Forty years after Mazda introduced the first rotary engine, the Mazda RX-8 is still truly one-of-a-kind: with a revolutionary engine, and design and performance that's miles ahead of the rest. The 2008 Mazda RX-8 is a sports car that seats four passengers.

The 2008 Mazda RX-8 comes in two variants. The MT has a 232-horsepower rotary engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission. The AT comes with a 212-horsepower rotary engine mated to a six-speed automatic. The six-speed automatic comes with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters for semi-manual shifting.

The 2008 Mazda RX-8 comes in three trim levels: Sport, Touring and Grand Touring. Each is available with either a six-speed automatic transmission (with paddle shifters) or a six-speed manual transmission. The car has two small reverse-opening rear doors, along with the two front doors, to facilitate easy access for rear passengers. The RX-8 Sport automatic comes standard with 16-inch alloy wheels, air conditioning, cruise control, a CD player, and full power features. The midlevel Touring has a sunroof, fog lamps, Bose audio system with six-CD changer, HomeLink, auto-dimming rearview mirror, and xenon headlights. The Grand Touring offers luxuries such as a power driver seat, heated seats, leather upholstery and heated side mirrors. A performance package is available on the Sport; it includes xenon headlights and fog lamps for the six-speed manual, while the automatic also gets a limited-slip differential, sport-tuned suspension, larger front brakes, and 18-inch wheels and tires. Stand-alone options include a navigation system (Grand Touring only) and an in-dash six-CD changer (for the Sport trim).

Safety features that come standard include frontal and side-impact air bags for front passengers, curtain air bags for the front and rear, and four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes.