I can see what you are saying about the R thing. But, many of my past cars have had stickers on the shifter, and the R is sometimes a Different color. It isn't so unusual,l sometimes it's a different color, sometimes it's circled or bolded to make it stand out so idiots realize it is Reverse.
The R is written in the same font as the other numbers on the MAzdaspeed one, it's by itself as is 1,2,3,4,5, and the only indication of it being a Type R thing is really just in your own heads imho.
isn't this being really anal?
The R doesn't look any worse then the way they got sparco written on the 2003's...all warped an uneven. But does anyone care....no.