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I recently saw an ad for a 2005 Shinka and when I checked it out, it was silver, which was not the color that Shinkas were that year. I checked with the dealer, who insisted it was a Shinka, because that's what CarFax's database has that VIN listed as. When I checked the VIN against Mazda's list of all 2005 Shinkas manufactured and shipped to North America, that VIN is not listed. AFAIK all 2005 Shinkas were Black Cherry Mica with Parchment leather seats, had Piano Black door panels, steering wheel spokes, and center console side panels, a premium Bose radio w/Sirius Satellite receiver with it's selector button on the Bose, Bose speakers in the front side doors with Bose emblems on the speaker grills, and the Sirius antenna puck mounted between the trunk lid and the rear window. It also had a Shinka emblem on the exterior panel between the front and rear door windows. The dealer's car has none of these. (Shinkas also have other equipment unique to the 2005 model including the suspension and I believe this was the only model in 2005 that had a graphite drive shaft. I don't remember if the sunroof was optional or standard, and the only options I remember were the spare tire and choice of automatic or manual transmission.
I checked the VIN with several online VIN checkers, and some list it as a Sport model, and a few list it as a Shinka, even though it doesn't have many of the things that the Mazda brochures say it should have. Some of the data bases I checked say it is a Shinka, including CarFax, Kelly Bluebook (who use Autocheck), but this might be the mistake of one VIN services' mistake cascading through their customers who use their services.
Please fact-check me and let me know if there were any exceptions to the 2005 Shinka recipi and if you know how to contact someone at Mazda who could corroborate whether or not this car is actually a 2005 Shinka. The VIN number is JM1FE17N550142354 . (One other possible explanation might be a stolen car with a VIN from another totaled vehicle).
Even Carfax can be wrong about this stuff, it'll say like GT/ Shinka which is confusing. Mazda is the authority, if it doesn't show up as a Shinka, and doesn't look like a Shinka, the dealer is misinformed.
75% of the time people just list cars as the highest trim level because money.
+ Laziness. Mazda does trims/packages weird, and not every inventory/lookup system takes it into account. They see "base" or "GT/Shinka/Touring/Sport/whatever", and instead of thinking or lifting a finger, they choose the better sounding option.
Your suspicions are correct! I own a 2005 Shinka and it ONLY came in Black Cherry with a tan leather interior that year. Mine has a sunroof, aero package, Bose, SirusXm all OEM--no nav though or spare. There are other minor trim differences: headlights, shifter ring and wheel color are a slightly different shade of silver hue. Drink holder slider cover is leather wrapped with orange-ish stitching. If it doesn't have all of the features you mentioned, then it isn't a Shinka, no matter what the dealer says.
I recently saw an ad for a 2005 Shinka and when I checked it out, it was silver, which was not the color that Shinkas were that year. I checked with the dealer, who insisted it was a Shinka, because that's what CarFax's database has that VIN listed as. When I checked the VIN against Mazda's list of all 2005 Shinkas manufactured and shipped to North America, that VIN is not listed. AFAIK all 2005 Shinkas were Black Cherry Mica with Parchment leather seats, had Piano Black door panels, steering wheel spokes, and center console side panels, a premium Bose radio w/Sirius Satellite receiver with it's selector button on the Bose, Bose speakers in the front side doors with Bose emblems on the speaker grills, and the Sirius antenna puck mounted between the trunk lid and the rear window. It also had a Shinka emblem on the exterior panel between the front and rear door windows. The dealer's car has none of these. (Shinkas also have other equipment unique to the 2005 model including the suspension and I believe this was the only model in 2005 that had a graphite drive shaft. I don't remember if the sunroof was optional or standard, and the only options I remember were the spare tire and choice of automatic or manual transmission.
I checked the VIN with several online VIN checkers, and some list it as a Sport model, and a few list it as a Shinka, even though it doesn't have many of the things that the Mazda brochures say it should have. Some of the data bases I checked say it is a Shinka, including CarFax, Kelly Bluebook (who use Autocheck), but this might be the mistake of one VIN services' mistake cascading through their customers who use their services.
Please fact-check me and let me know if there were any exceptions to the 2005 Shinka recipi and if you know how to contact someone at Mazda who could corroborate whether or not this car is actually a 2005 Shinka. The VIN number is JM1FE17N550142354 . (One other possible explanation might be a stolen car with a VIN from another totaled vehicle).
"In 2005 and 2006, Mazda introduced the first special edition of the RX-8 called "Sports Prestige Limited" in Japan and "Shinka" in North America. The Shinka takes its name from the Japanese word meaning "transformation" or "evolution".[15] Marketed as a more luxurious grand touring model, it came with Black Cherry in 05 and Various Special exterior colors in 06. Sand color parchment leather and suede interior along with subtly chromed 18-inch wheels. Out of the total production of 2,150 vehicles, 1,357 were produced for the North American market. The most significant mechanical change were slightly revised Bilstein shocks and suspension cross member injected with urethane foam to improve ride quality."
So in 2005 Shinka were all Black Cherry, but in 2006 Shinka came in various special exterior colors.
Cheers
Last edited by gwilliams6; Aug 28, 2023 at 08:44 PM.
Hey! Jumping in because I'm looking to buy what I think is a shinka but I need help to be sure.
I have the VIN: JMZSE173660139909 (Europe)
And some pictures:
Thank you!
In 2005 and 2006, Mazda introduced the first special edition of the RX-8 called "Sports Prestige Limited" in Japan and "Shinka" in North America. The Shinka takes its name from the Japanese word meaning "transformation" or "evolution".[15] Marketed as a more luxurious grand touring model, it came with Black Cherry in 05 and Various Special exterior colors in 06. Sand color parchment leather and suede interior along with subtly chromed 18-inch wheels. Out of the total production of 2,150 vehicles, 1,357 were produced for the North American market. The most significant mechanical change were slightly revised Bilstein shocks and suspension cross member injected with urethane foam to improve ride quality.
Last edited by gwilliams6; Sep 10, 2023 at 08:34 PM.
just wanted to confirm that is a Shinka which is a nice bonus.
