From Road & Track magazine drawings.

The 350Z is almost dimensionally the same as the RX-8. It is slightly shorter than the RX-8 but about 2 inches wider.

 

the Z looks cramped

 

omfg... imagine how much smaller the 7 will be next to the "behemoth" of the Z... jesus christ... and when i stand and look at a Z up close, it doesn't SEEM that big...

every day that 1000kg number sounds more and more real... dammit T-Man... i wanna know now!! :D

 

While it doesn't look huge by itself, the 350z definitely looks chubby next to an FD. Hopefully the FE RX-7 will have the same effect.

Also, IIRC the 1000kg (2200lbs) figure was for the "body" of the 7, not including engine, etc. That's 200lbs lighter than even the Miata, so I think ~2600lbs is a more realistic figure to expect for the total curb weight.

 

If the 8 VIN already says that it is an FE then the next gen 7 would be an FF (Fast & Furious).

 

Thanks a bunch Good Duck for the requested comparo.

There are several similarities with the height & length. I am fascinated to see how far back the sterring wheel is on the Z, compared to the RX-8.

 

Hmmm, I thought that FE was the platform code, which the 7 and 8 will share. I guess we'll have to wait a few years for the answer... :o

 

You have a very good point there.

 

I have sat in the 350Z but not the RX-8. I did not like the seating position of the 350Z. The front view seems restricted. Notice how high the steering wheel in relation to the seat. In the RX-8, the steering wheel is much lower. The seats on both are about the same height but the lower steering wheel on the RX-8 will give the driver a better front view. Or at least I hope so.

 

i remember reading that too. and if both cars share platform, no way in hell the 7 will come in at 1k kg, the rigidity in the 8 costs alot in the way of weight

 

....because of the extra doors? (extra bracing from lack of B-pillar and door design)

 

nope, not the doors, those can easily be done away with, but the reinforcements along the drive tunnel, those braces behind the rear seats, etc etc, all those things add up. i just can't see shaving half a ton off the rx8 using the same chassis unless they make the 7 an open wheel center drive car =p the plus side to that is, you can throw on all the stickers and the biggest wing you can find and it will look proper =) im gonna go look for a weight spec on just the chassis of the rx-8, i'll get back to you guys ,)

 

trust me, official word on the target is 1000kg.

anyways, the bracing along the tunnel and behind the seats is there because of the comprimizes of the "no B-pillar" deisgn.

...yes, they are.

the 7 will be BASED on the RX-8's FE chassis, as will the next Miata's, but becuase the body will be extremely different there is a lot of metal to go in the bin. the wheelbase dropped a whole 10" at least, roofline adjusted for the fastback+hatch design... not to mention, this car will be MORE than the RX-8, so they can certainly afford more light-but-expensive bits in it... the 8's chassis is sub 1300kg and is nearly all steel: only the hood and bootlid are aluminum (obviously not part of the chassis, but still).... that is a LOT of room for improvement, espeically factoring in the dimentional changes.

...and remember too that the next Miata will be based on the FE design: i've already theorized (in other threads) that the next RX-7 and Miata will be EXTREMELY close in design... which means the next Rex could be quite a bit smaller (definitely not a bad thing with all that extra power :D) than previous gens: something far more akin to the SA...

 

blarg, had a whole post typed out and lost it, back to searching for rx8 chassis weight...

 

I was kind of hoping for a 2 seat version of the 8 in the future. Maybe a little less weight anyways. The Z just looks heavy for some reason, maybe thats just me

 

yeah, the RX-7

 

:D Wakeech knows what I'm talking about!

 

Exactly what I was going to say. I felt like I was sitting too high, and the steering wheel position in relation to the seat was more like a minivan than a sports car.

 

Then you'll view the 8s seating position as something akin to a motor home.

Traditionaly, sports car seating is low, and angled back (unless you're driving a European sports sedan). The 8s seating is much higher and upright then the Zs (something I actualy like). I'd say the Zs seating is more "sporty"; the 8s seating is similar to driving a BMW 3 series or a VW... very european sports sedanish.

 

I don't know the definition of "sporty" seat. But if you check the pic comparision again. Note that both seats are about the same height. Maybe the 350Z is about an inch lower at most. But it's the steering wheels position that is markedly different. The RX-8's is at least half a foot lower than the 350Z's. That's a big plus in my eyes.

 

It actually looks closer to the floor than the Z. And ditto on the steering wheel placement Duck. I'll see soon...

 

After all, 350Z is a pure two seater and with a 53:47 ratio distribution. This car love to be driven hard and especially on those tacky corners......

I have yet to jump into a RX8 but it will be "awesome" experience.......But I will miss the turbos.......:D :D :D

 

Not true about the Miata. The current plans for the next gen of one of the worlds greatest sportscars ever made are little different and very promising
The next Miata (the NC) will be on entirely new platform! The Miata is an icon and Mazda will probably always spend the extra attention on its evolution and keep it one of the best in the future too

Here are the last couple of forum posts (from few days ago) from Bwob - the father of the Miata. They are about the NC future and the current wave of fake photoshopped images in the latest issues of some car magazines:

NC's Program Manager, Takeo Kijima who was quite forthcoming with answers. He said that the NC will "start afresh" on a new platform, not a cut-and-shut job of the RX-8. The target weight is to be under 1000kg, although don't expect to see any carbon fiber or other exotic materials inside.

As regards styling, the best possible quote is the one from Mazda's design chief who said "it will be immediately recognisable as an MX-5". Inasmuch as NONE of the crap appearing on the Internet even remotely resembles an MX-5/Miata/Mazda Roadster, making any sort of connection with said computer-generated imagery and the forthcoming NC is an exercise in futility.

That's the gist of it. Or at least the gist of what you'll get without violating copyright.

Of course none of this will matter to the mouth-breathing idiots who've convinced themselves that the Photoshopped creations showing up on the Internet and in magazines actually is the NC.

Oh, and lest I forget, Kijima-san also said four cylinder only, so my initial comments - which triggered this thread - are still valid.

For what it's worth, I trust Kijima-san (as a friend as well as damn good engineer) far more than I do people sitting at home or in editorial offices making Photoshopped images or fabricating words to support same based on what they think the NC will be. But I can't begrudge them their living, since they are only proving that P.T. Barnum was right.

bwob

 

i know it's simple speculation, but i'm just trying to figure how the next RX-7 is gonna be about 1000kg, with a price <$40k base, somehow based on the RX-8 chassis...

if the Miata is getting it's own platform, fine, i don't care. it seemed only to make sense that they'd both share a lot of the same bits.

...for the most part, i was speculating the RX-7 would come from the Miata, not the other way around: i was only saying (with regards to the MX5) what has been said before (as far as "being based on the FE")

didn't mean to step on anyone's toes, and if it's wrong, well, *shrug* okay i'm just havin' some fun.

 

interesting.