VIDEO: Kawasaki ZX10 takes on Mazda RX-7 with Corvette V8 in Drift Challenge

Now here's something you don't see every day. Sent in by Carscoop reader Łukasz Ż, this enjoyable time-waster of the day pits a motorcycle against a rear-wheel drive sports car in an out of the ordinary drift challenge. In one corner we have Nick "Apex" Brocha of Icon Motorsports piloting a 2005 Kawasaki ZX10 with 175HP and an extended swingarm. In the other corner is professional racecar driver Jim Guthrie in a 1993 Mazda RX-7 powered by a 375HP Corvette V8 engine. The result? Follow the jump to find out.

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Mazda RX-8 Club Malaysia Organizes Mega Gathering in Kuala Lumpur, Creates Awesome Video Trailers

Our friend Shawnz, who you may remember from the Mazda RX-8 Coupe project we showed you last February, sent us these teaser trailers from a video that is currently being prepared to showcase a very large gathering of the rotary-powered sports cars that was held on the streets of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

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Mazda Logo Evolution through the Century - Plus 185 Historic Pictures

Mazda, the maker of cars such as the RX-7, RX-8 and MX-5/Miata, turned 90 this month. So what a better time to take a trip down memory lane and see how the Japanese company’s logo and cars evolved over the past century.

The first corporate logo dates back to 1936. It was registered as a trademark when Mazda began manufacturing its first three-wheeler. The name itself is a derivative from Ahura Mazda, the god of wisdom, intelligence and harmony in early Asian cultures. It also derives from the anglicized version of the founder’s name, Jujiro Matsuda.

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Mazda Logo Evolution through the Century - Plus 185 Historic Pictures

Mazda, the maker of cars such as the RX-7, RX-8 and MX-5/Miata, turned 90 this month. So what a better time to take a trip down memory lane and see how the Japanese company’s logo and cars evolved over the past century.

The first corporate logo dates back to 1936. It was registered as a trademark when Mazda began manufacturing its first three-wheeler. The name itself is a derivative from Ahura Mazda, the god of wisdom, intelligence and harmony in early Asian cultures. It also derives from the anglicized version of the founder’s name, Jujiro Matsuda.

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Mazda RX-7 to mark the end of RX-8 in 2011

Mazda Taiki Concept

While Toyota works on getting its FT-86 rear-wheel-drive coupe on the road and as Nissan plans a rival, another Japanese automaker is going to throw its two cents into the segment as well. Sources close to Mazda say that RX-7 should see a revival sometime in early 2011 and will mark the end of the slow-selling and expensive RX-8.

The next-generation Mazda RX-7 will use the company’s new Renesis 16X rotary engine, which made its debut in the Taiki concept. While the 16X is capable of producing 350-hp and 215 lb-ft of torque, Mazda will keep output around the 200-250 range in order to stick the price-tag close to $25,000.

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Mazda RX-7 to mark the end of RX-8 in 2011

Mazda Taiki Concept

While Toyota works on getting its FT-86 rear-wheel-drive coupe on the road and as Nissan plans a rival, another Japanese automaker is going to throw its two cents into the segment as well. Sources close to Mazda say that RX-7 should see a revival sometime in early 2011 and will mark the end of the slow-selling and expensive RX-8.

The next-generation Mazda RX-7 will use the company’s new Renesis 16X rotary engine, which made its debut in the Taiki concept. While the 16X is capable of producing 350-hp and 215 lb-ft of torque, Mazda will keep output around the 200-250 range in order to stick the price-tag close to $25,000.

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Report Says New Mazda RX-7 Could be Unveiled as Early as 2011

A proper two-door coupe replacement for the much-missed Mazda RX-7 could make its appearance as early as 2011 as a 2012 model, according to a report from Edmund's Inside Line. The news site says the introduction of the two-seat RX-7 will lead to the death of the four-seat RX-8 with its 'suicide-style' rear doors since it wouldn't make much sense for Mazda to have three different sports cars (including the MX-5 / Miata) in its lineup.

Officially, the only piece of information that Mazda has released about its next generation RX model is the development of a new 1.6-liter (800cc per rotor) rotary engine called the 16X Renesis. Rumor has it that the new engine can produce up to 350 ponies.

Inside Line says that while Mazda's initial plans were to offer the next RX-7 with a high-power version of the Wankel engine and a $35,000 price tag, the company is now considering to follow the example of the first generation model by developing a less powerful two-seater with not so many fancy features and a price of around $25,000.

In this case, the Wankel would deliver somewhere around 200 to 250HP, which shouldn't be a bad thing if Mazda manages to keep the rear-wheel drive coupe's weight down.

With the economy being what it is these days, and looking at the current and future (see Toyota FT-86) proposals in the segment, a less powerful but better priced RX-7 doesn't sound like a bad idea at all. Plus, there's always room for a more powerful version if the market's up to it.

Via: Inside Line - Opening Photo: Mazda Furai Concept

Mazda RX-7 Gallery

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