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The Mazda RX-8 is a Sports Car manufactured by Mazda Motor Corporation . It first appeared in 2001 at the North American International Auto Show . It is the successor to the RX-7 and like its predecessors in the RX range it is powered by a Renesis Rotary Engine . The RX-8 began North America n sales as 2004 model year car. DESIGN The RX-8 was designed as a , achieved by mounting the engine behind the front axle and the gas tank ahead of the rear axle. Weight is trimmed through the use of materials such as Aluminum (hood & rear doors), and a Carbon Fiber composite driveshaft on the manual gearbox car; designed to reduce rotational mass connected to the engine. The rest of the body is steel, save for the plastic front and rear bumpers. The car features a pair of rear-hinged "freestyle" doors (similar to Suicide Door s) in order to provide easier access to the rear seats. The RX-8 has no B-pillar between the front and rear doors, with the leading edge of the rear door acting as a 'virtual pillar' to maintain structural rigidity. Because of the overlapping design, the rear doors can only be opened when the front doors are open. MODELS The RX-8 is available in various models in different markets around the world. Standard models include:
Shinka / Evolve / Sports Prestige Limited / Mazdaspeed M'z Tune Mazda introduced a special ''Shinka'' edition to the U.S. market in 2005, and to the UK market in 2006 where it was branded as the ''Evolve''. Unique features include Shinka badges on the B-pillars, re-styled mirrors, alcantara-trimmed leather seats on the 2006 MY, stiffer chassis and suspension tuning, and polished wheels. For the 2005 MY, the Shinka was only available in Black Cherry Mica, and in 2006, it was available in Copper Red as well as some of the standard model colors. Power output remains unchanged from the standard models. This model is also offered in Japan as the Sports Prestige Limited RX-8. The Shinka option is not available for 2007. Mazda Japan is working on a Mazdaspeed version of the RX-8 dubbed the Mazdaspeed M'z Tune and will be released as a 2007 model (http://www.rx-8.mazda.co.jp/mz_tune/). PZ In May 2006 Mazda released the RX-8 PZ for the UK market. The car was jointly developed with motorsports company of £ 25,995 ($51,990). It was available in two colours, Galaxy Grey (320) and Brilliant Black (480). Hydrogen RE At the 2004 North American International Auto Show , Mazda unveiled the RX-8 Hydrogen RE concept car, designed to run on either hydrogen or gasoline. In February 2006, Mazda revealed that it would start leasing a Dual Fuel RX-8 to commercial customers in Japan, and in March 2006 announced its first two customers, claiming the first fleet deliveries of a dual hydrogen/gasoline production car. Future revisions
AWARDS As of October 2006 the RX-8 has won at least 37 international motoring awards including 2003 International Engine of the Year, the 2003 Japanese Car of the Year, Australia's '' Wheels '' magazine's Car of the Year for 2003, the 2004 Singapore Car of the Year, the 2004 U.S. Best Sports Car, and several UK Best Car Awards. It was also named on '' Car And Driver '' magazine's Ten Best List for 2004, 2005, and 2006. RACING The RX-8 is currently in use in the KONI Challenge Series. POPULAR CULTURE
MOTORSPORTS The car is used in the Formula Woman racing series in the United Kingdom which started in 2004, Mazda uses one of its cars to compete in the Britcar championship. Drag racer Abel Ibarra uses a 4-rotor powered spaceframe version of the RX-8 to compete in the NHRA Sports Compact series and is used in drifting events by Kouichi Yamashita and Rod Millen for the D1 Grand Prix and Formula D series. REFERENCES Sources |
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