I spoke with the sales Manager at Mazda South again today. I had asked him to find which of the colors are already available on other models so that I could get a better idea by seeing some "in the flesh." Here's his response:


Sunlight Silver Metallic: same as the current Protege and Miata
Brilliant Black Clearcoat: same as the current Miata
Titanium Gay Metallic: same as the 2002SE Miata
Velocity Red Mica: new
Winning Blue Metallic: new
Nordic Green Mica: new
Lightning Yellow: new


After looking at the individual color swatches posted at the top of this thread (http://www.rx8forum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1588) , I was thinking I had definitely made the right choice when I opted for the blue - that yellow looks really funky. But further down that thread there's a board that shows them all together, and the yellow looks great while the blue looks awful. :confused:

I guess it all comes down to the lighting, and in particular to the white balance setting if it's a digital image.

I plan on taking a trip down to the Houston Auto Show at the end of this month, to sit in the '8 and see the colors firsthand. I'll try to borrow a prosumer digicam and a card to set the white balance, if nobody has posted better shots before then.

If neither the blue nor the yellow appeal to me, I'll definitely go for the Titanium. I've seen several 2002SE Miatas under various lighting conditions, and that color is sweet.

Hey Eccles, I was at Mazda South today, and did exactly that. I had a look at the colors of other cars there that match the color naming from the website. I eventually went with the Titanium, it was a tought choice between that and Black for me. But since I've been driving a black car for 10 years, and I thought it was time for something new.

Sorry I've been inactive around here, until some solid info came out, but now I'm pre-ordered.
:)