rockin

I feel the RX-8 will make it's mark on history because of the 4 doors. Many others cars have claimed to be 4 door sports car and were just that, a 4 door that had power and handled. The RX-8 is a sports car that just happends to have 4 doors. The designed space for the interior controled the hole design and I think they did a great job at hiding it in most angles.

Just as other have said the front fenders are very well done and you can see some other manufactures coping it.

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

Because everyone knows Porsche.

People Hardly knows Mazda and their superior R&D (and the ***** to keep using Wankel/Rotary)

Endor

I'm not even sure what you're trying to say here and it doesn't make the slightest amount of sense. If I had the cash I'd buy a Z06 or a Carrera without thinking twice. Recognizing an amazing piece of automotive machinery means you have no imagination?

dos

True dat!!

j_tso

I think he means people would buy a Porsche just because it's a Porsche and aren't willing to try a different kind of car.

Umbra

Interesting that you mention stingrays. I think the car that is closest to the RX8 to me anyway are the old late 60's, early 70's stingrays, or maybe the mako prototype. Same lanky look, same fender flares, same short back end.... we just get two extra seats.

Problem is that car hasn't particularly aged all that well.

Do I think the design is timeless..... eh... maybe. I simply don't care all that much, I just love the car.

RX26b

Yeah, he's saying that almost all the buyers of said marques are nothing but name droppers- buy this one or that one to impress their friends/neighbors/whomever. Betcha a ton that those same buyers couldn't even tell you when Porsche last competed in F1.

jmerc

Well Porsche has a 46% retention rate for customers, which is pretty damn good for a small independent car company BTW better than Mazda, and I am sure the PCA would beg to differ about most Porsche owners just being name droppers. Of course there are name dropper types that buy Hondas because of the whole dumbass vtec jdm ricer thing, as well as all the poor FDs that suffered the idiots and probably a number of 8 owners are jdm fanbois that have watched too much f&f.
The main reason the 911 is such a popular car is because it is a brilliant piece of machinery, it is a lot like a rotary car in that if you baby it it will not perform properly, however if you run the hell out of it it will last forever

Back to the original thought though the 911 is timeless, the 8 will most likely hold up, but I doubt it will hold up like the FD which will probably be considered one of the best designs to ever come out of Japan.

Ike

Considering it has been over 40 years and even when they did compete they were awful I don't see why anyone should know.

jmerc

Yeah Formula was never Porsche's forte sports car racing of all varieties is however, in fact there were a few 911's run in good ole stock car racing in the 60's.

RX26b

Somebody must've skipped school during Grand Prix 101 week. Does McLaren/TAG ring a bell? Those were actually rebadged Porsche engines which did incredibly well through the mid 80s until superseded by the great Hondas.

Ike

I knew that... We're talking about cars here and that was a McLaren.

Endor

I understand how you feel but I do know several Porsche owners, and that 46% retention rate means a *lot*. It usually means the ones who are interested in the car for the "right reasons" start out buying a 10-15 year old model for $10-15k, and putting a lot of work into it for a few years. If they can appreciate it then they'll trade up to a newer model as their budget allows and believe me the guys I know w/ Porsches probably know more about their cars than 90% of the people on this board know about theirs.

On the other hand if the buyer was just one of those "name droppers", they sell the thing in a hurry because they look at it as an unreliable, loud beast with a harsh ride and few frills. Then they trade up to a BMW or Mercedes.

TALAN7

When I first saw the RX8 in the lot I thought to myself, that looks weird. Waay too stylized. Could be toned down a bit. When I drove it though, I fell in love and had to have it.

Regarding timelesness, The RX8 is too overdone and radical to be timeless. Timelesness is a mixture of overt style with just enough conservatisim. The G35 coupe is timeless. In 20 years we'll look back at the G35 and say that's still a nice car. Would we still look at the RX8 the same way after 20 years. The RX8s look never quite caught on so how can it ever be considered timeless.

Backup7

I don't believe that the RX-8's design should / will be considered timeless.

It's definitley slick and semi-exotic looking, but overall the styling has too many oddities: rear doors diminish the clean lines, busy rear, mess of angles and lines at the front.

Simplicity never goes out of style. Timeless cars are simple. The RX-8 is not.

j9fd3s

i have a friend who's had rx7's forever (bought a couple new in the 80's) and he sold the fd and bought a porsche (gt3...) when he retired a couple years ago. he goes to track days, and the club meets and stuff.

he ended up selling the porsche and buying another fd becuase he didnt like the porsche people....

we're making generizations here, its a different demographic. the average porsche buyer is probably older and is buying it partly for the name

911SC

USER24, I can't believe the remark you made. When I decided to buy a sports/fun car I looked at 308's and family, xke's, Datzun Z, NSX's, early 'vettes, FD's, 928's, 911,s and a bunch of others. I finally bought a 1980 911 Targa. Not because I lack imagination, but because it's a blast of a car to drive and listen to. It's look never ages, it's engine sound is fantastic, and when you blast around back roads in a lower gear than you should, and you get that corner just right with the tail just holding on, there is no other car. Oh, and not to mention it's been a most reliable car that if I ever do sell it, I should be able to get as much or more than what I paid for it.
So please tell me, just what do you buy if you have an imagination?

Winfree

The old sting rays were being modeled after living things - fast functional fish that had been perfecting their designs for half a billion years -
There is a lot of curves and lines in the car that go back to that type of design...
Form follows function - even kids, who are not car experts, recognize the shape of speed.
But when it comes to money cars it's like buying Beany Babies - you pay top dollar over production price cause you believe everybody wants one - It is pure status symbol - it's famous, it's expensive so it builds my image. How many times do you think Paris Hilton looks under the hood of her sports car?

JeRKy 8 Owner

Timeless? No way. By 2014 I gaurantee it will look as dated as 90s sports cars (FDs, Supras, 3000GTs, etc.) look today.

Exclusive? Possibly...but last week all of a sudden I was driving down a street with 2 other RX-8s...one to the right of me and the other one two cars behind me. That was the first time in a while that I was driving so close to more than one 8. (Of course, we all ignored each other.)

Also this afternoon when I went to a gas station there was a red 8 leaving as I was pulling in. I'm sure people see 8s at gas stations more than they seem them on the streets.

User24

iTrader: (1)

Yes, very true. With the right angles and lighting conditions.

Better news is, there is apparently a lot of existing RX8 drivers who are purchase-ready about the upcoming Skyline, Camaro, Challenger, etc.

My guess is, most new buyers with RX8 on their list are going to end up with a Solstice GXP. Funny how the rear angle is the glamorous angle for that vehicle, not the front design.

axsym911

For me it is about personality. Most cars look like each other . . . my 8 looks like . . . .well an 8 and nothing else. It has good curves and maybe it will be dated once the new version comes out . . . but then I am 54 and I look a bit dated . . . . but there is only one me!!