The Rotary Diaries: Crashing my RX-8 and Dealing With the Aftermath

Pride comes before a fall, as yours truly can testify. More than two decades of driving, the best part of them behind test cars, I prided myself on having a clean record. Sure, I was handed some speeding tickets and I did have my share of near misses but, somehow, I had managed to steer clear of an accident.

Now that record has been blotted by an accident in my RX-8; it was a low-speed one and, thank God, no one was hurt. Ironic that I would return the keys to every car handed to me, from a low-rent mini to a Porsche or a Bentley (the latter the company CEO’s personal car, no less) with not a scratch on them but I would crash my own car in a spectacularly silly way…

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Watch Comparo Between the Scion FRS, Mazda RX-8 and Honda S2000 - Which One Do You Like?

Our obsession with everything new and cutting-edge is a very damaging one, simply because it limits our horizon in so many ways. For instance, why would you buy a Toyota GT86/Subaru BRZ/Scion FRS when there are two perfectly good (older) sports cars that share all the right ingredients – front engine, rear wheel drive and excellent dynamics?

The two models I'm talking about are the smooth Mazda RX-8 (find out all you need to know about it here) and the screaming Honda S2000, which is my personal favorite, because I still think it looks good and sounds even better. All three cars were pitted against one another by Everyday Driver, and in the end a winner was chosen.

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My Rotary Diaries: An Owner’s Guide to the Mazda RX-8 Galaxy

"The RX-8 doesn’t just like a drink; it is the founding member of the AA institution for sports car engines"

Are you tired of my RX-8 reports yet? If you secretly nodded your head in agreement, then I have good news for you, because this will be the final one, in which I’ll try to recount the ups and downs of running Mazda’s last rotary sports car – until, hopefully, the next one comes up…

First of all, let me introduce you to the world’s first contemporary four-door coupe. The Mercedes-Benz CLS that supposedly invented the niche? It was launched a year later than the RX-8, which is a coupe and has four doors. True, the Merc and its clones are perched much higher in terms of pricing and none adopted the rear suicide doors that did without the B-pillar, but you get the point.

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My Rotary Diaries: The Turn and the Screw of RWD Sports Cars

So far, I have sung the praise of the RX-8 and its multi-layered character. Yet, in 21 years of driving, it was in my current steed that I came closer than ever to having the one thing every driver fears the most: THE BIG ONE.

It was late at night and raining. Getting wheel spin in first, second and third earlier, I had switched the traction control back on as the slimy surface didn’t warrant any heroics.

Less than half a mile from home, there’s a tricky left-hander that is extremely slippery in the entry even when it’s dry. I’ve crossed it a zillion times in many different cars and at various speeds.

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My Rotary Diaries: Silver Linings and the Midlife Crisis Handbook

Nothing seems to scream “midlife crisis” louder than a low-wide sports car. Never mind it’s not a Porsche or (heaven forbid!) a Ferrari or that it was acquired used for less than the price of a new city car in entry level trim.

The color doesn’t help, either; perhaps a “Galaxy Grey Mica” or a “Sunlight Silver Metallic” would make the RX-8 stealthier but mine is a “Winning Blue”, which, for some reason, isn’t that common as red, silver or black.

Stereotypes die-hard and, apparently, sports cars are supposed to be a young man’s game. Like Jack in Lost, I let the fear sink in, counted to five and then got on with my midlife crisis' toy, a Mazda RX-8.

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Paging Mazda: The New RX-7 is Long Overdue, Better Build it ASAP

Right now, a group of designers and engineers in Hiroshima are supposedly working on Mazda’s next sports car with a rotary engine. Nobuhiro Yamamoto, the company’s car chief, let it slip a couple of months ago that a “new RX-7” is on the cards for 2017.

This means it's still four years away. That’s an eternity in the automotive world and many things can change until then. Especially those that, as Yamamoto acknowledged, are “not carved in stone”… Well, they’d better be.

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The CarScoop Diaries: Summer Kisses, Winter Tears or Why I Bought My RX-8

Last time I told you about my decision to buy a Mazda MX-5 roadster. Well, that didn't last long. You see, three months into my MX-5 ownership, and the honeymoon was ending. In fact, you could say our relationship was getting shaky due to the diminutive roadster entertaining and frustrating me in equal measure.

You don’t really get into an MX-5, but instead you drop into the as-low-as-it-gets seat and marvel at how closely placed all the controls are. Then you try to find a place to put your belongings and, eventually, settle for the passenger’s seat. Basically, if you don’t carry a bag, when you stop you’ll be retrieving them from the floor.

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Edgy Mazda RX-8 Blacknightz Coupe Smiles for the Camera

Our friend Shawnz from Singapore is back with new material for his recently completed Mazda RX-8 Blacknightz Coupe project.

After having the heavily customized RX-8 professionally photographed, Shawnz is now preparing a promo video for the car, a trailer of which he released a few days ago, with the full clip to follow in the coming weeks.

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Presenting the One-of-a-Kind Mazda RX-8 Blacknightz Coupe Project from Singapore

It's been more than two-and-a-half years since CarScoop reader Shawnz from Singapore piqued our interest with a custom project for a unique looking Mazda RX-8 Coupe.

To refresh your memory, back in February of 2010, Shawnz had sent us pictures of his project car, which at the time, was still being built and honed.

As a student, Shawnz had limited funds and time to complete the car of his dream, but he never let go and today, he can proudly present to us his finished creation that he likes to call the Blacknightz RX-8.

"After hard savings and refining the drawing board and the power mods...presenting the Decepticon to the Veilside 4509 GTR Supra," Shawnz told CarScoop in an email (if you're wondering about the Veilside Supra, click here for pictures).

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Nissan GT-R Transformed Into a Robot for New Japanese Gaming and Film Franchise

Autobots and Decepticons move over because there's a new Japanese franchise about cars transforming into robots and it's named Chō Soku Henkei Gyrozetter.

Well, actually, to be frank, it’s far too early to tell if the new franchise will have the success of the Transformers series but the fact that it has licensed several cool cars like the Nissan GT-R, Mazda RX-8, Toyota 86 (Scion FR-S in North America) and Mitsubishi Lancer EVO has certainly captured our attention.

After searching into the unknown depths of the Japanese gaming world (not knowing the language doesn't really help…) we found some basic information about Chō Soku Henkei Gyrozetter.

The new franchise is the work of Japanese video game developer, publisher and distribution company Square Enix, which is mostly known for its Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest series.

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Video of the Day: "Idiot Drives the Nürburgring F1 Track"

There is nothing better than some self-deprecating humor to lighten things up and turn a bad situation into a shared laugh.

We will start by telling you that the title of this post comes from the person who uploaded the video on YouTube not to make fun of someone else but of himself while driving his Mazda RX-8 on a rainy day at the Nürburgring F1 track.

"Most of the time I sit in my car declaring how rubbish everybody else is," wrote YouTube user Nurburgdale. "This time I was the arsehole, the dangerous twit who didn't even realise how bad he was until he checked the memory card of the vbox... rather than hit ctrl-delete, I thought I'd upload it to others. Hey, if you can't laugh, you'll only cry!"

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Mazda RX-8 to Live a Little Longer Due to Increased Demand in Japan

Last November, Mazda announced that it would mark the end of production of the RX-8 sports car with the release of 1,000 examples of a special edition model called Spirit R, all of which would be unloaded in the Japanese market.

The automaker not only sold all of these cars but it also received a lot more orders than it originally anticipated and as a result, it decided to extend production of the RX-8 SPIRIT R by another 1,000 units until June 2012.

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