That's exactly why the idea of the American sports car repulses me. Individual cars like the Charger, Cuda, Challenger, Camaro, Cobra (okay, why do so many of these cars start with c?), they all have charm about them. But the sheer laziness of dropping a big engine you already have rather than developing a new one lends itself to a slowly degrading form of automobile. Every time a new model comes out, the more parts are simply cobbled together from other vehicles until you've got an awful car. It's putting business before passion, and that bothers me.

 

So you're using an example of a Nissan from the '90s to show the downfall of modern automotive engineering?

 

New Nissan GT-R = New cornerstone in Automotive Engineering and is a beacon for other magnufacturers to reach for or exceed in the pursuit of developing the latest in technology for the automotive industry. The difference between the new GT-R and the Mazda Rx-8 could be like comparing an iron plate with rope around someone's chest to current carbon/kevlar vest protection.

 

Except for the broken transmissions.

 

That's quite a statement. I don't know too many companies that can build a car without bothering with that troubling little detail, called making a profit. Blame it on the manufacturers if you want to, but the reality is that people buy Camry's. And they buy a shitload of them. If people were lining up to buy the Lotus Exige by the millions, then I suspect that Toyota would make something to compete with it and so would everybody else. The Corvette has faced the corporate chopping block numbers of times in it's history, but those with "passion" at GM kept it alive. The Corvette doesn't pay the bills at GM, the Malibu and the trucks pay the bills. Get too passionate about building a no-compromises sports car, and you might just go out of business.

 

You couldn't have taken my words further out of context. I never said every car has to be a sportscar. No one needs a Pininfarina-designed Yaris with 500bhp. But if you're going to build a sports car, build it right. There's a reason manufacturers build halo cars. It's to show what their made of, to show they aren't just robotic entities that coldly pump out cars for varying market segments. Frankly, that's why I like rotaries. It's not the most cost-effective car to produce or run, and it's certainly not perfect. But it's unique and made with passion, which is far more interesting and endearing.

 

Hey, I'm just playing devil's advocate. I'd love it if car companies could build interesting cars for a reasonable price. Like you, I admire Mazda for sticking with the rotary, but Mazda isn't exactly a dominant force in the auto industry.

 

mazda's usually ahead of its time. particularly the rx8.



the rx8 has electronic power steering in late 03, and mercedes didnt invent it until 2006!



also if you look at the new M3 from the rear quarter veiw you'll see that mazda copied bmw's styling, the rx8 looks just like the m3!

 

The only magnufacturer who puts passion before anything is Alfa Romeo. The cars suck ******** but it's literally ooozing with passion out of every orifice it's sickening. The RX8 has loads of passion but its cold japanese passion...I'm gonna go look at some **** now.

 

cold japanese ****?