http://www.bestmotoring.jp/lineup/index.html

Video should be up in a day or two . . .

Video is now up. The Renesis sounds sweet! Gearing appears similar to the S2000. Nice car!

:D

Sweet!

Notice that the digital speedometer jump around and not counting sequentially, ie, 80 to 84, 98 to 101.

And also, notice in the Time Attack segment, he shifts at about 9500 rpm or so, and looks like he could go all the way to 10k if he wanted:D :D :D

Hrm, doesnt work for me. Any other formats other than Real Player?

sweeett!!:D :D

That was awesome, thanks Rob!

tallguylehigh, I put an MPEG-1 version of just the RX-8 segment here (352x240, 48s, 5MB):
BEST MOTORing RX-8 (edit).mpg.zip (http://rasterwerks.com/vid/BEST%20MOTORing%20RX-8%20(edit).mpg.zip)

update - look here:
http://www.rx8forum.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=30121#post30121

Nice!
:D

Gamera,

Thank you, you are the man!

i am LITERALLY BREATHLESS watching that!! OH MY F***ING GOD!!!
that is seriously one fast ass car...
btw gents, the speedometer is in kph, just before you gettin' your hope up too high ;)
but that is SICK acceleration, i never imagined anythign like that... wow...

WE want more!!!!

:D :D

Originally posted by wakeech
btw gents, the speedometer is in kph, just before you gettin' your hope up too highDamn! I was hoping that since that was at Laguna, it was a u.s. spec car so I was seeing mph.

I haven't heard that beautiful hummmm since my 1st generation 1985 RX-7 !

How sweet it sounds!!

:D :D :D :D

I was definately meant to be born rich...

COOL! :D :D

Is this from a VHS/DVD we can buy?!? Sure looks like it....although I can't read japaneese! :p

LOL grimmy still not getting the rx-8? its worth the money

Originally posted by xeos
COOL! :D :D

Is this from a VHS/DVD we can buy?!? Sure looks like it....although I can't read japaneese! :p

The Japanese Motoring DVDs are not for sale outside Japan, but I'm sure there must be some sorts of copies floating around. Also, these are not the same videos as Motoring International, which are available worldwide.

Originally posted by Gamera
That was awesome, thanks Rob!

tallguylehigh, I put an MPEG-1 version of just the RX-8 segment here (352x240, 48s, 5MB):
http://www.rasterwerks.com/vid/BEST%20MOTORing%20RX-8%20(edit).mpg.zip

Great work Gamera, could you do the same with the vids from
http://www.rx-8.mazda.co.jp/gallery/movie.html ???

the exhaust note is so deep... its like an aftermarket exhaust... COOL!!! :D

did any1 point out that the driver shifted passed 9000 rpm!!!! at a speed of over 100 on second gear... it must b on km/h... but its nice to have a high rev limit... :cool: wish my FD had the renesis engine... not that im complaining... hehehe...

Tanx for the video... more plzzzzzzz ;)

...watched the video again!
could it be that he was in 4th gear?? and in a speed of over 100+ in mph?? hahaha me confused now.... wat do u think guys?? :D

I think that he shifted from 2nd to 3rd in the video.

Originally posted by Puppy1
Damn! I was hoping that since that was at Laguna, it was a u.s. spec car so I was seeing mph.

the speedo is digital, so you can probably switch b/t mph and kph anyway, even on u.s. spec cars...

i think there were beeps as shifting prompts. it seemed like the prompt goes off at 8500rpm and he let it rev up to 9500 and shifted. it's CRAZY! that's even higher revving than s2k, isn't it? it's so AWESOME!!! how come the american magazines don't post videos like this =(

the speedo went up to 139 while redlining, has to be in kph

:D

One thing I noticed is that it looks like the tach is a bit behind the engine. I put a lightened flywheel in my car and now I really notice some tach lag. I know for the Miata, you can change the damping by modifying the circuit board behind the tach, but for folks with stock Miatas, you can't really notice the lag.

I would have figured for a stock RX-8, Mazda wouldn't have overdamped the tach.

What do you guys think? Anyone else notice this?

Originally posted by B-Nez


The Japanese Motoring DVDs are not for sale outside Japan, but I'm sure there must be some sorts of copies floating around. Also, these are not the same videos as Motoring International, which are available worldwide.

Hm, have never heard of it......must...get...that...DVD......!!

Starting KaZaA, eMule, WinMX, DC++ & SoulSeek in search of motoring bliss :D

So I guess given the evidence we can remove all doubt that the RX-8 is a sports car and not a sports sedan, right? :D

Originally posted by Toadman
So I guess given the evidence we can remove all doubt that the RX-8 is a sports car and not a sports sedan, right? :D The new category: "A SPORTS CAR LIKE NO OTHER."

I prefer to think of it as in a class by itself, just like the Mustang was back in 1964, Sure there were faster/stronger GTO's and other muscle cars, but they did not have the combination of style/price/and practicality that the Ford had. When the immitators showed up, someone coined the term "Pony Cars."

Enter Mazda's RX-8. I think someone will come up with a new category based on the RX-8. Let the immatators begin. I think I'll call it a "Sports QUAD."

Suddenly its 1964 1/2 all over again.:cool:

It sure is nice to hear again the good ol' warning buzzer as the tach approaches redline. As short as the 8's appearance is on that preview video, it still increases my excitement just that much further. I'll definitely be checking in at Japantown in the next few weeks for the full video.

* *

\_____/

I agree with Wakeech; that is one fast ass car!!

It says the video that the video is the March Edition. So the DVD probably won't be available for a few weeks...

First of all big thanks to Gamera for converting this video to a decent format and putting it up for download! :)

Now, did anyone else notice the lap times on the screen while Gan-San was putting on his helmet? It says the NSX did a 1:50 and change, while something else (can anyone read what it is? Wouldn't it be awesome if it was the RX-8? :)) turned a 1:45. That is darned fast for a street car around Laguna Seca! Especially one with 4 seats and a reasonable price tag. :D

I'm gonna have to get a copy of this video. I can't wait to see these crazy guys take the RX-8 to a battle at Ebisu among the 350Z, S2000, FD RX-7, and EVO8!

Wow. Seeing the tach drop *down* to my rx-7's redline rpm when he shifts....

:eek:

Wow, RealVideo must be one unpopular format, I got over 800 downloads of the MPEG clip in 3 days.

Best Motoring is a monthly magazine on VHS tape, not DVD. The March 2003 issue is already out in Japan (ISBN: 4060782335). I checked with the local Kinokuniya shop today, and the nice lady there said their shipments on those mags often come late, but should be in store in 2-3 weeks.

When I get it, I'll make a nice hi-res DivX or MPEG-2 clip of it, but I'm not sure if my server's gonna be able to handle the load! ;)

--

BTW, I have the 5 Japan Mazda Gallery WMV clips downloaded that I could convert to MPEG-1, if anyone wants to volunteer hosting those (the WMV average about 5MB each, the MPEG-1 conversions are about 25MB each)

Originally posted by Gamera
Wow, RealVideo must be one unpopular format, I got over 800 downloads of the MPEG clip in 3 days.

Best Motoring is a monthly magazine on VHS tape, not DVD. The March 2003 issue is already out in Japan (ISBN: 4060782335). I checked with the local Kinokuniya shop today, and the nice lady there said their shipments on those mags often come late, but should be in store in 2-3 weeks.

When I get it, I'll make a nice hi-res DivX or MPEG-2 clip of it, but I'm not sure if my server's gonna be able to handle the load! ;)


Hehe, if you put up a DivX of that VHS you'll be my hero for sure :D :D :D

I hadn't heard of best motoring magazine until this thread with the clip. Not sure if anyone in europe has...(?)

Originally posted by BryanH
Now, did anyone else notice the lap times on the screen while Gan-San was putting on his helmet? It says the NSX did a 1:50 and change, while something else (can anyone read what it is? Wouldn't it be awesome if it was the RX-8? :)) turned a 1:45. That is darned fast for a street car around Laguna Seca!
Actually, it says that is an American-spec Supra (SUUPURA hokubei shiyou).

I've watched the video 5 or 6 times already. Damn, if there is a Mazdaspeed RX8 under development I will be putting my deposit down. What a truly phenomenal car. Mazda has come out swinging, that's for sure!

where i live... u c tons of Best motoring and options VCD's... its great how they test new car on the track and race them wiv different cars... :cool:

i cant wait for the rx8 video to arrive here... i want to hear it purr to the red line... :D

Originally posted by m477
Actually, it says that is an American-spec Supra (SUUPURA hokubei shiyou). Thanks. :) The twin turbo MKIV?

Originally posted by BryanH
Thanks. :) The twin turbo MKIV?
They don't say, but that's what I'd assume.

It appears in the video that he was taking second gear to 107kph(66 mph) and about to shift, maybe, to third at 109 kph(86mph).

Taking second to 66 is pretty nasty compared to my 2nd gen. I belive he could've taken third to at least to 9500 rpm and maybe 95 mph?

That's sounds good to me.

What do you think?

^

Originally posted by Gamera


When I get it, I'll make a nice hi-res DivX or MPEG-2 clip of it, but I'm not sure if my server's gonna be able to handle the load! ;)

--


When you get it, let me know. I'd be happy to put it up on my web site provided by my cable company. They do not have any band width limitations

:D :D

Is that the sound of the DSC activating when he goes into the corkscrew? Sounds like a dying animal.

:cool: Best MOTORing March 2003 came in today :cool:

DISCLAIMER: If you have access to a Japanese bookstore, support the magazine and BUY a copy, it's well worth it.

The total run time of the RX-8 story is 21 minutes. I just finished breaking it into 6 parts (you will need the current DivX video codec). These two are a must see:

http://rasterwerks.com/vid/BestMotoring_03.2003_RX-8_Part03_LagunaSeca.jpg
Part 03 - Laguna Seca (30.6MB) (http://rasterwerks.com/vid/BestMotoring_03.2003_RX-8_Part03_LagunaSeca.zip)

http://rasterwerks.com/vid/BestMotoring_03.2003_RX-8_Part05_TimeAttack.jpg
Part 05 - Time Attack (16.2MB) (http://rasterwerks.com/vid/BestMotoring_03.2003_RX-8_Part05_TimeAttack.zip)

more:

http://rasterwerks.com/vid/BestMotoring_03.2003_RX-8_Part02_CaliforniaDrive.jpg
Part 02 - California Drive(28.6MB) (http://rasterwerks.com/vid/BestMotoring_03.2003_RX-8_Part02_CaliforniaDrive.zip)

http://rasterwerks.com/vid/BestMotoring_03.2003_RX-8_Part01_Intro.jpg
Part 01 - Intro (15.8MB) (http://rasterwerks.com/vid/BestMotoring_03.2003_RX-8_Part01_Intro.zip)

Run-times:
01 - Introduction 02:26
02 - California Drive 04:20
03 - Laguna Seca 04:38
04 - Interview 05:17
05 - Time Attack 02:26
06 - Conclusion 02:13

Technical:
source: NTSC VHS
capture: DV500+ 720x480
process: deinterlace, resize (bicubic)
video: 640x480 DivX 5.02 780 kBit/s
audio: 48KHz stereo, MP3 128 kBit/s

ENJOY! :D

UPDATE - check this thread for new host (courtesy of Cylo):
http://www.rx8forum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2729

UPDATE (again) - got a new web host, so these links are live again, you can dl here or from Cylo's site.

Originally posted by Gamera
tallguylehigh, I put an MPEG-1 version of just the RX-8 segment here (352x240, 48s, 5MB):
http://www.rasterwerks.com/vid/BEST%20MOTORing%20RX-8%20(edit).mpg.zip

Thanks so much, I'm at work and don't have RealPlayer!

Best time 1:50
Not too shabby! We'll have to find other cars' times to compare it to...

sweeeeeet. Is it my resolution or does the car look a little on the skinny side?

yes CERTAINLY... but let's not forget that it's a lot to do with the driver, right?? ;)

still though, that seems like a respectable time...

shit... no divX codec...

Yeah, DivX is great, for high quality in small size... but nothing beats the playability of MPEG... ANYONE can play it.. :-)

What's the driver saying???!!!! Can anyone translate?

Downloading at 400kbps is such a blessing :)

An idea of Laguna Seca laptimes. Remember that the RX-8 was 1:50.

http://www.car-videos.com/performance/track.asp?track=2

On further digging those lap times seem very stretched (high)... I'll keep digging for accurate lap times.

Here's a good link... (http://www.nsxfiles.com/fame_laguna.htm)

It shows a lot of stock unmodded cars that run on racing slicks.. I figure you slap slicks onto the RX-8 and it will be beating most of those times :)

I think that's it for my search... that's the best link I turned up.

Most of the articles I'm finding are based on pure race cars that turn insanely low laps :) So there's no point in putting it up there hehe.

Originally posted by m477
Best time 1:50
Not too shabby! We'll have to find other cars' times to compare it to... BestMotoring tested an NSX at 1:50 there. Not too shabby indeed. :)

Gamera - thank you multiple tonnage for uploading these videos! I'm on a modem so it'll be morning before they're done but I'm really looking forward to them. :)

All Hail Gamera! :D

That is the by far the best video of the RX-8 that I have seen. :D

It even has heel-toe action in there! Can anyone translate the Japanese commentary?

Brian

like i said, no divX codec, but when i DL'ed and listened to the audio track of it, i was over at the house of a japanese friend, for whom i tutor english. (not too shabby, eh?? :D)

anyways, she's a japanese, and she was telling me "oh, they talk about the corner" "oh, they just say it corners flat" "oh, they say they like this thing and that thing"...
so, she's not a car gal in either language, so sorry for the inspecifity, but yeah, supposedly all generally good comments (when talking about the car)...

Originally posted by Buger
All Hail Gamera! :D
That is the by far the best video of the RX-8 that I have seen. :D
It even has heel-toe action in there! Can anyone translate the Japanese commentary?
Brian
Very welcome, always glad to be of service!

Update: The California drive and introduction videos are online now (http://www.rx8forum.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=30121#post30121) .

AFAIK, the DivX codec is available for both MacOS and Linux, what OS are you running? I could make them MPEG-1, no prob, but for these low data rates, DivX looks alot better. I'd also have to drop the res to 320x240.

The page with the Laguna Seca lap times is interesting, but agreed, something's not quite right with those numbers if a CLK-GTR ran slower than the RX. Did you guys ever see that video where one of those went airborne at LeMans?

random thoughts:
- The dual color lighting for the gauges is very cool, didn't know that was a feature.
- They must have closed off a long stretch of roadway for that scenic run, else Gan-San must have no fear of the CHP :eek:
- The interior seems very quiet, exterior sounds (engine whine, tire squeal, wind noise) seem barely audible, when compared to interior sounds (voice, shifter, rustle of the flamesuit).
- Look forward to when Best MOTORing includes the RX-8 in one their class "battles". Those are fun to watch. I have a clip of an RX-7RS beating out two NSX (type S, S-Zero), two Skylines (R33, R34), and two EVO (VRS/VGSR) at Tsukuba Raceway. Gan-San is at the wheel of the RX in that one too, and he's got the flu! That guy is amazing.

Gan-San is my hero. ;)

A couple observations from the video. They mention the word "undesteer" at one point, and from the looks of the car I'd say a smidge of push is dialed into the suspension. Most of us know the Japanese like oversteer (like me ;)). Also it seemed like the brake pedal had long travel, making heel/toe a little difficult. Perhaps stainless braided brake lines would be a good first mod for track nuts.

The video links are down :(

doh! never mind

Originally posted by SA22C
The video links are down :(
Oh well, I was hoping someone could mirror the videos before that happened. I have a 2 gigabyte daily transfer limit, in the past 16 hours, about 8 gigs was downloaded, so my provider has disabled my site. Sorry, but we're going to have to figure out another way of doing this. Kazaa anyone?

I have unlimited traffic. Let me try and get to it. I will make a new post for all the videos I have on my webserver.

Dang, I missed those vids before the server went down. Gamera, have you considered posting those vids to the newsgroup? Say alt.binaries.multimedia. Once you post them, the bandwidth are of no longer a problem.

Cylo has been kind enough to put them on his site:
http://www.rx8forum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2729

Yeah, newsgroups make more sense for something like this. Maybe next time I'll go that route (or at least get a new host). Though, I'm not sure if most members of the forum know how to use a newsreader like Agent.

Did anyone else notice the sign draped on the last bridge (2 turns) before the corkscrew? It said "Hmmmmmm".

The hum is back!

"Piston engine goes *boing boing boing boing boing*, Mazda engine goes *hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm*"

:D ol' school baby.

Originally posted by BryanH
Now, did anyone else notice the lap times on the screen while Gan-San was putting on his helmet? It says the NSX did a 1:50 and change, while something else (can anyone read what it is? Wouldn't it be awesome if it was the RX-8? :)) turned a 1:45. That is darned fast for a street car around Laguna Seca! Especially one with 4 seats and a reasonable price tag. :D


Hi BryanH,

A guy on the Car&Driver forum translated the below about the other times:

"...so let me just summarize the NIHONGO on that video. which was just showing Lap times for reference (don't know which driver though).

Supra Turbo (USDM): 1:45"87
NSX (USDM) : 1:50" (lows)."