- "A Le Mans spec RX-8 tuned by Gran Turismo."
- ―In-game catch text for the car, from GT6's Dealership
The Mazda RX-8 Concept LM Race Car is a fictional race car produced by Mazda, based on the Mazda RX-8 Concept (Type-II) '01. It appears in Gran Turismo Concept and has been featured in all subsequent mainline games up to Gran Turismo 6.
In-game description[]
This description is taken from Gran Turismo 5:
Continuing in the footsteps of the RX-7 was another rotary-powered sports car, the RX-8. In addition to its more contemporary-looking shape, one of the most interesting design elements on the new RX-8 was its ground breaking 4-door design that allowed access for two to the rear seats. But despite being a 4-door sports car, the RX-8 has the making of a race car made for the track.
Besides the new seating for four, the most significant new feature can be found under the hood with an all new rotary engine developed specifically for the RX-8. Called the Renesis, this 1.3-liter Wankel gains a turbo on the Concept LM version that boosts power to around 493 HP at 7000 rpm. This modified engine has been tuned to have a very high power output at the upper end of the rev range for running at high speed down the long straightaway at the Circuit de la Sarthe, home to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
While the paint scheme may mimic Le Mans Mazda cars of a past era, there's nothing old school about the RX-8's efficient new aerodynamic package. The rear of the car is furnished with a giant, highly efficient spoiler, while an underskirt attached at the front end creates a great deal of downforce.
This description is taken from Gran Turismo Concept 2002 Tokyo-Geneva: This is Mazda's next-generation rotary coupé,[1] and is designed for RX-8 24 hour LM endurance races. The motif colouring is of course taken from the Mazda 787B that won the 1991 Le Mans 24 Hour race. The compact Renesis engine is equipped with a turbocharger,[1] and has an especially low centre of gravity which is the hallmark of this new generation of rotary unit.
Acquisition[]
| Game | Purchase location | Credits | Other methods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gran Turismo Concept | --- | --- | Achieve Gold in Course License test #8 |
| Gran Turismo 4 | --- | --- | Win the RX-8 Cup |
| Gran Turismo PSP | Mazda Dealership | 1,000,000 | --- |
| Gran Turismo 5 | Used Car Dealership (Lv. 19+) | 976,183 | --- |
| Gran Turismo 6 | Mazda Dealership | 1,000,000 | --- |
Pictures[]
Trivia[]
- The livery and its number (#55) is a nod to the Mazda 787B.
- It is also a nod to the racing modifications of various pre-1997 Mazda RX-7s in the first two games, all of which (excluding the 1996 A-Spec model) used a 787B-inspired livery.
The yellow and blue color variant only seen in the NTSC-J version of Gran Turismo 4 Prologue.
- This car also appears in Gran Turismo 4 Prologue, albeit unplayable through normal means; it can only be seen as a CPU car in the Arcade Mode races (when using either the BMW McLaren F1 GTR FINA (Long Version) `97 or the Ford GT `02) and in School Mode lessons.
- It has a yellow and blue color scheme only in the Japanese, Asian, and Korean versions, while it is painted in the regular green and orange livery in the PAL version, just like in GT Concept and in GT4 onwards.
- "TERASHIMA Models Factory" refers to Tadashi Terashima, who is credited as a Car Design Director in GT4, as well as car modeling-related work in the series.