Driver's Seat: A farewell tour in a dream car: Mazda RX-8

2011 Mazda RX-8 Grand Touring: Farewell, dream car.

Price: $32,260. No options.

I had a dream: It's not every day that the car you've been drooling over for years appears in your driveway.

Of course, all dreams must come to an end, and Mazda is discontinuing production of the model. (Due to strengthening emissions regulations worldwide, a Mazda representative says.)

You spin me right round: The RX-8, like its predecessor RX-7, is powered not by pistons inside cylinders, but by a rotary engine that produces a lot of power in a small size (1.3-liter displacement).

So owners likely get to know the folks at the dealership service department well, and have a tough time finding parts.

On the road: It produces very little torque (159 foot-pounds) compared with horsepower (232).

How does this translate in the real world? Don't use the RX-8 to pull tree stumps.

Seriously, though, if you like a vehicle that rumbles and bounces at idle and want to feel so much raw power that you must rein it in, then this is not the car for you.

But if you have visions of gunning the accelerator, letting the engine rev (8,500 r.p.m. redline), blasting through the gears, or leaving it in, say, third on a country road to speed up or slow down, you will love the RX-8.

In the cockpit: Ow, but the seats are brutally firm. I could never find a driving position that worked, and finally settled on leaning back into the seat. I don't think the suspension was the culprit, because the ride was not too firm.

The clutch throw is a little long for a sports car. But the shifter is nice and short, and the console makes a great armrest for shifting. One drawback: Rest your arm the wrong way and you'll wonder why your rear end is getting hot. The seat heater switches are in just that spot.

The metal pedals are pretty - and par for the course on hot rods - but they're narrow. I kept catching my right foot on the well next to the accelerator, and catching the brake with my clutch foot.

In and out: It's low and sits forward, so you need to be nimble. Park far away from that fancy party, because getting out of the RX-8 is undignified.

The RX-8 has rear-hinged doors, and without them, you'd never get in the backseat. But they are tough in tight parking spaces. The front door needs to open wide.

Inside: I've been making the rounds in some American muscle cars recently (watch for my reviews on future Wednesdays), and the RX-8 has them beat on backseat space. But pick your side in advance, because there is no good way to slide across.

There is also a pair of cup holders back there. Keeping the kids hydrated during your midlife crisis is a consideration.

Changing lanes: Visibility is very good for a sports car. Plenty of glass, the mirrors are set up just right, and you're down near the road looking up at everyone else. As you blast right past them all.

On the dash: The redline is so far away, but the tachometer dominates the gauges. Speed is reported via a digital readout inside the tach, and takes some getting used to.

Start me up: Keyless start buttons don't excite me much. But the RX-8 has a keyless start twister on the steering column. All the inconvenience of a key coupled with all the added chances of losing or forgetting the fob.

Music to my ears: The stereo was a homely silver circle with a lot of confusing buttons, and the tacky orange lettering is overdue for a revision. But Mazda premium sound is among the best there is. I heard the parts of some songs clearer than ever.

But turn that stereo down and listen to the buzz of the exhaust note. Sweet.

Fuel economy: 19 m.p.g. as tested, using premium fuel.

Where it was built: Hiroshima, Japan.

How it was built: Mazda got a "better than most" rating in the 2011 J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study. The RX-8 itself has not been rated individually since the 2005 model.

In the end: The Mazda representative said about 200 new 2011 units remain for sale nationally. I wouldn't want it for a daily commute, but if I had a pile of money to blow on a toy, this is a pretty machine, and a fun one, as well. Too bad it is going away.