Mazda RX-8 Update & Furai Concept: '08 Detroit Motor Show
Motoring Channel Staff - 13/December/2007
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The 2008 Mazda RX-8 may look somewhat like
this 2004 RX-8 Extreme, a banzai turbo model
Based on a hardcore race car, the Mazda
Furai concept hints at a future super car
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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. Related
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- Mazda6 (2008)
- Mazda2 (2008)
- Mazda6 MPS (Road Test)
- Mazda Taiki (concept)
- Mazda3 Extreme Concept (2007)
- Mazda6 Sport (Road Test)
- Mazda6 Diesel (2007)
- Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe (Road Test)
- Mazda Ryuga (concept)
- Mazda Nagare (concept)
- Mazda CX-9 (2008)
- Mazda 2 Miller Cycle (2008)
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