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Introduced for the 2004 model year, the RX-8 was the latest in a line of Mazda’s rotary-powered vehicles that dated back to the early 1960s. It succeeded the two-seater RX-7 sports car that was available in North America from 1993-’95 model years. The RX-8 accommodated four passengers and provided access to the rear seats via a pair of rear-hinged “freestyle doors” that could be operated only when the front doors were opened. A physically tiny 1.3-liter twin-rotor engine delivered 238 horsepower in models equipped with the six-speed manual transmission, and 197 horsepower when mated to the optional four-speed automatic (later adjusted to 232 and 212 horsepower, respectively). The four-gear automatic was upgraded to six speeds for 2008 and a special R3 handling and dress-up package became optional for the 2009 model year.