Los Angeles Times (Enlarge photo)

19/07/2008 04:03. Amid the mid-life refreshment given to the 2009 Mazda RX-8 four-door coupe (slight restyle of the front and rear with a little tweaking in the cabin) is a brand-new version: the R3 . And because it has an R in its suffix, it is of course a sportier model.

For the sum of $31,930, the R3 comes with a Bilstein sports suspension (this company makes suspension parts for Porsches), and a lightweight carbon fiber driveshaft that sends 232 horsepower and 159 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels -- via a six-speed manual transmission. Remember, this power comes from a 1.3-liter, turbocharged rotary engine, which is pretty... // Los Angeles Times