Since today we learned the sad, sad fact that rotary engine inventor Felix Wankel was a Nazi extremist, let's close the day by saying something nice about the rotary, shall we? Take it away, MotorWeek!

The Mazda RX-8 was never the fire-breathing tire destroyer that its predecessor the RX-7 was, but it was a hugely competent and hugely underrated sports car with a bit of sedan practicality mixed in. For the 2009 model year, it got the R3 package, its best evolution to date.

John Davis and his crew found the R3 to be an even sharper version of the base RX-8, and one that didn't sacrifice ride quality. While it was "sorely lacking" in power, Mr. Davis understands that the rotary is an important part of Mazda's heritage.

Let's hope the RX-8 isn't the last we ever see of it.

MotorWeek Theater is our showcase of some of our favorite classic reviews from public television's finest motoring program. How does this video only have 74,378 views on YouTube? Felix Wankel would have loved it, even though he was fucking crazy!