Mazda RX-8 Update & Furai Concept: '08 Detroit Motor Show

Motoring Channel Staff - 13/December/2007

Hiroshima, Japan — It's the first major motor show of 2008, but already it's shaping up to be one of the most important.

The 2008 Detroit Motor Show, otherwise called the North American International Motor Show or NAIAS, will be home to a number of new models, including the brand new Mazda RX-8.

The NAIAS kicks off on January the 13th, 2008.

Mazda came clean with its plans to show off the new Mazda RX-8 yesterday, but don't expect a completely new look. 

Mazda says the new model will show off a "freshened design" which means that it may get new headlights, brake lights, and possibly a slightly different front apron. New alloy wheels are also highly likely.

It will be a newer, sharper look for the 1.3-litre Wankel-powered sports car, but of more interest are the RX-8's mechanical changes that have been undertaken at the Mazda's research facility in Hiroshima, Japan.

Mazda claims to have "improved handing, acceleration, quality and features" which will make the new Mazda RX-8 a "Sports Car like no other." 

We're hoping for an improved power output (to around 200kW) and a subtle hike in torque to make it more of rival for the blindingly good Nissan 350Z (reviewed here), which would make for some good old fashioned opposite lock action.

Changes to the suspension geometry and steering are also expected.

Along with the refreshed mid-life upgrade for the rotary-powered Mazda RX-8, the Japanese company will also unveil it's latest concept car, the Furai.

The word Furai can be roughly translated to mean 'sound of the wind' and Mazda claims the new concept car, which will be the centrepiece of its Detroit Motor Show exhibit, will "redefine the typical concept car design brief".

"Furai purposely blurs boundaries that have traditionally distinguished street cars from track cars. Historically, there has been a gap between single-purpose race cars and street-legal models — commonly called super cars — that emulate the real racers on the road. Furai bridges that gap like no car has ever done before," said Franz von Holzhausen, Mazda's North American director of design.

The Furai concept is the fifth design in Mazda's award-winning Nagare 'Flow' series and is the first concept that goes for the jugular. It was "born and bred for the racetrack" says Mazda.

Though we only have this teaser photo so far, the design is expected to be wind-tunnel sleek and very aggressive.

This new concept car was based on an American Le Mans Series (ALMS) racing car, and uses the Courage C65 chassis paired to a rev-happy 335kW (450hp) triple-rotor engine (the RX-8 is a double rotor) powered by 100% ethanol.

Mazda claims that on any given weekend, there are more Mazdas and Mazda-powered cars road-raced in the United States than any other brand, so this ethanol （E100） powered race car is perfect fit for America's largest motor show.

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