WHAT IS MAZDA TESTING WITH THIS RX-8 PROTOTYPE AT THE NÜRBURGRING?

During the Industry Pool at the Nürburgring I have filmed this Mazda RX-8 prototype testing on track. Mazda’s continued interest in the rotary engine is a mystery not even Mulder and Scully could solve in a brisk 46-minute episode of RX-Files. The Japanese automaker showed the RX-8, the last rotary-powered production car, the door in 2012. Since then, the company’s been more than coy about its rotary plans. While the company “dreams” of a rotary-powered sports car, teasing RX fans about such a possibility, the likelihood is nil. Patent filings from earlier this year show Mazda is continuing rotary development. And now a new video of two Mazda RX-8s testing at the Nürburgring, seven years after the model’s discontinuation, is adding another layer of mystery about the engine. The video comes from an industry day where only automakers had access to the track. It’s unlikely any company other than Mazda would test 7-plus-year-old RX-8s, though it would be bizarre if they did. So why then is