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Mazda Special Edition RX-8 Spirit R Marks End of Line for Production

Named after the final limited edition Mazda RX-7, Mazda will be commemorating the end of the Rx-8 with a final special edition model, Spirit R, that will go on sale in Japan only on November 24th of this year. The manual version of the Mazda RX-8 Spirit R is based on the RX-8 Type RS and the a six-speed automatic will be modeled after the Type E.

Both of the new models will feature an exclusive SPIRIT R badge, black bezels for exterior lighting, red front and rear brake calipers, and a piano-black transmission tunnel trim. The manual transmission will also include special bucket seats from Recaro and bronze 19” alloy wheels with 225/40R19 tires whereas the automatic will feature black leather seats, steering wheel and parking brake lever that feature red stitching, a sports suspension, larger brakes, and Gun-metal finish 18” alloy wheels with 225/45R18 tires.

“Although RX-8 production is ending, the rotary engine will always represent the spirit of Mazda and Mazda remains committed to its ongoing development.” Said Takashi Yamanouchi, Mazda’s Representative Director, Chairman of the Board, President and CEO, in a press release from Mazda, giving glimmer of hope for rotary fans that development for the RX-7’s successor is still on the table at Mazda headquarters.

Mazda expects to sell 1,000 units of the limited edition model before the Mazda RX-8 production ends in June of 2012. Prices start at $40,675 with the six-speed automatic transmission and $42,400 with the six-speed manual.

Mazda’s rotary engine history
1961 Jul Signs a technical contract with NSU and Wankel
1967 May Announces the completion of the rotary engine and introduces the Cosmo Sport 110S
1968 Jul Introduces the Familia Rotary Coupe/Mazda R100
1969 Oct Introduces the Luce Rotary Coupe/Mazda R130 Coupe
1970 May Introduces the Capella Rotary/Mazda RX-2 series
1971 Sep Introduces the Savanna Rotary/Mazda RX-3 is introduced
1972 Nov Introduces the Luce Rotary/Mazda RX-4 series
1973 Jun Cumulative production of rotary engine vehicles reaches 500,000 units
1975 Apr Introduces the Roadpacer
1975 Oct Introduces the Cosmo AP/Mazda RX-5
1977 Jul Introduces the Cosmo L (Landau top)
1977 Oct Introduces the Luce Legato/Mazda 929L
1978 Mar Introduces the Savanna RX-7/Mazda RX-7
1978 Nov Cumulative production of rotary engine cars reaches 1 million units
1981 Nov Introduces the new Cosmo and Luce/Mazda 929 rotary series
1986 Apr Cumulative production of rotary engine vehicles reaches 1.5 million units
1986 Sep Introduces the fully redesigned Luce
1990 Apr Introduces the Eunos Cosmo featuring a three-rotor rotary engine
1991 Jun The Mazda 787B wins the 59th Le Mans 24-Hour endurance race
1991 Dec Introduces the fully redesigned RX-7
2002 Mar Introduces the SPIRIT R final limited edition Mazda RX-7
2003 Apr Introduces the Mazda RX-8

Gwynne-

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Product Release! CorkSport 2001-2003 Mazda/Mazdaspeed Protégé Skid Tray

CorkSport is pleased to announce the release the new CorkSport 2001-2003 Mazda/Mazdaspeed Protégé Skid Tray.

The CorkSport Mazda/Mazdaspeed Protégé Skid Tray will provide solid protection against rocks and road debris and is designed to prevent damage to key components of the 2001-2003 Protégé undercarriage.

Made from 0.090” precision machined aluminum, the CorkSport Skid Plate will provide maximum protection while adding minimal weight to the body of the vehicle. This one-piece precision bent skid plate is angled for a tight fit and structural rigidity and offers a more complete seal to handle harsh conditions and provide smoother airflow under the front side of the car.

“There are a few companies in recent years that have jumped on the bandwagon to develop products for the Mazdaspeed 3 and other newer Mazda vehicles.” said Rich Harris President of CorkSport Performance, “CorkSport is one of the few Mazda Performance Companies that is in the business of supporting the full line-up of Mazda vehicles. We are happy to deliver this top of the line product to add to our catalog for the Protégé and continue to support our Protege customers needs.”

The CorkSport 1999-2003 Mazda/Mazdaspeed Protégé Skid Plate is is available for purchase at CorkSport.com for $249.00 and and comes with a two year warranty, full color installation instructions, all of the needed installation hardware, and knowledgeable telephone installation support.

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Product Release! – CorkSport Adds Mazdaspeed 6 Rear Sway Bar to Product Line-Up

CorkSport is pleased to announce the addition of the new CorkSport Mazdaspeed 6 Rear Sway Bar to the growing list of product offerings designed to enhance and improve Mazdaspeed 6 performance.

Turning compresses the inside suspension. The CorkSport sway bar attaches both sides of the rear suspension together and resists weight transfer to the opposite side when your Mazdaspeed 6 turns. This anti-sway bar effectively increases the spring rate on the inside suspension and the effective extra spring rate helps to minimize traction robbing body roll.

The CorkSport Rear Sway Bar offers 70% more stiffness than the stock bar and will noticeably improve the cornering and traction of the vehicle without compromising ride quality. The result is an enhanced driving experience with dramatically improved cornering potential.

The CorkSport Mazdaspeed 6 Rear Sway Bar is manufactured from CNC bent 25mm 4130 steel with a black powder coated finish for exceptional strength and longevity. The install kit includes polyurethane mounting bushings to replace the stock rubber bushings and comes with a two year warranty, full color installation instructions and all of the needed installation hardware.

The CorkSport Mazdaspeed 6 Rear Sway Bar is competitively priced at $199 and is available for purchase at www.corksport.com

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CorkSport Product Release! CorkSport 2007-2009 Mazdaspeed 3 Front Mount Intercooler for SRI

CorkSport is happy to announce another addition to our Front Mount Intercooler line with the release of the Front Mount Intercooler Kit for Short Ram Intake designed for the 2007-2009 Mazdaspeed 3.

Featuring a 24x6x3.5″ intercooler core, the CorkSport front mounted kit has been developed for optimal placement in the path of the inflow ambient air, allowing for maximized heat dissipation and reduced heat soak, a common problem associated with the stock top-mounted intercooler location.

The mandrel bent and TIG welded aluminum intercooler piping keep the kit light and are attached with stainless steel T-bolt clamps to ensure an airtight seal. Custom reinforced silicone connectors made from multi-layer nylon braid provide strength and a smooth internal transition for less turbulent airflow.

Extensive testing on the Front Mount Intercooler saw 1-2 psi increase in boost over the stock intercooler and an average pressure drop of 1.5-2psi across the core resulting in 85% efficiency for greatly reduced core temperatures.

“The CorkSport Front Mount Intercooler with Short Ram Intake is no exception to the quality standards and attention to detail I have come to expect from CorkSport products,” said CorkSport customer, Kyle Reid, “The immediate boost in power speaks for itself. The free-flowing intake system increased both torque and horsepower right where I needed it and the intercooler is positioned in the perfect location to allow for greater airflow and cooler boost temps which in turn gives me colder charged air. I could not be happier with the kit.”

The kit has been designed to integrate seamlessly with our popular CorkSport Power Series Short Ram Intake and can be purchased as a standalone kit to compliment your current short ram intake or can be purchased with the CorkSport Power Series Short Ram Intake for additional savings and power gains.

For more information or to purchase, https://www.corksport.com/corksport-2007-2009-mazdaspeed-3-fmic-kit-for-short-ram-intake.html

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Flow Test Results – Mazdaspeed 3 FMIC for SRI vs Ram Air

We recently released our 2010 Mazdspeed 3 Front Mount Intercooler kit for Short Ram Intake and will be releasing our 2007-2009 Mazdaspeed 3 FMIC for SRI at the beginning of October. Since releasing the gen2 kit, we have had some questions about flow comparisons between the two FMIC kits we offer, the FMIC for Ram Air Kit and the FMIC for Short Ram Intake Kit.

We did flow testing on the stock air box, CorkSport Ram Air Box, and CorkSport Short Ram Intake to clarify the differences and benefits of both our Ram Air and SRI kit. In addition, we did flow testing on our CorkSport Turbo Inlet Pipe against a stock turbo inlet pipe so we could give you figures on just how big of a difference that will make as well.

Before going into the data let’s look at the obvious differences between the two kits. The ram air box has the obvious advantage of being able to draw in colder air in using the factory hood scoop. This is especially noticeable at speed as air is being forced into the air box, however the air path into the turbo inlet pipe isn’t as direct as it is with a short ram intake. This is where the short ram excels. It provides the most direct and shortest path for the air to flow from filter to the turbo inlet pipe. As we all know the path of least resistance is usually the best path, but it comes with a caveat. The short ram intake’s drawback is that it is pulling air straight from the engine bay, which in turbo cars can become quite hot. So even before looking at the flow data both of these setups have certain advantages over one another.

Flow Test Results

Test Result Comparisons without Turbo Inlet Pipe

We tested a stock air box, the CorkSport Ram Air Box, and the CorkSport Short Ram Intake, up to the turbo inlet pipe connections to get baseline results which indicated the following:

  • Coupled with the benefit of optimal placement by the factory hood scoop which results in reduced air temperatures, the ram air box showed a significant improvement in air flow with a result of 28.4% better than the stock air box.
  • The short ram intake flowed almost 50% better than a stock air box which is a substantial increase in air flow and will definitely make a difference in the power of your Speed3.

Test Result Comparison: Turbo Inlet Pipe Only

We also decided to flow test the stock turbo inlet pipe against the CorkSport Turbo Inlet Pipe. The CorkSport turbo inlet pipe showed a 14% improvement in flow over the stock turbo inlet pipe and the stock turbo inlet pipe proved to have a very turbulent airflow due to the restrictive shape of the pipe. So, not only are you getting more airflow but you are also getting smoother airflow.

Test Results with Turbo Inlet Pipe (the best simulation of real world performance)

For the final test, we hooked up the stock turbo inlet pipe to the stock air box and a CorkSport turbo inlet pipe to both the ram air box and short ram intake.

  • The CorkSport ram air box and turbo inlet pipe showed a 40% increase over the stock air box and stock turbo inlet pipe. This is a big jump and shows just how restrictive the stock intake assembly can be!
  • The CorkSport short ram intake and turbo inlet pipe flowed 54% better than the stock air box and stock turbo inlet pipe. This is an incredible performance gain and will definitely make a noticable improvement in your car’s performance.

In conclusion, the SRI will provide better air volume flow, but with higher intake temperatures than the ram air box. No matter which way you decide to go with your Speed3 modification, the CorkSport FMIC kit for SRI or the CorkSport FMIC kit for Ram Air Box, will be a huge improvement over stock and either kit will provide you with more than enough power to give you a grin on your face that will match the front of your 3.

Andrew-