Read David Gluckman's comments on driving the 2008 Mazda RX-8 40th Anniversary Edition.
This was the first RX-8, and actually the first rotary anything, I've driven. Now I know what all of the celebrating is about. Driving it takes some patience, as the limited amount of torque doesn't make itself readily available. But I enjoyed it in a driving-a-slow-car-fast kind of way. And the well sorted chassis makes it a real pleasure to chuck around.
I didn't find the 40th anniversary touches as lame as Rusty did. The unique wheels on this RX-8 look great and pair well with the grey paint. The interior gets seats covered in Cosmo red leather to commemorate the first rotary Mazda. (See our story on that car here.) The car also gets a sportier suspension with Bilstein dampers and foam-filled suspension crossmembers, though with this being my first RX-8 experience I can't offer any comparison. Oh, and I could probably do without the blue-tinted fog lamps.
Weird stuff:
-The e-brake lever is huge and has some kind of hand guard that makes it stick up off of the center console even when disengaged.
-When driving at low speeds, the car kind of sounds like it has an electric motor.
-The speedometer is digital-only, inset within a large (and useful) tachometer.
-The placement of the heated-seat switches bothered me as they fall right where my elbow should rest.