Believe it or not, the Mazda RX-8 has turned 20 this year. And yes, 2003 was that long ago.
Even though it’s not as universally praised (or loved) as the RX-7, the RX-8 still has a loyal following. Besides, it’s the last rotary-powered sports car from the folks at Hiroshima. It lived a pretty long life too, with production stretching from 2003 to 2012 with a facelifted version coming out in 2008.
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The RX-8 was a radical departure from the RX-7. It was never available with a twin-turbo engine, and it had a rather amusing door arrangement, making it somewhat of a practical coupe. But throughout its nine-year run, the RX-8 never had other body styles on offer, just like the final RX-7.
However, Mazda did make a different kind of the RX-8 before. It’s not with a turbocharged engine or with a hardcore track version. Instead, the company actually built a topless RX-8. Mazda recently showed the lone droptop version to the public during the car’s 20th anniversary celebrations. So, what’s the backstory here?
As it turns out, the roofless RX-8 was made for the victory parade of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. Hiroshima Toyo Carp is the city’s baseball team, and in 2016, it won its first Central League (one of Japan’s premiere baseball leagues) in 25 years. It was a big deal, for sure, and of course Mazda went all out in supporting the team’s victory parade.
The result is this particular RX-8, and Mazda even made a pair of Mazda6 convertibles to bring the players around town. All in all, Mazda provided three cars for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp’s homecoming from seven years ago. But aside from parade duties, the topless RX-8 was also used by Mazda executives during events.
Does that mean Mazda ever considered making a convertible version of its rotary sports coupe? Probably not. But the story behind it (and the convertible Mazda 6) is amusing, nonetheless.
