MAZDA'S LAST ROTARY-POWERED SPORTS CAR IS A BARGAIN IN 2025

The Mazda RX-8 is a well-known model among car enthusiasts for its unique place in automotive history: when it was discontinued, it also brought an end to Mazda’s decades-long tradition of building rotary engines, a rather unusual layout in the automotive world.

The slightly controversial nature of the RX-8, which was equally beloved and maligned due to its sketchy reliability, gave it a unique place in Mazda’s history and the wider automotive landscape. For a multitude of reasons, the RX-8 never really captivated enthusiastic audiences quite like its predecessor, the RX-7, which means the later model is much more attainable on the used market today - even for the very best examples. Throughout this article, we take a closer look at the history of this model, in addition to exploring how its legacy could have a place in Mazda’s future with the potential return of the rotary engine to the market.

A Closer Look At The RX-8 On The Used Market

Before we delve into the history of the now discontinued and largely forgotten RX-8, it's worth acknowledging that, yes, we know it's not the most reliable model Mazda has ever made. That may dilute the experience and desire of owning an RX-8 for some, but for others who aren't put off by the prospect of entire weekends spent working on your car, and are willing to tolerate the unpredictability a rotary engine can bring, the RX-8 poses something of a bargain in 2025. To prove the point, we've taken a look at some used car listings to get an overall idea of what price ranges you can expect when shopping for your next set of wheels.

Starting with the pre-facelift RX-8 first. KBB suggests that just south of $5,000 is enough to net one in average order, and previously sold examples align with this quite well - we found this one-owner, six-speed manual model with just 47,000 miles on BaT which sold for just $6,000 earlier this year. For the post-facelift model, starting prices are a little higher, around the $10,000 mark, while exceptional examples can easily command twice this figure, if not more.

Mazda's Sports Coupe Revived The Brand's Illustrious RX Nameplate

The earliest version of the RX-8 was introduced for the 2003 model year globally, although in the North American market the car did not go on sale until the 2004 model year. The origins of the model can be traced back to a concept car called the RX-01, which made its debut in 1995 at the Tokyo Motor Show. The RX-01 was designed with the intent of creating an affordable, back-to-basics sports car, in a similar vein to the first generation of the RX-7. Although Mazda had used rotary engines since 1971, the RX-01 concept was also the first car to be powered by the earliest version of a brand-new rotary engine generation: the 13B-MSP.

Although Mazda was initially not interested in further developing the RX-01 idea, and was happy to keep the car at the concept stage without turning it into a production model, some members of the company’s engineering team decided to continue experimenting with it, and further developing its engine. The final result was the Renesis twin-rotor engine, which ended up powering the production RX-8. This 1.3-liter engine produced between 189 and 238 hp in different versions of the model; it was paired with a lineup of both manual and automatic transmissions.

In 2003, Mazda’s high-performance division, Mazdaspeed, released its own version of the RX-8, considered the highest performing version of the pre-facelift model. Only 480 examples of this model were built, and sold exclusively on the Japanese market. The car underwent several mechanical upgrades, such as new spark plugs, a new exhaust system, and new brake pads. Some changes were made to the chassis and bodywork as well, such as new anti-roll bars and additional aerodynamic elements.

Three years later, Mazdaspeed unveiled an even rarer variant of this model called the Mazdaspeed M'z Tune, which prioritized performance above all else, completely forgoing any comfort features. Several other special editions of the model were released over the years in various markets around the world, such as the Evolve, Shinka, and PZ (developed in collaboration with British motorsport company Prodrive). The first version of the RX-8 was on sale until 2008, when the model underwent a facelift.

Post-Facelift RX-8 Models Benefit From A Number Of Key Upgrades

The facelifted version of the RX-8 was unveiled in 2008, with several mechanical and design changes. The front end was reworked, with a new grille and an overall more aggressive style; a redesigned exhaust system, rear spoiler and new wheel design completed the look. The car’s body rigidity was also improved thanks to several new structural reinforcements. Some additional mechanical changes, such as a tweaked manual gearbox and a reworked suspension, gave the post-facelift RX-8 a slight performance boost compared to its predecessor. The 2009 model also featured an improved version of the Renesis engine, with a better oil delivery system.

Like its predecessor, the post-facelift RX-8 also had some special editions of its own. These included the R3, equipped with some performance upgrades, and the Spirit R, built as a final edition to say goodbye to the model at the end of its production run. The death of the RX-8 was brought about by many issues, most notably its reputation for unreliability and the fact that rotary engines increasingly struggled to find a place in the modern automotive market.

For all its character and uniqueness, the rotary engine was notoriously plagued by issues, leading to Mazda enthusiasts coming up with the affectionate nickname “Dorito of Death” after the engine’s triangular shape and propensity for mechanical trouble. The RX-8 suffered from poor reliability, largely thanks to engine-related trouble (such as starting issues and engine flooding).

As repair bills mounted and owners complained, in 2012 Mazda eventually had to discontinue both the RX-8 model and the Renesis engine in general. To this day, the RX-8 is still the last Mazda production model to sport a rotary engine, although the company has stated there may be plans in the works to change that with the introduction of a new rotary-powered car sometime in the not-too-distant future.

What's Next For Mazda And The Rotary Engine?

Despite the controversial reputation the rotary engine has gained over the course of decades, Mazda is keen not to give up on it. Two years ago, the company revealed a new concept car with a twin-rotor engine, called the Iconic SP Concept. This car did not just call back to the rotary era through its engine, but also through its design, some elements of which evoked the iconic RX-7.

The Iconic SP was always designed to have a future production run; despite its vintage-inspired elements, such as the pop-up headlights (which had historically been phased out partly due to safety regulations), it was built with production in mind, indicating Mazda wants to turn the one-off-concept into a full-blown model.

As in some versions of the RX-30, in the Iconic SP the rotary engine is used as a range extender. The design process for the Iconic SP and its engine was a fairly complex one, with the company choosing to focus on markets where it had a realistic chance of passing emissions standards -such as the US- instead of tying itself in knots trying to make the engine pass European emissions standards. CTO Ryuichi Umeshita told Road & Track:

Now, the next step for Mazda is to build a convincing business case that will allow it to turn the Iconic SP concept into a production reality. Of course, there are several hurdles to overcome before this can happen, such as emissions concerns and the rotary engine’s reputation for poor fuel efficiency. However, as car enthusiasts, we can keep our fingers crossed for Mazda to revive this part of its history in the near future.

Sources: Mazda, Road & Track, Autotempest, Kelley Blue Book, Bring A Trailer

2025-06-10T12:57:15Z