Since it’s release in 2004, Mazda’s RX-8 has been a media darling. Quirky, unique styling with tons of neat little rotary references have guaranteed that there is no mistaking the RX-8 for any other car on the road. Personally, I’ve never gotten past the oddity of the Saturnesque suicide doors. Reviewers have praised the free revving rotary, and rightfully so. The engine revels in being spun to it’s 9000 rpm rev limiter and has a lovely, though muted howl to go along with those revs. The only weak spot seems to be the lack of torque, which rotary afficionados tend to overlook due to the ability to spin the hell out of the little engine to make ponies.

Enter the Mazdaspeed parts catalogue…

Continue reading →

Over at World Car Fans, they are reporting that Nissan’s unoffical Skunkworks have been hard at work preparing a 350Z GT-S concept for the Goodwood Festival of Speed next weekend. Visit WCF for the full story, but the highlights include 380 supercharged horsepower, more agressive exhaust note and retuned suspension to handle the additional power. The goal has been to shave a full second off the already quick (5.8 seconds) 0-60 mph times and a full 2.5 seconds off the 0-100 time.

Engineers have been hoping to build a true clubman’s car, that can be raced on the weekend & then driven to the office, so the maintaining streetability has been a priority. While Nissan has not said anything officially about the car’s future, it seems promising that they are showing the car at Goodwood. Maybe one of the best sportscars on the market might just get even better soon.