A ride in an RX-8

Shortly after coming back to Singapore, I started joining the Singapore RX-8 Club forums. After posting a few replies and threads, a kind RX-8 owner invited me to have a ride in his car all the way from my home to Pasir Ris, where he will be doing an Ipod compatibility mod.

At first I was simply elated, thinking to be finally able to get really close to this rotary machine. However I wasn't harboring too much hope as I didn't want to be disappointed if he couldn't come eventually. After a week of eager waiting, he finally chat me up on MSN and mentioned that he will be coming down this Saturday, 1000hrs.

So this morning came, and true to his words, he was outside my house a little after 10.

OMG! ITS HERE!!!

So I got into his car, and we did a first proper introduction of ourselves with handshakes. Jasper, the owner, was a very nice and well mannered person. He is seven years older than me. Lots of life experiences and advices he can share and give. He is not unlike any other car lover who are quite friendly, nice and talks about cars, mods and everything else. Throughout the whole journey, we chatted on various topics and issues.

Errr... Nice hands???

And of course, no eye opening session is complete without a little raving of the 9000 rpm red-line rotary engine.

A Dash worth the Cash

And the sensation and the hum of the engine was just beyond words to describe. The interior furnishings were also very nicely done.

The red LED display wasn't as bad as mentioned in Fifth Gear


Very nice door hander

Like the rear view mirror

I was told a lot of new knowledge about what it will be like to own an RX-8. Nothing is cheap about the 8. From maintenance to mods. But its a car that still turns heads even after about 5 years in the market.

With a profile like this, its little wonder it turns heads


The wide fenders are apparent. Wished I had a better camera with me


The silver mods added onto the grill behind the wheels cost SGD $120...


The design of the rear lights is something all owners would like to keep intact

Notice the unique rotary shaped crest on the plastic holding the main head lights bulb?

I was shown a perfect example: As we waited at one traffic light, a couple of youngsters just stopped dead in their tracks, with their mouths opened and phone cameras in their hands. Jasper, like every other 8 owners, was kind enough to pose for them in the car with a smile.

The rain and traffic did not dampen the mood at all

Soon we reached the carpark in Pasir Ris where he was suppose to wait for the guy, Zavier, to help him with the minor mod. As we were about to exit the carpark to grab a quick breakfast, A stormy blue RX-8 with RE Amemiya Carbon Fibre Body Kit roared into the carpark. Zavier had arrived. After some brief introduction with the new 8 owner, Jasper and I headed for some famous Roti Prata.

Finally a chance to see in person the back seats

Nice rims

After the Prata, we headed back to the carpark. Since Zavier wasn't done with the mod yet, I made use of the opportunity to take some pictures of his ride.

Stormy blue with CF RE Amemiya body kit. Fierce!


Sporty rims and rear kit with F1 light, though not visible in this pic


Eye lids makes the eyes sexier and aggressive at the same time


The lighting sucks


Still sucks

Zavier in the car installing the mod

Once the mod was done, Jasper tried out to see if it works. It did. Now he is able to control his Ipod with the buttons on his steering wheel. After everything, we bid farewell to Zavier and Jasper fetched me home. The total cost of this mod? SGD $280...

Overall, it was a great eye opening session. Thank you very much, Jasper!

Can't end this without seeing the inner beauty of the 8

1.3L Renesis Rotary engine