Search the Community

This time, photos of the interior are released as well as changes to the fenders and exhaust. Seems they learnt some lessons from the Civic episode.

[extract] Despite slated for a 2015 release date, the NSX supercar

Honda has announced that the Civic Type R is coming back and it will feature a turbocharged engine. There were many cars that were given the Type R moniker and the Civic was not the first one. Let us take a look at the cars that were given the Type R treatment. In the first part of this article, I will focus on the NSX and Accord models. The very first car that was given the Type R moniker was the NSX. The NSX Type R was basically a stripped out model that was heavily focused for track usage. Many parts were removed and some were replaced with lightened ones. And Honda managed to remove around 120kg from the base car. The NSX Type R was fitted with a 3.0-litre engine which made around 280bhp and is able to complete the century sprint in 4.8 seconds. Honda produced 483 units of the NSX Type R and it is available only in the Japanese market. A second generation, known as the NSX-R, was released ten years later and the car had several differences. One of the main exterior differences was the headlights. The pop-up lights of the previous model were replaced with a normal one. The NSX-R's engine is slightly bigger in displacement, just 200cc more. Although the engine is bigger but the horsepower is still the same as previously but it produced more torque. This enabled the car to sprint from 0-100km/h in 4.4 seconds. The second generation NSX-R was also exclusively made for the Japanese market. For the Accord models, the first Type R example was the CH1 Accord Type R and the CL1 Accord Type R. The CH1 Accord was made for the UK and EU market while the CL1 model was sold in the Japanese market. Both models were fitted with the 2.2-litre H22A engine. The CH1 engine made around 210bhp while the CL1 delivered around 220bhp. Both cars were fitted with stiffened suspension systems, a limited slip differential, twin piston brakes and were given Recaro seats and a Momo steering wheel. The CH1 Accord Type R completes the century sprint in 7 seconds and the CL1 Accord Type R was slightly faster with 6.9 seconds. The next Accord Type R was the CL7 Accord Type R. The car was built in Japan and was made available exclusively for the Japanese market. The car was fitted with the highly tune-able 2.0-litre K20A engine, which was also fitted in the DC5 Integra Type R and FD2 Civic Type R. The engine delivered around 220bhp and had a torque of around 206Nm. The CL7 Accord Type R roughly received similar Type R goodies as the previous generation. In the second instalment of this article, I will write about the Integra and Civic Type Rs.

Honda has created a Facebook application https://www.facebook.com/Acura/app_573862745964535 that allows the netizens to play around with the NSX Concept in different shades. The website also provides a link for the users to submit a request to stay informed on the future vehicles of the Acura brand. The Acura NSX Concept made its debut at the 2012 Detroit Motor Show. Developed in tandem by Honda's design studios in California and Japan, the new NSX is a svelte-looking supercar . The new NSX will be powered by a hybrid powertrain and will also be the Japanese brand's first mid-engined application of its Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system. The production version of the second generation NSX will not be ready for sale before 2014. I believe the timeline would depend on the economic outlook as well. In the meantime, have fun painting the NSX Concept.

[extract] The recent report of Nissan had yet to approve the launch of a successor to the R35 GT-R might have disappointed certain people especially fans of the GT-R family. But it seems that Nissan has finally given the green light for the new car, the R36 GT-R, and has set a launch date for 2018. This new report would give the current R35 GT-R a ten year model lifespan and it ties in with the comments made by the R35

[extract] Every JDM car enthusiasts would have a particular favourite model from a Japanese automaker. Thus it is no surprise that even the current president of Toyota, Akio Toyoda, has his favourites too. During his inauguration as the Chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, he was asked on his preferences among his company

Honda is seemingly playing catch up in the sports car department. Awhile ago it launched the Honda CRZ hybrid, a little coupe which I am warming up to and more recently, it has previewed the upcoming Honda/Acura NSX which will play a part in the latest Marvel Comic movie, The Avengers. Better late than never as the last real sporty car in its line-up was the Honda Civic Type-R hatchback. Although it was sporty, it was still based on a hatchback and not something that looked its part. So now we now have the entry level and the supercar level covered but I believe there is a large hole in the mid-sized coupe for Honda to plug. Remember the Honda Integra and the Honda Prelude? Just about two years ago Honda was like the other Japanese car manufacturers, without a proper sports car in its lineup until the CRZ appeared. Now with the upcoming NSX, things are getting better (I am not counting the slightly dull USDM Honda Accord coupe in this case). But remember the the good ol' days when Honda had a while slew of sports cars in its line-up? In the early 1990s it had the Honda CRX as an entry level coupe/roundabout, the Honda Integra as a small sized, Civic based coupe, the Honda Prelude as its mid-sized coupe and then rounded it off with the Honda NSX supercar. Honda also had the Honda Legend coupe for those that wanted luxury over handling. It basically had all the bases covered. I actually miss the Honda Integra and the Honda Prelude. The Integra was based on the Civic but its last iteration, the DC5 Integra Type-R was an incredible track oriented front wheel drive car. It had an engine and a tail so responsive that to me it seemed like they were meant for each other. Some called it slightly twitchy at high speeds, but it was a coupe that actually loved to rev and loved to go round bends. Of course, the Honda Integra has only been out of production for about six years. So I do not miss it too much as there are still a few going around in these parts of the world. However the Honda Prelude was actually Honda's front wheel drive tour de force. This was even though the final, 5th generation Prelude (pictured above) was clothed in one of the most dullest looking bodies that Honda ever made for a coupe. It was like Nissan's rejected design for its Skyline or Sylvia models. But when you drove a Prelude you'd then realise that it was actually a heck of a car. The four wheel steering (mechanical in the 2nd and 3rd generation Preludes and electrical for the 4th and final generation models) actually made the car feel like it was driven by its rear wheels and when pushed hard cornered like no other front wheel drive could have. In the good ol' days of course. Of course these days manufacturers have somehow managed to even tweak a beam axle hatchback to get the car's tail to come into play. But that's besides the point. The point of having a Honda Prelude was to actually try technology on a front wheel drive chassis and see what can be done with it. To me the Prelude was a marvelous car to drive. It wasn't as hard core as the Integra but that was the reason it worked so well on city roads as well as bumpy B-roads. And this is actually why I miss the Prelude from the Honda sporting car line-up. The Prelude, like the Integra was axed from Honda's line-up as it somehow did not confine itself to Honda's marketing strategy at that point of time. Which is why I now feel that I hate marketing people in general. But that should pass. So Honda, if you're reading this, please come up with a replacement for the Prelude. I somewhat miss it (especially the 4th generation pictured below).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9Jvnu2eY5M Honda has unveiled the much anticipated NSX Concept at the Detroit Auto Show. The first generation was in production from 1990 till 2005. The Japanese automaker had shown several NSX concept models over the years but none of them make it to production so far. However, this NSX concept is the real deal with the production model to debut within the next three years. It will be manufactured in Ohio at a facility to be named later on. Like the original NSX from the early 1990s, the next-generation supercar will have a mid-mounted V6 engine and will make use of lightweight materials. The V6 VTEC engine benefits from direct-injection technology and is linked to a dual clutch transmission with a built-in electric motor. In addition, it will also feature Honda's Sport Hybrid SH-AWD (Super Handling All Wheel Drive) hybrid system that utilizes two electric motors that can instantly send negative or positive torque to the front wheels during cornering for improved handling and efficiency. Honda did not reveal any performance specifications but is rumored to pump out 400bhp with a century sprint timing of less than 5 seconds. President and CEO of Honda Motor Co., Ltd, who led the development of Honda's first NSX supercar, shared the values of the new NSX, "Like the first NSX, we will again express high performance through engineering efficiency. In this new era, even as we focus on the fun to drive spirit of the NSX, I think a supercar must respond positively to environmental responsibilities."

The Honda NSX is the only car from the Japanese firm that can be considered as a supercar. A lightweight all-aluminium body, rather healthy V6 engine and great looks that put some of its western rivals to shame. This model alone lasted for almost 15 years, although it received some minor changes along the way. Honda had to cease production of the car when the car could not pass stringent global emission regulations that were to take place in 2006. In 2008, Honda revived the idea of replacing the NSX with a new model which featured a V10 engine, but they had to scrap that idea soon after due to the global financial crisis. But it seems that Honda is keen on reviving the idea again as they have confirmed that a concept (known as the Super Sport) will be showcased at the Detroit Motor Show in January 2012. This time it will not use a V10 engine, instead it will feature a hybrid powertrain. One of the first clues to a NSX successor was spotted recently at a film shoot for the upcoming Avengers movie. Honda refused to comment about the car in the photo but many believe that this could be the car in question. Should this car go into production, then we might get to see it as early as late 2013. Honda recently showed a fleeting image of the model to journalists at their Motegi Twin Ring race track. According to Honda chief of research and design, the car will define the new image of Acura (Honda

Honda Motor Co. Ltd. had on the 18th of January 2010 introduced the HSV-010 GT. This is a prototype model which will compete in the GT500 class of the 2010 Super GT Series (Japan GT). Honda had also revealed that the car would be based on the canceled NSX production vehicle. Honda's decision to campaign a non-production vehicle required it to obtain special permission from the Super GT organizers to be exempt from the production homologation requirements for the series. This is good news for Japan GT or Honda motorsports fans who intend to travel in order to witness this year's Japan GT leg at Sepang. They may get to view this car in action. One other reason why Honda went through so much trouble to race the HSV was the fact that it did not have a competitive car ready to compete in the series. This was due to the fact that in October 2009, Honda had officially announced the end of the mid-engine NSX Super GT's participation in Super GT racing due to new Super GT regulations that allowed the use of only front engine rear drive cars. It also showed the dominance of mid-engined cars in the Japan GT. The NSX super GT first started racing in the Japan GT since the All Japan Grand Touring Championship days of the 1990s and it was still winning races till its retirement; albeit the only similarity between the early models and new ones is the basic shape of the NSX and I believe, nothing else. It has nothing much similar to a road going NSX as I remember sometime in the late 90s an uncle drove an automatic version wearing a sarong and slippers to a family gathering. Now back to the HSV. The letters