While Pan Speed was looking to squeeze as much performance out of the Renesis engine as possible, Revolution has taken a completely different approach and created a custom, peripheral-ported 20B for this application. The car has so far only done one shakedown test and this is the first time it’s been shot by a magazine. Suck on that, Option! The idea behind the project was to get people more interested in the RX-8, a car that since it’s introduction back in 2003 hasn’t done much to get die-hard rotary heads away from their turbocharged vehicles. The highly strung and carefully engineered Renesis was developed to meet ever-stringent emissions regulations (and ever-tightening budgets) and thus just hasn’t responded well to aftermarket tuning. Forced induction has on average resulted in moderate power gains, and trying to extract more power from just intake and exhaust upgrades has at times achieved just the opposite.
Revolution’s Aoki-san knew there was only one way to get the required power levels he was shooting for without resorting to forced induction, and that was to get rid of the Renesis altogether and go for a naturally aspirated three-rotor 20B instead. In typical Revolution fashion, the build began much as a race team would approach the construction of a dedicated race car: with a full strip-down of the car to the bare chassis. At this point a custom rollcage was fabricated and welded in place, helping to boost rigidity particularly in the center of the car where—due to the ingenious way the rear doors open—there are no B-pillars. Hydraulic jacks were also welded in place, items that further exemplify just how serious Revolution is with these kinds of projects. The use of the slightly longer and heavier 20B required additional bracing in the engine bay, as well as custom mounting points that would move the engine as far back as possible for optimal weight distribution. A custom transmission tunnel was cut and finished off in dry carbon, ready to accept a Hewland six-speed sequential transmission. Custom Revolution adjustable dampers were then fitted and mated to stiff Swift springs, making the most of the neutral handling characteristics of the RX-8. AP Racing calipers all round take care of the braking, biting down on Project Mu slotted discs with matching pads.