Mazda RX-8

The Mazda RX-8 is a car, which first appeared in 2003 featuring the 247 SAE[?] net hp at 8500 rpm RENESIS Wankel rotary engine, which won International Engine of the Year 2003. The engine redline[?]'s at 9000 rpm. Before the RX-8, Mazda offered its last rotary engine in the 1995 RX-7 sports car.

One major change in design between the RX-8 and the RX-7 is the addition of a pair of rear-hinged half(suicide)-doors (similar to the 3rd door in the Saturn coupe), which allow easier access to the two back seats. The RX-8 has no center pillars seperating the front and rear doors. The front doors are hinged at the front, and aluminum back doors are hinged at the rear. A safety lock mechanism allows the back doors to open only if the front doors are open. Weight distribution in the RX-8 is a balanced 50/50 in the front and rear. Mazda’s new rotary engine is smaller and lighter than prior rotaries, yet it yields more power. New to it's design are a side-intake and side-exhaust. To cut down on cost, the RX-8 does not come with a turbocharger or supercharger, like the RX-7's. The engine produces 210 horsepower in the automatic transmission form, and 250 horsepower in the manual transmission form. Mazda aggressively trimmed mass from the RX-8 concept by using aluminum and plastic for body panels and installing a carbon composite driveshaft. The dimensions of the RX-8 are virtually identical to those of the Porsche 911 Carrera.

See also: Mazda

Sources

• http://www.nctd.com/sneakpreview.cfm?ReviewID=7
• http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/rx8/rx8_main_flash.jsp
• http://modelreports.cars.com/modeldata/model_report.jsp?makeid=30&year=2004&modelid=6388
• http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=19&article_id=2470