Mazda has announced a special edition of its funky rotary-engined coupe – the RX-8 40th Anniversary Limited Edition.

Celebrating 40 years of rotary engine production, Mazda has revised the suspension and trim levels on just 400 RX-8 coupes.

Bilstein sports suspension replaces the RX-8’s standard set up, while at the front, Mazda has filled the front suspension with foam in a bid to reduce road noise and vibration.

The 40th Anniversary Limited Edition RX-8 will get two exclusive exterior colours – Metropolitan Grey Mica and Crystal White Pearlescent.

Inside, the seats are trimmed in black leather with centre sections swathed in Alcantara, matching the steering wheel, handbrake and gear levers’ trim.

And for the ultimate RX-8 exclusivity, each 40th Anniversary model comes with a stainless-steel scuff plate etched with the car’s individual number – starting from 001/400.

Mazda has left the 1.3-litre ‘Renesis’ rotary engine untouched – the compact unit sits far behind the front axle providing better stability, with the Japanese carmaker claiming perfect 50/50 weight distribution between the front and rear.

But don’t be fooled by the engine’s low cubic capacity.

The RX-8’s storming engine develops 230bhp and revs up to a motorbike-rivalling 9,000rpm, allowing a 0-60mph dash in just 6.4 seconds and a top speed of 146mph.

And the figures are only half the story – the Renesis engine won the International Engine of the Year award in 2003.

It is 40 years since Mazda launched its first rotary engine, debuting in the Mazda Cosmo Sport in 1967. Today, Mazda is the world’s only mass-producer of this unique engine type.