If you're driving a banker-grey or stealthy-silver car, or for that matter even the velocity red, this thread probably doesn't apply to you.

That said, if you've got that certain joie de vie (lust for life), that certain "WTF" attitude, that "screw what everyone else thinks" view of the world required for admission into that special area of the RX-8 cult reserved for owners of Lightning Yellow RX-8s, then this thread is for you.

Ok, enough ad copy, here's some weird tidbits, AND cool stuff that I've noticed having had my Lightning Yellow -8 for two months now.

1) Laser Detector falsing in bright sunlight. OK, this one is really, really strange, but I just picked up a Solo s2 (Escort brand) radar detector on eBay this week. Driving my car on Wednesday to a meeting in bright midday sunlight, my detector kept falsing in the Laser mode. HUH???? I've never heard of that happening before. First I thought it was screwed up, so I got pissed off and shut if off, and thought that when I got home I'd call the seller and ask for a refund. But, for the ride home, the clouds had rolled in, making it partly cloudy. I put it back up and turned it on, this time NOT in sunlight, and it was working just fine. Then I drove out from under the cloud and into the sunshine and it started falsing again.

I have NEVER observed this before - I also have an Escort Passport 7500 at home. I hadn't used it in the -8 yet. So I zip home, grabbed that one, and by God it does it too! My last car was a highly reflective Diamond White Pearl Metallic Acura TL ... and it never did it.

Anyone else experience this?

2) Bugs, Bugs, Bugs. Wholly cow does this car attract bugs. And I'm not meaning the bug splats you get while you drive, but LIVE bugs. The other afternoon - a cool afternoon in the 60's but mostly sunny, I came out to leave and there was a freaking BUG MANAGERIE on my car - at least 10 or more Ladybugs, another dozen or so Yellow Jackets (yes, goddamn hornets!), lace wings, gnats, and all sorts of other things - obviously attracted to the color, and sunning themselves on the paint.

3) Shocked reaction of conservative neighbor types. Need I say more?

4) Other people who admire it and secretly wish they had the cojones to drive somthing that bright.

5) The way the light plays on the paint and accents the car's curves. Man, there is no better color.

6) I had a cop friend tell me the other day "Dude, I should give you a ticket just on general principles!" :0

Any other Lightning Yellow phenomenon you've observed?

 

1) I don't have a detector.

2) Absolutely!! Bees, and little flying bugs (gnats maybe) are attracted to this car like I'm attracted to a hot redhead.

3) A coworker said, "Why yellow?" I replied with, "Why maroon?" (The color of her mini-van).

4) A couple people have said they'd get a yellow car like mine if they had the guts.

5) Word.

6) No cop friends.

I learned something new about my dad. After I bought my car, he came over to take a look at it and give it a spin. He said that when he was younger he always wished he could have a yellow sports car. See... The yellow cars help with family bonding too!!

 

1, Along with the bugs I attract stones like a magnet.

2, I can go two weeks without washing and it still looks good. My last two cars were black and looked dirty in three days.

3, You can be FAR FAR away and still spot your car in a big parking lot

4, People think I am older than 37 because I am driving such a “mid-life crisis car”

5, Had mine for 7 months / 15,200 miles and have not seen an other Yellow * so I also feel Unique!

6, My car gets more looks in the company lot than the bosses Ferrari
(Had to include a Pic)

 

Bugs swarm mine too. Little flying critters think they've found heaven and 72 virgins all rolled up into one!

All my female friends clamour for a ride and call it my "chick-mobile". They know I'm gay so that's pretty funny.

The first male friend that saw it said, "So when did you turn [insert ethnic group]?" :D

Stays clean looking even when it's not. (Already mentioned but I like that).

Can find it instantly in any parking lot (ditto).

Don't need to buy many aftermarket add-ons since it already gets plenty of attention. I am seriously thinking of adding derwankel's lip spoiler though. Much cheaper than the stock one and a perfectly understated finish for an overstated color IMO.
https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...5&page=1&pp=15

Makes me feel like I'm 37 again!

I get to chat with other wacko's on the internet.

Say, anybody know of some not too crazy internal mod or doo-dad that would echo the yellow. There should be one or two little things inside that echo our exterior color.

 

All of those things!! I've yet to see a radar cop who wasn't targeting me! Spotted one sitting along side the freeway, I was doing 80 but passed him doing 65 he gave me a thumbs up and a slow down gesture. Cool! Not sure why I was drawn to the yellow (previously owned a chrome yellow 1999 Mustang GT, a yellow Triumph Spitfire). Got my Yellow RX-8 tee shirt from Speednation.com. Since mine came with the rear spoiler I'm adding the front air dam along with the dark chrome wheels.

 

though I love all versions of the 8, I couldn't agree with # 5 more, just seems like th yellow really highlights every little detail, just a bit more than the other colors but not by much.

 

Absotively posilutely to all of the foregoing paeons of praise (except Spinnin's 'orientation clarification' and the addition of a lip spoiler).

Wish I could think of something original to add....hmm, the bug magnet thing is freaky.. my wife remarked that they must think they're returning to the mother ship..ok it wasn't that original .

So far as I know there are 3 in the Toronto area: Pete, one unknown and me . The dealer told me mine might be the only one in these here parts that's a GT, with AT and Nav..feels good.

 

yeah I have the bug attraction too. also when I park in a parking lot at night that is lit with the yellow light bulbs, it makes my car look white.

 

No problem apaul, I just loved the irony and thought I'd make you all jealous.

abbid, who let you in here? Don't you know the color for envy is GR :D :D N?

 

Cool word - Paeon. I actually looked it up.

 

Oh, and I hope this isn't already pathetically obvious and that's why no one has mentioned it, but at least some of the bugs are probably attracted to them because they think there's going to be pollen on the cars. The yellow probably matches a popular flower color exactly. The rest of the bugs maybe prey on the pollinating bugs?

 

Good one, SpinninAgain! Irony noted

Parked beside a shiny blue Mazda 3 and went in for a coffee this afternoon. The nice-looking 30 ish lady store manager says, "Is that your Yellow RX-8 beside my Mazda3"?

"Yes. I didn't hit it. Promise."

"Are you married?"

'Uh, yes."

"Damn! I love that car and that colour." Big smile. Then we had a long (well, 2 minutes) talk about how much she loves them esp. yellow. Very disappointed that it's now 'history', etc. Closer: " Next time you're in, I want a ride. OK?"

Nice..and I'm not telling which donut shop it was :p


[I think I spelled paeon the right way, did I Ellar ?
Yes, checked dictionary.com~ not: peon]

 

Grammar watch: The correct term is: joie de vivre

*SYLLABICATION:
joie de vi·vre

PRONUNCIATION:
**zhwä d vvr

NOUN:
Hearty or carefree enjoyment of life.

ETYMOLOGY:
French : joie, joy + de, of + vivre, to live, living.

This is the original term. Somewhere along the way people bastardized that into joie de vie, which uses the noun "vie", or life, instead of the infinitive "vivre", to live.

Joie de vivre is the correct form. If you say "joie de vie" you're just saying you like being alive. If you use the term "joie de vivre" it means you live in an "hearty and carefree" manner - as in driving an RX-8. The verb form in the infinitive connotes action

 

i prefer my winning blue....oh yeah.

 

yeah? what does he have? 308, 328?

 

I was quite surprised how many bugs get attracted to Sunlight Silver in the bright sun.

 

My Ferrari-owning neighbor said it best:

"How come Yellow Ferrari's don't look like this" ...

Wow ...

While I appreciate and understand the two non-yellow folks that chimed in, you have to admit it ... you just didin't have the cojones to drive such a color ...

 

OK so I'm not going crazy, the bugs go crazy over mine too.

I went to Home depot today and some guy was getting out of a pickup when I got there. He tries to act casual while I'm there and as I walking up to the store I turn around and he walking around the car staring at it.

 

Nope a 1999 355 like this one in Red ( I think he has poor taste in cars FYI)

 

Only thing i dont like about the color is the bugs.........., and trying to be sneaky coming into work late with this car is impossible!, My V1 has not had the detector problem, hum... maybe i need to wash my car :D

 

That's a great list.

I don't have any cop friends, but I was pulled over by a blonde patrol women for speeding. As she walked around the car, I thought she was going to slap me with another ticket for not having my front license plate on. She comes over and after the typical police lecture she says "I love the color of your car! Matches my nail polish. I'll let you off with a warning, but keep the speed down." No joke, I couldn't believe it. Cop bait yellow actually got me off the hook, even cop chicks can't resist a lightning yellow RX-8.

 

That beats my donut shop story. Good one. :D . But yellow nail polish? Better than teeth, though {damn, the cruiser gif is supposed to be animated also}

 

I too have noticed the bug thing. It's bug love while I'm washing the 8. The stone chips show up too well. Why is the undercoat on light cars dark and on dark cars light? It ensures maximum visability on chips!

And they are replacing this wonderful color with rental car white?!!!

 

Nothing original to add but I also find that the yellow 8 almost looks like a different car than the other colors. It accentuates the lines so much better than the other colors. It was a tossup between titanium gray and yellow when I bought mine, and I am so glad I bought the yellow. Not a day goes by when I don't have someone on the road give me a nod or a thumbs up as I pass them. At drive thru windows they always compliment the car or call someone over to see it.
When I first bought it I would constantly walk over to the window to look at it sitting in the driveway (not that I still don't). One night there was a very active thunderstorm. As I looked out my window I could barely see the car sitting in the driveway because it was very dark outside......then every 30 seconds or so a bright flash of lightning would flash and the car would just light up in the darkness. I stood there forever looking at it. Killer moment. Yellow rules.

 

The rest of the non-LY RX-8 world obviously thinks we're nuts that we rave on and on.

I agree after checking out every colour on the dealer's lot and in Ajax as well that yellow best defines/shows off?? the body's in your face and more subtle contours. And it does seem to 'shift' dependant upon ambient lighting. And at night as mxdoc has said: Spectacular! As have you 'guys,' I've photographed mine at least a dozen ++ times and no two pics are exactly the same.

Just finished bathing Rex (hey, the name's my wife's idea!) and also noted the kamikaze (no offense intended to our Japanese colleagues ) bug effect..They seem particularly attracted when he's~ Rex, that is~wet and promptly drown in the drops.

Then a sobering thought occured.. perhaps they think they are having a 'reproductive moment' with him just before they expire.. think I'll drop this now