Mazda RX-8 SP Targa car for sale

One of only two surviving Targa-spec Mazda RX-8 SPs is currently for sale in Sydney.

The car, which once featured on the cover of MOTOR Magazine (April 2009), is at ‘My Sportscar’, a car rental business run by David Potter.

With a $60,000 asking price on the car, we were surprised to find out that roughly $40,000 has been spent restoring it to its almost-original condition (it’s now wearing a few extra decals on its livery).

In the 2009 story featured in MOTOR, then-editor Andrew MacLean suspected the RX-8 SP might have upwards of 220kW and 420Nm, though its architect (Mazda’s Australian Motorsport director Allan Horsley) wouldn’t divulge those juicy details.

He did, however, tell us it weighed approximately 1200kg even with the roll cage.

Now, with a new Ric Shaw-built 13B engine and a turbo, the RX-8 SP could be producing even more than that.

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It’s running AP brakes, MCA suspension, Dynohaus-tuned ECU, and a 100-litre tank with a system tuned to run best on 98RON, though it’ll run E85 too.

“There are only two cars remaining to this day, one in Mazda HQ in Melbourne and this car on display in Sydney with its current owner,” Potter says.

Australian rally driver Brendan Reeves also confirmed this. We originally suspected it might be the car Reeves competed in (in Targa Tasmania and Targa Wrest Point) several years ago in 2012, though photos supplied by Potter told us Reeves drove the other surviving car.

Picture: David Potter

“The third car was written off at Targa Tasmania in their early years of competition,” Potter adds, meaning this car is now, really, one of two.

It’s even road-registered, with the ‘RX8 SP’ plate coming with the car. Those interested should check out the Facebook post embedded below.