(bump) Mazda RX8 farewell...

[Vansquish]

Originally Posted by goodduck damn 1 year. well you better drive the crap out of it for the next 12 months! lol. how bout soem more photos? one of the best looking cars in the road IMO.

One thing at a time hehe...it's spring break, and I'm heading to Colorado to do some skiing with my dad, after I get back, I'll take a whole crapload of pictures for you guys

[ferrarif1fan89]

bummer.......it would look killer with a mazdaspeed ppackage, suspension, etc.

[Vansquish]

Originally Posted by ferrarif1fan89 bummer.......it would look killer with a mazdaspeed ppackage, suspension, etc.

Well I'm sure your car is a bummer too.

[dennist4]

nice car. great colourcombination

[Vansquish]

I went out for a drive a few days ago and took a little bit of footage...hopefully the link below takes you guys to it

http://s38.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1...H0M6MCZAC4YQQE

and some new pics:

[nthfinity]

the RX-8 looks great, and sounds awsome!
looks like you were driving around pinkney/hamburg area, right? i used to drive those roads often back when i had my Saab.... and unfortunately, a lot of the roads i used to drive are in a lot of disrepare.
thanks for sharing, vansquish

[Vansquish]

yup...that's where I was, that particular bit of road is about 20 minutes from me...easy enough to get to, but rural enough to be relatively free of other traffic.

[Pwoarrr]

Beautiful Rx-8 Vansquish! 8)
The black exterior and red inserts on the inside looks sooo right.
Thanks for the fantastic pics and vid.
Got any mods planned for it?

[ARMAN]

Bautiful can Vanquish Thanx for pics and vid

[Vansquish]

Originally Posted by Pwoarrr Beautiful Rx-8 Vansquish! 8) The black exterior and red inserts on the inside looks sooo right. Thanks for the fantastic pics and vid. Got any mods planned for it?

Unfortunately I can't mod it, it's a lease car and we're probably only going to have this particular vehicle for 1 year. After that, maybe a second one, or possibly a new 'Stang (personally after having driven both, I'd rather have the RX8...much better handling and more well-rounded vehicle).

Hey ARMAN, are you trying to say you like my ass?

[saadie]

Originally Posted by VANQUISH Hey ARMAN, are you trying to say you like my ass?

lol

well i have to say this again .. yer car is awsome ... and the color combination is soo right .....
the only color i like except black is metallic grey ... it looks amazing in it
thx fer the pics ..i really wanned to see htis car up close 8)

[Vansquish]

Well apparently they don't like vids being hosted that way, soo....if anyone wants the vids (there are a couple) PM me and I'll be happy to work something out.

[bmagni]

congrats man ! finally u got it !!!
i love it ! the color and interir are amazing

[ARMAN]

Originally Posted by Vanquish Hey ARMAN, are you trying to say you like my ass?

thats the funniest misspell I did sofar

[Vansquish]

It was late one night in the basement of East Quadrangle at the University of Michigan; my hands were covered with clay, a lump of which was beginning to take the form of a pot. Outside it snowed softly under the yellowish glare of the security lights in the courtyard. As is wont to happen at such peaceful, introspective moments, my phone rang. Spewing mild oaths about the goo covering my hands I picked it up and answered. It was my dad, a thousand miles away, enjoying his ski vacation.

“I’ve got some good news,” he said, “the car’s in.” I did my best to contain my elation.

“That’s cool, glad to hear it. Wow…they’re even a bit ahead of schedule.”

We chatted for another twenty minutes or so before I could hang up and express myself properly. Shortly thereafter I went home to catch some sleep before hauling myself to Dearborn to pick up the new “toy”. Bleary-eyed, but ecstatic, after only 4 hours of sleep, I threw on clothes, checked the map, and hit the road.

The service center was just as I had remembered it, and there, sitting all by itself, under some trees at the corner of the lot sat the car. Gleaming in its glossy black paint was our new, rotary-powered, baby. Attempting to wipe the smile off my face and regain some pretext of professionalism, I went to turn in the old car and get my hands on the new keys for the first time. Paperwork aside, the real work began. The manual states that no drive-in period is required, but recommends something on the order of 500 miles. The agreement between my father and me was for more than a thousand. A thousand miles of break-in time are hard for anyone, much less an avid driver and enthusiast. What with a full load of physics classes at U of M, a variety of extracurriculars, aggressive summer-biased rolling stock, and recent snowfall, one might imagine that my time to drive was limited. I made the best of it though, putting on more than 500 miles in the first 3 days of ownership.

My favorite stretches of road lie just outside of Ann Arbor and provide me with an excellent means to leave the stresses of school and social life behind. It was there, and in that car that I was able to experience the true joys of a well-balanced, if somewhat soft, rear-drive chassis for the first time. I had driven Mustangs, Thunderbirds, and even the odd Mercedes, but for the most part, my experience had hitherto been confined to front-drive vehicles ranging from the Volvo C70 T5 to the Ford Focus ZX3 that had been my high school transportation.

Communicative if slightly over-assisted steering writhing gently in my hands, short-throw shifts sliding smoothly between ratios, engine whirring, turbine-like towards our fun-stopping 5000rpm self-imposed redline, in those first few days I was able to form only a half-pleased view of the car.

Since the car it replaced had been a 3.0L V6 Mazda 6, the low-rev urge of the RX8 was a bit, well, disappointing. It will pull from idle in everything but 6th gear, but isn’t that willing to do so. As a result, first gear starts are more of an imperative than an option. At idle there is a rather impressive amount of vibration which translates through the chassis into the passenger compartment, especially through the gearlever. The red electro-luminescent instruments look good and are easy to read except when subject to direct sunlight in which case they wash out. Fortunately the color of the instruments can be changed to white and this rids the car of that particular foible. Visibility is good with the exception of rear ¾ views, due to the thick C-pillars, and out the back window, some of which is blocked by the optional spoiler. There is a reasonable amount of trunk room, enough for 4 bags of fencing gear (two sets of golf clubs or so), but the opening is small, and that space is only available if the optional fix-a-flat kit is ordered instead of the spare tire. With the optional body-cladding added, the front splitter is easily scraped when parking, and the paint, being somewhat brittle, flakes off easily after such grinding halts.

The passenger compartment looks special. Our car has the optional two-tone red and black leather interior, the only somewhat questionable part of which is the steering wheel, which would be better off in black alone. The rotary styling theme is ever-present, from the boss on the steering wheel to the shift-knob, to the headrests of the front seats. A stylish and functional beam runs through the center of the cabin, from the dash all the way to the rear seatbacks. It contains the driveshaft as well as a reasonable amount of storage. The “suicide” rear doors open wide and give good access to the reasonably roomy (for a coupe) rear seats. Headroom is at a premium for both front and rear passengers, though this can be avoided by using a somewhat reclined driving position for taller drivers. The optional Bose stereo system is distortion free and provides full, rich sound to every part of the interior, though a bit more bass would be welcome.

The car is extremely easy to place on the road due to its relatively small footprint and the sexy front wings which are, thankfully, visible from inside car as well. Shod with aggressive 225 x 45 x 18” Bridgestone Potenzas, grip is almost never an issue. That being said, in the wet, even with the optional limited slip diff, and TCS/ASM on, it’s still possible to get into a bit of trouble. With the electronic aids off, the neutral chassis makes the car a very tossable and benign toy. Much of the glee which the RX8 inspires is due to the way it goes around turns. Even with the limited driving of the break-period, the amount of grip available in the dry was far beyond what I had expected. The British auto magazine “Top Gear” has its own test track and on it, the RX8 posted precisely the same time as the E46 BMW M3. Before driving it, I would never have thought that such a feat possible. Despite its track credentials, the RX8 is suspended in such a way that the ride is well-damped and has a BWM-esque vault-like feel over most road imperfections, while maintaining good feel through the steering and seats.

Handling aside, it’s the engine that really forms the heart and soul of the RX8. The rotary in its naturally-aspirated form has never been notable for its torque characteristics, but rather for its turbine-like smoothness, flat torque curve and linear delivery. At low revs it sounds a bit like a Hoover, but once above 1500 rpm the engine-note turns into a smooth growl which really opens up once past 5500rpm. At 6500 it really begins to snarl with a final rip up to the 9000rpm redline where a beep reminds you to shift. Stopping is not an issue either. The brake and accelerator are well placed for heel-and-toe downshifts and brake-feel is quite good. Large disks at all four corners stop the car with authority though there is a bit of nose-dive in harder stops.

Fuel economy is never going to be a high-point with a small-displacement, high-output engine, even in the case of a rotary. With reasonably spirited driving a 16 mpg average is a reasonable expectation, though up to around 21mpg is possible with serious attempts at restraint. Keeping in mind that this is a 1.3L engine making 230 + bhp without forced induction, those figures seem more reasonable.

Starting below $30k it’s hard to avoid the RX8 as an excellent performance bargain. The Mustang may well be cheaper and faster in a straight line, but no matter how good the Panhard rod-assisted live axle is, an independently suspended, limited-slip equipped lightweight will always handle better and as a result, be faster around nearly any track. If you can live without the V8 soundtrack of the Mustang or the torquey V6 of the 350Z, then the RX8 is definitely the car for you. In many ways it is the faster, more aggressive, but less compromised sibling to the Miata that Mazda has needed for so long.

Needless to say, my time with the RX8 has been more of a joy than anything else I’ve driven. From the looks it gets on the street to the look on my face after a drive in the country, the car is worth every penny. Unfortunately I had to tender the keys to my dad when he got back from skiing, but from what I gather, he has been enjoying the car nearly as much as I have. Now if only it can help the two of us find girlfriends who are as car crazy as we are…