RX8 Convertible
 

Hey, sorry if you guys are as anal as everyone on the rx7 forums about not searching archives to see if anything was previously posted.... but i'm in school and need info fast. Does anyone know if and when the Rx-8 convertible will be released in the US for sale? Any info would help

thanks
-MikeO

It's already out in Japan....rumor is late 2006 (for 2007 year model) for us.

From what I've read, I'm leaning towards the "not" and "never" side of it, but hey I could be wrong.

Jalober 14th, 2006, to be exact. Do a search, noob. :rolleyes:

never even heard of such concept until you asked. I found one link on google that said the drop top 8 would be out in 2004. guess they missed the mark. ;)

but really, i don't think there will be one. although, what do i know?

That's a joke, right GotZoom? If it was out, I'm preeeeetttyyyy sure we would have seen pictures of it. And not photoshops, either.

Shhhhhh.........

Shit. THe cat's out of the bag. :o

I would prefer a targa top...some p-shop that if it hasn't been done.

This the one you guys are talking about?

http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=21724

heh, thats the one that i saw on the website that said it would be out in 2004. pretty sure thats a cg rendering or a photochop.

Yeah, looks like one.

Wait, isn't that the Miata? Or are we joking? I've disappeared from here for a few days and haven't gotten acclimated to the new level of sarcasm from you guys yet, so I can't tell what's REALLY going on! :D

Mazda announced a prototype convertible. Big hush, hush secret I guess because pictures have been elusive. Supposed to be released in Japan then here.

You didn't know?

I think thats the new Miata, which (sadly) looks quite a bit like the 8 now.

Imagine what the trunk would be like in a convertible! No room for that mini-spare, no depth for a suitcase, not really useable at all. I got it! Eliminate the trunk altogether and add some room for the back-seat passengers.

according to this link, its an 8 convertible. i'm skeptical though...and it does look a lot like the new mx-5 (which looks like the rx8).

i still don't think its going to make it past the concept phase.

:eek:

Um...yeah...this site.

From what I've read, the RX-8's 4 door design does not lend itself well to a rag top. Not to start yet another new RX-7 thread, but one of the points in favor of building a 4th gen RX-7 coupe is that it would be easier to do a convertible.

ewww that pic is nasty, horrible photochop skills.... hehehehe

Nah, that was some pretty good photoshop work... yeah, it could be done better but that's pretty decent...

A convertible RX-8 would be very nice for those of us who love convertibles, but the real problem, as you point out, is that making the chassis stiff enough, with no roof, will add some hundreds of pounds to the weight of the beast, severely curtailing its performance (both on the twisties and in a straight line). Also, in all probability, the rear seats would become practically useless.

So, I doubt very much that it ever will happen. They may bring back the RX-7, but they probably won't make a convertible RX-8.

Don't forget the RX8 wagon due out in 2008 for all the soccer moms. Ha ha. Where's BrotherVooDoo and his pic of that?

Actually, I don't think it would be that bad at all. Take the PT cruiser for example:

GT Wagon - 3,108 lbs
GT Convertible - 3,122 lbs

Of course, they probably get a bit of weight savings from losing two doors, and I'm assuming that a convertible RX-8 would do the same. Also, consider that the RX-8 already has "extra" bracing to compensate for the lack of a b-pillar. So I think they could probably do it if they wanted, the real question is whether or not there is a market for it.