Mazda RX8PZ

The engine is the same 228bhp ‘high power’ unit that’s found in the standard RX-8. Instead, what Prodrive have done is concentrate on making the car feel a little more special as an ownership proposition and tightening up the suspension to a point where casual users will find this car intimi-datingly firm.

The suspension has been lowered by 15mm all round, making the wheels look shoehorned into the arches.

To reduce roll when cornering and pitch when accelerating and braking, special Bilstein dampers and Eibach coil springs are fitted. These are seriously high-end parts and with spring rates increased by 60 per cent you’ll know you’re not in a standard RX-8 the moment you hit a pothole. It’s likely that down a typically poorly surfaced B-road that the more supple set up of a standard RX-8 would be preferable and probably quicker, but on smooth tarmac, the limits of the PZ are appreciably higher.

The gas-filled monotube dampers give tighter body control, allowing for sharper, more aggressive changes of direction. The suspension geometry has also been revised to make the steering feel sharper. Unsprung weight is further reduced by lightweight alloy wheels. Somewhat surprisingly, Mazda haven’t chosen to adopt an aggressive ‘Cup’ specification tyre, instead utilising standard RX-8 rubber.

Priced at £25,995 on the road, the RX-8 PZ is offered in a choice of either Brilliant Black or metallic Galaxy Grey. These stealth mode colours reflect the car’s darker personality very well and are set off by the unique 18-inch OZ wheels. Other exterior changes include a rear spoiler, revised door mirrors, grille mesh inserts on the front and rear bumpers, that lowered suspension, a revised exhaust system and both PZ and Prodrive badging. Peer inside and you’ll spot black leather seats, with corresponding hide trim on the steering wheel, hand brake and gear lever.

The rear silencer gives a noticeably naughtier exhaust note than the standard car.