detailing some of the shortcomings of the two-rotor engine that came stock in the Mazda RX-8. Kiwi Marcus van Klink offers a practical solution: replace the two-rotor dud with the legendary three-rotor 20B, and engine that is LOUDER THAN THE SUN IS HOT.

Do you see this? It is a verdant valley, rolling foothills crisscrossed by the Rally Otago down in New Zealand. What you do not see is Klinky's RX-8. But trust me, you hear it.

Watch this video and you'll see a Mitsubishi Evo ripping up the rally stage, but it's Klinky's RX-8 that you're hearing over it, three rotors buzzing several hills away.

I have looked up another video of the car, in which you can get a better view of its big wing and sequential trans in action. Be grateful for this video, as I can only assume the camera operator's head exploded during its recording.

This is a relatively new build still in development, picking up a good 50 horsepower just in October, as NZMotorRacing.co.nz reports. I believe that would come to 420 HP in total, if the above YouTube description is to be believed. Anyone familiar with rear-drive rallying will happily tell you this is "more than enough."

Every so often I wake up in the night, sweating. On a notepad at my bedside, I'll write down my dreams, their tendrils still snaking out of my head, down my arm and onto the page. As I see the words fill out before me, I realize that dragon was no dragon. Its bark was no cry. It was rotary in my dreams, a powerful monster seeking to destroy. Oil and gas are not enough for it to consume. It barks for me. It is not satisfied taking my heart. It wants my soul.