Nice.
Oh, another detail about the RX-8, and I only bring it up to put into context my comparison 11 years ago, was that it has standard a CF driveshaft (on the 6MT, anyway) and torsen LSD. I mention that so people unfamiliar with it don't write off the RX-8 as just some inexpensive upstart ricer. It was a very respectable car, performance-wise.
So, the yardstick by which I was measuring the E36 M3 was a serious one.