RX-8

well if i could i'd rather have a wankel than a piston :)

No thanks, I have my heart set on the new Bentley Continental GT featured on Top Gear the other night.

Just need to win the lottery now, minor hitch.

Dave

I like the RX8 looks very tasty on the telly ad.

Yeah I saw one in the flesh at the Newbury show a couple of months ago.. very nice looking car, and sexy under the bonnet too. The rear half-doors open towards the rear of the car, which is kinda nifty :) Good performance on paper too, though thirsty.

Bigus

snip

The thirst is typical of the rotary engine.

I like them, but then I also like RX-7's. I'm daft like that ;-)

Driven an RX7 - an amazing engine - all the revs, no vibration.

Passengered, but not driven. They have one at my step-brother's garage, he's brought it home a couple of times.

Thats not true. Oh, unless of course you let it run out coolant and it over heats - show me any car than can run without even coolant in. The nature of the engine is such that you have to check the coolant more often than most, but its only adding a bit of water. The engines themselves, are lovely, free revving things that relish being thrashed.

Tim will be along soon to sing their praises :)

I drove an old, actually I think it was ye olde RX7, and it had a rather strange funky noise, no torque until about 5,000 rpm the clock, and then it just went on and on and on.

I think it was an early 1980s model - it had an "econometer" on the dash! ;)

Would be better as a diesel.

Haven't Jaguar already done that?

Northstar V8 in various Cadillacs will run in reduced power without coolant.

Oh shut up :)

And defend the K series!

Yes! I'm working on Lotus now.

No.... I mean the oddly similar looking Jag with the V6 diesel, suicide doors, no pilllar and high centre tunnel that looks just like an RX8 but is "built on a shortened XJ chassis"

Yeah, I love them - odd since I tend to hate torque-less motors.

There's a S2 Turbo for sale in Retro this month that I'm trying to talk the missus into buying for me Xmas ;-)

Doesn't need defending. Best 1.4 four cyl engine in the world. 1.8VVC is unique in having variable valve duration, not just phasing or lift giving huge power band. Extremely low weight. Very effecient.

Are you inferring that Ford's platform sharing results in some remarkably similar 'related' cars due to their wide selection of marques (including Mazda...)

The Jaguar is rather bigger, I suspect. FWIW, if you're suggesting that the suicide doors aren't unique - you're right. Saturn did it on one side only on the SC2 ages ago.

Richard

Any Cadillac with a Northstar V8 - if it loses coolant it will run for another 50-100 miles by alternating the cylinders and 'air' cooling itself.

(Or of course, a Citroen 2CV-GSA, old Beetle, some old Fiats, loads of veteran cars...)

Richard