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The Mazda RX-8 made its debut at the Detroit International
Auto Show recently.
The most eye-catching feature of the eighth car in Mazda's
RX line-up is, surprisingly, the door configuration. Rather
than opting for a two-door coupé or perhaps a conventional
four-door hatch, Mazda has gone for something more unconventional.
As is obvious from the photos, the doors open in a gate-fold
fashion. Not only is this almost unheard of in the modern
car, it also does away with the central pillar.
With this in mind, you'd think that torsional rigidity would
be reduced. This is not the case. Using a number of special
techniques, the RX-8 is still as vibration-free and structurally
sound as past RX models.
The shape of the new Rex is distincly Mazda, but at the same
time it takes the RX family towards a more mature look. The
vehicle's stance and profile is reminiscent of the Ferrari
Marenello - this one is sure to turn heads.
The front wheel flares give the new Rex an aggressive visage,
as they culminate at the headlights.
And boy, is this baby aggressive. Mazda has been using the
rotary engine for the best part of 40 years now. It shows
too.
A new 654x2, water-cooled rotary engine, codenamed Renesis,
together with a six-speed manual transmission help move more
than 250 ponies to the little Rex's rear wheels. Maximum power
occurs at about 7,500rpm. To say the rotary engine likes to
spin would be an understatement.
More than 250 horsepower from a 1.3 litre engine? That said,
the rotary engine creates much more power, per cubic centimetre,
than your conventional engine config.
The RX-8 has 14" ventilated disc brakes all around with
6-piston calipers for the front and 4-piston calipers on the
rear. It also comes with a little something called Dynamic
Stability Control. This sounds similar to traction control,
which means, sadly, you won't be able to do burnouts.
The RX family of cars have always been agile little beasts
and you can expect this tradition to continue. The weight
distribution for the RX-8 is 50/50 (front/rear) - akin to
that of a sports-bred motorcycle.
A roadster with ample seating for four adults? Perhaps Mazda
will find a lucrative niche market with the RX-8 - but for
that we shall have to wait and see. Mazda has already stated
that they may make minor changes to the car before it hits
the production lines.
As it stands, however, the latest RX is looking very delectable
indeed. Mazda - we'll take three of them!
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