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iTrader: (1)

... a hint of sarcasm. I sell cars for a living. Have you ever put yourself in a car salesman's shoes? I also work my butt off and go out of my way for my clients. Some carsalesmen are complete idiots, but not all of them. On even ground, I am also a car enthusiast.

XeRo

...as you should be if you sell the damn things..

Father LeadFoot

In latest issue of Road and Track (April I believe) its the one where they test drive the Mazdaspeed RX8 (Which is the Japanese Model mind you) They said that Mazda North America is working on a S/C or a Hydro Turbo (that'd be awesome), so I suspect we'll get something in the 280hp range eventually. Look at if from a price stand point, the lowest list price is what $27k roughly, that leaves plenty of room to have a $33-35k high performance model (i.e, direct competitor for the 350Z track model)

JimW

That's what I read as well. The hydraulicly driven turbine concept is interesting although I heard that only 200 units were going to be made and they were sold during pre-production.

JmurphRx8

actually i heard different...i asked the service department many times about a possible supercharger...they all reply that its in the process of being made in japan right now...

winter

Instant gratification. I've got my car now. Besides, once the warranty runs out I'm sure my car'll be faster than the mazdaspeed.

Japan8

I'd say that Smoker and XeRo have about got this number.

That turbo 2.3L engine has already been dropped into the Axcela (M3) and is undergoing not so secret testing. This was in a JDM mag equivelent of C&D and R&T (talks about current and upcoming models). NO spy pics... clearly posed shots of the test car, etc. Some type of turbo... 2WD or AWD is emminent.

The next implementation of this mill will be in the Atenza (not Altezza... that's Toyota (Lexus I300)) aka Mazda6.

Really if you think about it, as much as we all love the 8... jumping on the WRX/Sti and Evo maket is smart money. Also the upcoming turbo Legacy is another competitor Mazda needs to consider at least in JDM... as Legacy sedans and wagons are everywhere. So business-wise (not to mention product cycles too)... Mazda has more interest in working on the 3 and 6 before further upping the 8...

Think of it this way... you get to drive an 8 now, and once your warranty runs out, drop in an aftermarket S/C or T/C on your already modded 8 and you'll have a faster package than the MS version...

bedrock83

I was at the dealership earlier speaking to the mechanics, and they said that the turbo was already out for the rx8 in Japan. and that it is turbo!

Japan8

And those mechanics speak how much Japanese? THow many JDM car mags do they get? They are how high on the totem pole at Mazda (not even MNAO, but the whole company). Consider the source of your info...

I'm TELLING you there is no turbo on the market now (aftermaket systems are still under dev ) and I sincerely doubt that Mazda will EVER release one. Adding a turbo would just make the car fail emissions. A supercharger is a different story...

Floyd

So, does any one think the MS RX-8 will have lower compression rotors so they can reliably boost more than 7psi or so? I'd love to see the Rx-8 on about 12-14psi of boost!

rx8spiritR

guys, we are talking about RX8, not honda civic that'll change model every 2 years. Look at the Miata, look how many years they have to wait for the turbo version, look at the Rx7, it take them 10 years to become a SpiritR model, and the integra, remember how many years they've been waited for the type R? Mazda ain't stupid, IF there will be a turbo 8, you'll probly expect to see it 3 years later or it'll be a rx7. the hydrogen engine is already developed and planning to go on the rx8 next year which is for sure, but the power will be lower even tho it's a hydrogen turbo, which is what i know.

Father LeadFoot

Why do you think the Hydro RX8 is going into production and where is your source, no one in the US is ready to deal with that technology yet or is a viable fuel supply been determined, its a little more difficult than putting your garden hose in your gas tank. Hydro engines are so expensive right now I doubt that anyone is going to purchase a $120K rx8 right now, it'll be 10-15 years before you start seeing Hydro as a viable alternative, in that same time span though your gonna see a ton more hybrids. Remember the Oil Companies still rule the world.

Magic8

Agreed, as great as hydrogen is, it's still a long ways from being viable. Noone even has a plant built to product hydrogen power plants.

Hybrid on the other hand is ready to go and is proven to work. Don't forget that the auto industry is very conservative. The profit margin on cars is surprisingly small. This forces all the industry players to make sure there is sound business case before they commit to a technology.

BOOSTD 7

You all are like a bunch of women on bridge night ... why don't you wait until you have some facts before saying anything?

Omicron

Exactly.

zyran

OK. Here's my input. I download a video off KaZaa thats called Best Motoring - Rotary Reborn. It shows aa Alfa 147GTA vs VW Golf R32 vs RX-8 A-SPEC (It looks exactly like the MS version and I can almost guarantee it is) vs Honda S2000 vs Honda Integra Type R (Acura RSX). The RX-8 had the body kit, seats, and rims just like the Mazdaspeed version. The Mazdaspeed won the race. It defeated the S2000 by a margin of 8 seconds in the 5 lap race. I can't really tell if it's turbocharged (i doubt it) or supercharged (can't tell really).

Best if you guys check the video out. Best Motoring - Rotary Reborn. Note - Its all Japanese so I have no idea what they're saying. They were nice enough to put a little subtitle for the cars in a little English.

Here's some totally errelevant bull.
Example:
Japanese word = [J]

[J][J]RX-8[J]A-SPEC[J][J][J]