Final-Year Mazda RX-8 Is Today's Pick on Bring a Trailer
Starting in the 1970s, Mazda was known for it rotary engines.
The RX-8 sports coupe was the brand's last rotary-powered car in the United States.
This final-year example is the desirable updated model, and it offers stripped-down appeal with cloth seats and no sunroof.
German engineer Felix Wankel invented the rotary engine, but his Nazi past is a stain on his reputation, so we'd rather recognize Kenichhi Yamamoto. He's the Japanese engineer (and later head of Mazda) who put the engine into the Mazda Cosmo, making the rotary commercially viable. Mostly.
The rotary engine became part of the soul of Mazda, and if it can be a bit flawed in operation, at least it has true character. And this low-mileage 2011 RX-8 for sale on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos) has all the spinning-metal-Dorito spirit any rotary head could want.
The RX-8 is one of the most overlooked sports cars out there, partially because it arrived with such big boots to fill. It followed the third-generation twin-turbo RX-7, which was gorgeous and ferociously turbocharged if slightly brittle. The RX-8 was a better sorted product, but it was slower and less frenetic. Of such things, legends are not made. With the Nissan 350Z kicking around with far more power for about the same money, you really had to want a rotary.
The RX-8 also shared its platform with the third-generation Mazda MX-5, itself an overlooked gem. Most people agree that the NC MX-5 is the worst of the four generations of the breed, but that's like getting lunch at the fourth best taco truck in California. It's still gonna be great.
The RX-8 married this tossable chassis with a light Renesis twin-rotor engine good for 239 horsepower and just 159 pound-feet of torque. Still, with a curb weight of a little over 3000 pounds, that was enough for a 60-mph time of 5.9 seconds (once the engine was well broken in).
On the minus side, 19 mpg. And about a quart of oil every 3000 miles or so. On the plus side, a 9000-rpm redline, and an engine that spins so smoothly you'd think it was drinking cream rather than hydrocarbons.
This example has just 17K miles on its odometer, and is finished in classic red over black cloth seats. It's got a limited slip rear differential and no sunroof (the Sport models did without), so it's the more performance-oriented version. As a later model in the production run, it benefits from some additional chassis stiffening, revised suspension geometry, and a lower final drive. This is as feisty as the RX-8 got.
Mazda is still technically building rotary powered cars for the European market, as the range-extender version of the MX-30 features a tiny 830cc single-rotary. It whirrs away like a pencil sharpener, and allows for an added 300 miles of range. Beyond this, Mazda has also started building 13B blocks and components for those interested in restoring an FD-generation RX-7 twin-turbo.
But since the 2012 model year, Mazda hasn't offered a rotary-engine car in the U.S., so here's your chance. It's the right spec, the miles are low, and there's plenty of information out there on properly servicing them and keeping them on the road. The no-reserve auction ends on October 9.
And let's all agree to never bring up ol' Felix again.
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