On 30 May 2007, Mazda celebrated a unique anniversary – 40 years ago to the day, the first rotary-engine car, the Mazda Cosmo Sport, went on sale.  Since 1967, the Japanese company has manufactured 1.97 million rotary vehicles (to end of April 2007) and is the only carmaker in the world to still mass produce rotary engined (RE) vehicles.  This tradition received a major boost in 2003 with the launch of Mazda’s sports coupe icon, the RX-8, which features the revolutionary RENESIS rotary engine under the bonnet.

Following its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the celebration of the 40^th anniversary of the rotary engine, Mazda Motor Corporation is marketing a special version of the RX-8that promises sharper handling, more refinement and unique exterior and interior features – the ‘Mazda RX-8 40^th Anniversary Limited Edition’.

The original Mazda RX-8 combined classical sports car aesthetics, described by its designers as ‘athletic tension’, with short overhangs, striking fenders and bumpers, and a unique bonnet line to visually communicate its powerful performance potential.

For the new RX-8 40^th Anniversary Limited Edition, these exterior features are enhanced with two specially designed exterior colours– a newly-developed Metropolitan greythat gives the RX-8’s sporty form a strong touch of sophistication; and Crystal White Pearlthat will set it apart on British roads.  These new colours are set against new 10-spoke, bright-grey 18-inch alloy wheels, new blue-light front fog lamps and a 40^th anniversary emblem at the back of both front fenders.

The interior has several enhancementsthat celebrate the car’s premium look and feel.  These include Seat materials developed especially for this model in light grey Alcantara®in the centre and black leather at the sides, combined with special trim materials in matching colours.  For an extra touch of quality, the steering wheel is black leather– to match the sides of the seats – with light stitching to match the colours of the Seat centre panel.  And the shift lever is covered in the same black leather with light stitching and features a silver shift knob centre.

The Mazda RX-8 is acknowledged as one of the best handling cars in its class, with its perfect 50/50 weight distribution.  The new limited edition model, which comes with the 231ps High Powered RENESIS engineand a six-speed manual transmission as standard, delivers even sharper handlingthanks to sports front suspension with special springs and Bilstein dampersfront and rear.  Owners of this particular RX-8 model will also enjoy a more refined drive as the chassis’s front suspension cross members are now filled with sound-deadening polyurethane foam for even quieter operation.