Mazda Coupe Range

No, the Mazda RX-8 sold in Australia only came with an updated version of the 13B rotary engine.

From what I can gather, the only production car to use the three-rotor 20B rotary engine was the Mazda Eunos Cosmo, built between 1990 and 1995 and sold exclusively in Japan. But many race cars have used 20B or triple-rotor engines, and they remain a bit of a holy grail engine for Mazda rotary enthusiasts.

For the record, the first Japanese car to win the Le Mans 24-Hour race was a Mazda 787B in 1991, using a four-rotor rotary engine of 2.6 litres. It was also the first (and only) time a vehicle without a reciprocating piston engine had won Le Mans.

The failure of the MX-3/Eunos 30X in the 1990s contributed to Mazda's slide to near-bankruptcy and into a waiting Ford's arms, so it is unlikely that that either the small coupe model or nameplates will ever be resurrected.

That said, it is worth noting that the existing (BP-series) Mazda3/Axela is very much a coupe-esque hatchback in the spirit of the sporty MX-3/30X.

The short answer is: nobody knows.

Recent rumours suggest that a hybrid-powered piston-engined coupe with a small rotary range-extender engine might be under consideration, or even a non-rotary-powered piston-hybrid sports car bearing the 'RX-9' badge may be in the pipeline. With Mazda developing inline six-cylinder petrol engines, the latter might be more on the money.

But a low-volume expensive coupe is probably not on Mazda's priorities list, sadly.

Thank you.