Alfred Hitchcock's words "There is no terror in a bang, only in the anticipation of it" came to mind as I sipped my coffee looking over the Mazda RX-8 that waited for me in my garage.
Having already interviewed the RX-8's Chief Designer, Ikuo Maeda, at the car's introduction, my anticipation to drive the car firsthand has been building for over 24 months.
Come to think about it, I've been waiting ever since the last Mazda RX-7 was killed off in the North American market in 1995. The demise of the last Rotary Rocket was primarily because of the rising value of the Japanese Yen, and ever-tightening emission regulations. Mazda was working on a replacement called the RX-01 with a new type of naturally aspirated two-rotor Wankel Rotary with side exhaust ports that produced cleaner emissions. And the generous folks from Hiroshima were ready to sell the 220-horsepower two-seater for about half the price of the RX-7.
Then, bang! Ford took controlling interest of the Japanese company, and all plans regarding upscale sports cars and Rotary engines were put on ice. Many within the company thought that Mazda's days of selling cars with Rotary engine were over. Others felt that the unique engines were the essence of what the Mazda brand stood for.
Covertly, Mazda engineers continued development of the RX-01. Ford acquiesced, and signed-off on a Rotary-powered sports-car concept called the RX-Evolv that debuted at the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show. And it was not the cleaner emitting engine that got noticed under the bright showlights; it was the suicide, four-door configuration that had previously been seen only on pickups and quirky Saturns.
The rest they say is histoire.
Now that the honeymoon for the RX-8 period has eclipsed, I still questioned if Mazda had truly been successful with the dichotic goals of packaging four people comfortably and creating a sports car-like driving experience.
Having patiently fueled my own systems sufficiently with caffeine, I turned the ignition key on the two-rotor Wankel and found a familiar, low-pitched warble that reminded me of the transformer sound effect from the original Star Trek TV series. But that's just me...
This new, keg-sized 1.3-litre engine produces 238-horsepower at a motorcycle-like 8,500 revolutions-per-minute with 159-pound-feet of torque at 7,500. Doesn't sound much compared to a 280-horsepower Infiniti G35 Sports Coupe ($45,200) or a 300-horsepower 2005 Mustang GT ($32,795), does it?
Compared to these 2+2s, however, the Mazda RX-8 GT ($39,595) doesn't feel that much slower. Weighing less than the G35 and Mustang at 1,384-kilograms helps--a lot. Every time I extend my right foot, the car leaps ahead, quite easily causing the 225/45ZR-18 tires to squeal. Compared to the last gen, twin-turbo RX-7, this latest version of the Rotary has significantly more low-end grunt, and I am really enjoying playing with the evident power found in the mid-rpm range.
Having already interviewed the RX-8's Chief Designer, Ikuo Maeda, at the car's introduction, my anticipation to drive the car firsthand has been building for over 24 months.
Come to think about it, I've been waiting ever since the last Mazda RX-7 was killed off in the North American market in 1995. The demise of the last Rotary Rocket was primarily because of the rising value of the Japanese Yen, and ever-tightening emission regulations. Mazda was working on a replacement called the RX-01 with a new type of naturally aspirated two-rotor Wankel Rotary with side exhaust ports that produced cleaner emissions. And the generous folks from Hiroshima were ready to sell the 220-horsepower two-seater for about half the price of the RX-7.
Then, bang! Ford took controlling interest of the Japanese company, and all plans regarding upscale sports cars and Rotary engines were put on ice. Many within the company thought that Mazda's days of selling cars with Rotary engine were over. Others felt that the unique engines were the essence of what the Mazda brand stood for.
Covertly, Mazda engineers continued development of the RX-01. Ford acquiesced, and signed-off on a Rotary-powered sports-car concept called the RX-Evolv that debuted at the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show. And it was not the cleaner emitting engine that got noticed under the bright showlights; it was the suicide, four-door configuration that had previously been seen only on pickups and quirky Saturns.
The rest they say is histoire.
Now that the honeymoon for the RX-8 period has eclipsed, I still questioned if Mazda had truly been successful with the dichotic goals of packaging four people comfortably and creating a sports car-like driving experience.
Having patiently fueled my own systems sufficiently with caffeine, I turned the ignition key on the two-rotor Wankel and found a familiar, low-pitched warble that reminded me of the transformer sound effect from the original Star Trek TV series. But that's just me...
This new, keg-sized 1.3-litre engine produces 238-horsepower at a motorcycle-like 8,500 revolutions-per-minute with 159-pound-feet of torque at 7,500. Doesn't sound much compared to a 280-horsepower Infiniti G35 Sports Coupe ($45,200) or a 300-horsepower 2005 Mustang GT ($32,795), does it?
Compared to these 2+2s, however, the Mazda RX-8 GT ($39,595) doesn't feel that much slower. Weighing less than the G35 and Mustang at 1,384-kilograms helps--a lot. Every time I extend my right foot, the car leaps ahead, quite easily causing the 225/45ZR-18 tires to squeal. Compared to the last gen, twin-turbo RX-7, this latest version of the Rotary has significantly more low-end grunt, and I am really enjoying playing with the evident power found in the mid-rpm range.