Mazda is the only car manufacturer in the world to mass produce rotary engines. This snippet of information will either have you rushing down to your nearest Mazda showroom, heart set on a shiny new RX-8 or lead you to view the car with a degree of suspicion. After all, if the technology is so good why has nobody else pursued it? Is Mazda a visionary outfit, appreciating the genius of Dr Wankel's rotary concept where others couldn't, or merely the industry's finest exponents of the art of flogging a dead horse? Ultimately you can be the judge but 40 years since the first Mazda rotary engined car was launched, with 2 million rotary engined vehicles sold and the RX-8 40th Anniversary Limited Edition model in showrooms, Mazda can afford to feel a little bit smug.

The list of manufacturers that tried and failed to make a success of rotary engines is a long and illustrious one. Dr Felix Wankel developed the concept at German manufacturer NSU in the mid 50s. Its ability to produce smooth power at high rpm from a comparatively small engine capacity, made the world sit up and take notice, but its fuel consumption and thirst for oil presented a challenge. The NSU Ro 80 made it to production using the technology as did the Citroen M35 and the Norton Commander motorcycle while Mercedes-Benz, General Motors and even Rolls Royce also tinkered with the technology with limited success.

It was in 1967 that Mazda's love affair with rotary combustion began with the launch of the Cosmo Sport and as others abandoned the technology, the Japanese marque persevered with cars such as the Familia Rotary Coupe, the Savanna, the RX-7 and the Eunos Cosmo. Today, it's the RX-8 four-seater coupe that carries on this rotary tradition and to celebrate 40 years since the launch of the Cosmo Sport, buyers can now get their hands on the Mazda RX-8 40th Anniversary Limited Edition.

"For a driving experience that's quite unlike anything else out there, you'll want a rotary engine"

Mazda is asking £25,595 for this little piece of history and only 400 owners will have the privilege of plonking one of the individually numbered cars on their driveway. Two exclusive paint colours are available, Metropolitan Grey Mica and, capturing the current zeitgeist for white cars, a striking Crystal White Pearlescent.

The RX-8 40th Anniversary uses the high powered version of the latest RENESIS rotary engine which gets 228bhp from a nominal 1.3-litre capacity. In standard guise, that RX-8 retails for £23,000 but this limited edition model comes with a number of modifications to justify its £1,595 premium. First up are the uprated Bilstein dampers that sharpen the RX-8's handling and to improve the RX-8's refinement, the front suspension cross members are packed with polyurethane.

The interior also comes in for a series of tweaks on the Mazda RX-8 40th Anniversary models. The seats are trimmed with black leather and have centre sections finished in stone Alcantara. The steering wheel is in black leather too as are the handbrake and the gear levers. Special floor mats sport the 'Limited Edition' logo while the stainless steel scuff plates read '40th Anniversary Limited Edition' in case you need reminding. These scuff plates also feature each car's unique number denoting its place in the production run of 400. Standard equipment on this model includes xenon headlamps, aluminium pedals, climate control, heated front seats, central locking and a BOSE premium audio system.

Quite unlike any other engine, the RX-8's RENESIS unit wheezes and sighs its way around the road network with the sound growing in intensity as you approach the redline at a fearsome 8,200rpm. It's great fun and the whole experience is enhanced but the direct steering, the taught, grippy chassis and the snappy gearchange with its tiny palm-sized triangular shifter. The 0-62mph sprint is covered by the 40th Anniversary model in a handy 6.4s and there's a 146mph top speed so this is a serious performance car.

Torque isn't a rotary engine strong suit and the 211Nm maximum at 5,500rpm means that there's not much muscle through the rev range but that doesn't matter because the RX-8's top end is so intoxicating. Though this is rated for administrative purposes a 1.3-litre petrol engine, don't expect 1.3-litre petrol engine economy. You pay for all that character and performance in the form of 25mpg combined fuel economy that will drop noticeably if you drive the RX-8 in the way that it constantly urges you to and 284g/km CO2 emissions.

The RX-8 is nothing if not distinctive and the 40th Anniversary Limited Edition makes it even more so but does it warrant selection ahead of capable and desirable rivals like the Mercedes C-Class Sports Coupe, Alfa Romeo's Brera, Nissan's 350Z or Audi's TT? Let's look at it from a practical perspective where the RX-8's innovative layout should shine. If you have any intention of travelling with more than one passenger on anything a approaching a regular basis, the Mazda is the only sensible choice in this company. The rear accommodation in most models of this type is fairly ludicrous. At best, they'll take a couple of small children, at worst; there are no back seats at all. The Mazda, by contrast, can cope with two adults without any fuss with simple access via the wide side door aperture. You get a decent boot as well, so family weekends away are easily within the car's remit.

Audi's interior design and build is peerless in this sector and although the Mazda RX-8 is very well assembled, it can't really live with the TT's brand of top level Teutonic efficiency. The Germans tend to be a pretty sober bunch, however, and if you're interested in the kind of excitement that this Mazda is capable of serving up on a contorting B-road, the RX-8 might be preferable. You feel like you're in a sports car from the moment you slip behind the wheel with the snug seating and the high transmission tunnel that splits the cabin into four pods. The dash is sensibly laid out with aluminium detailing and moody dark plastic of various finishes.

The Mazda RX-8 40th Anniversary Limited Edition commemorates Mazda's long association with rotary engine technology in some style. A striking vehicle, especially in the pearlescent white paint option, it highlights the best bits of the RX-8 which remains one of the most unique sports cars it's possible to buy. For a driving experience that's quite unlike anything else out there, you'll want a rotary engine and if you want a rotary engine, you'll need to get yourself a Mazda RX-8.