Hot Version and their star drivers are no stranger to Felix Wankel’s rotary engine, in fact, they’re huge enthusiasts. From the venerable RX-7, newer RX-8, and the older rotary-powered cars, it’s no secret that these guys love rotors as much as they adore pistons. Since it has become widely-accepted that the rotary-powered cars are some of the best handling cars to come out of Japan, the road racers at Hot Version have taken some time to highlight the capabilities of a lightly modified RX-8 and explore the tuning limits of the same platform.

Though the looks are divisive, everyone agrees the car handles well.

This video begins with the old veterans Tsuchiya and Orido proposing a drift contest with the newer hosts Akira Iida and Juichi Wakisaka. Wakisaka, though an exceptionally talented GT racing driver, seems to have his hands full throwing the front-midship around. His GT teammate, Iida, seems to have a good handle on the sideways art, however. The competition remains lighthearted and full of laughter – as drifting should be!

Once the winner of the drift-off is determined, the potential of the RX-8 platform is further explored with a highly-tuned, turbocharged example from JIC. This car boasts 530 horsepower from a 13B-REW: the engine found in the FD RX-7. With extensive weight reduction and body reinforcement, the car is much more racing car than street car. Designed to compete in the D1 Grand Prix series, this car’s setup is geared towards a drift , but because of the extensively overhauled suspension, complete with rear pillow-ball joints, the Mazda can be easily adjusted for grip driving. Watch as Tsuchiya takes this nervous fire-breather for a spin!