With plenty of lead up to its introduction at the 88th annual Pikes Peak Hillclimb, the Rhys Millen Racing Hyundai Genesis PM580 didn’t deliver on any of its promises and instead was overshadowed by the Suzuki of Nobuhiro ‘Monster’ Tajima. Rhys Millen had set out to break the 10 minute barrier on the treacherous mountain...
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Glass’s Guide, car valuation experts from the UK have studied the long-term ownership costs of EVs, such as the forthcoming Nissan Leaf (shown, above.) The news isn’t looking good. Glass’s reports that after 5 years of ownership, EVs will retain only about 10 percent of their value, as opposed to the 25 percent residual value...
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Godzilla ran roughshod over the competition in Malaysia this past weekend, the Nissan GT-Rs of Calsonic Impul and Motul Autech taking the top two spots on the SuperGT GT500 podium at the 5.5 km Sepang International Circuit. With track temperatures of 110 degrees, the No. 12 Calsonic Impul GT-R of Tsugio Matsuda and Ronnie Quintarelli...
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Honda is planning a rival to the Toyota FR-S (formerly FT-86) sports car, combing the concepts of the S2000 and the Beat minicar. According to a report by Motor Trend, the new two-seater roadster would use a modified version of the Fit platform using a a rear-mid engine layout. What isn’t clear is if Honda...
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Toyota appears set to return to the World Rally Championship (WRC) next year after an absence from the sport of over a decade. Last week we reported on Toyota’s fact-finding missions at several WRC races, and now the Japanese automaker has been linked to Prodrive – a motorsports company that helped Subaru rise to fame...
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When Lexus first unveiled its LFA supercar, the V10-powered exotic was painted a pristine white – a popular choice for modern high-performance vehicles from the BMW M3 to Porsche GT3. The next time the LFA made an appearance, it was at the SEMA Show. Assuming just one vehicle was in production, we expected to see...
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After spotting the Nissan Skyline R34 with an R35 GT-R front end conversion, we scoured the Internet for other vehicles that may have received the R35 front end treatment. This wagon is a bit of an oldie, but it didn’t strike us the first time around since the Stagea isn’t quite the statement car the...
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The new Honda CR-Z will go on sale in the U.S. on August 24th, with a starting price of under $20,000 reports InsideLine. Unfortunately the car will not be eligible for a federal tax credit. Apparently the rules state that only 60,000 tax credits for hybrids are allowed per automaker and Honda spokesman Chuck Schifsky...
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As the minivan segment continues to shrink, those left fighting it out don’t have to be quite as innovative. Evidence of that came with the new Toyota Sienna, and now with the reveal of Honda‘s new 2011 Odyssey we’re starting to see a pattern. Perhaps, however, the minivan has reached its pinnacle and the only...
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Nissan‘s GT-R might now be better-known for its grenading transmission than for its legendary performance. At least that’s true if your life revolves around an internet car forum. Back in 2008, a member of NAGTROC posted that his local Nissan dealer wanted to charge him $20,000 to fix his GT-R’s busted transmission, which broke because...
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Honda‘s new CR-Z hybrid sports car is proving to be a sales success already in its home market of Japan, but not with the crowd you might expect. Inspired by the CRX, the CR-Z would seem to be the modern embodyment of the early Honda hatch, appealing to a younger generation interested in a small...
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Honda Performance Development is the first engine manufacturer to release details of an engine that complies with the ACO’s revised technical regulations that go into effect for the 2011 ALMS/Le Mans season. This new HPD LMP2 engine, based on Honda‘s global V6 engine used in everything from the Accord to the Acura ZDX, is a...
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Ugh. We guess it was only a matter of time before it happened, and as much as we wanted to avoid the inevitable, well here it is. Over in Japan some crafty tuner has outfitted the Nissan R35 GT-R front end onto their Skyline R34 Coupe. And while it seems like the overall body flows...
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The biggest question surrounding Toyota‘s awesome FT-86 concept isn’t if the car will make it to production, but what it will be called. That mystery may have just been solved, with word that Toyota Motor Corporation has just filed a trademark for the “FR-S” name in both the U.S. and Canada. The name certainly makes...
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With the SC430 set for elimination this summer, Lexus has announced a new Eternal Jewel special edition for sale in Japan. Just 200 versions of the car will be built with exclusively features like a contrasting roof color and a new and more elaborate selection of interior finishes. Each model will also come with special...
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Like here in North American, Mugen parts have long been available to hard-core Honda fans through tuner shops and online resources. But Honda fanboys in the United Kingdom can now get those same parts right from their local Honda dealer. That’s right, eight Honda dealers have just signed on to officially sell Mugen parts for...
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It looks as though Tesla’s IPO filings with the SEC may have been intended to draw attention away from the company’s recent tie-up with Toyota. In those filing Tesla commented that while there is an intention between both automakers to work together towards building a new electric car, “we have not entered into any agreements...
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This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the Wald Nissan GT-R, and it surely won’t be the last. This one is built by SR Auto Group in Canada, a company that specializes in luxury and exotic vehicles. While the two-tone black (carbon fiber) and white scheme is nice, we find it a little overwhelming –...
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Ahead of any possible legislation requiring electric cars and hybrids to come equipped with noise-makers, Nissan is announcing the introduction of what it calls the ‘Approaching Vehicle Sound for Pedestrians’ system for its new Leaf electric vehicle. The system finds a balance between driver comfort and alerting pedestrians of an approaching vehicle. The “sine-way sound...
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File this under hard to believe. According to a recent report Mitsubishi has scrapped plans to build a hybrid EVO in favor of a diesel hybrid EVO. AutoCar is reporting that a gasoline hybrid project based on the PX-MiEV concept was recently junked in favor of this new direction for the EVO XI. Using a...
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Subaru has just announced the introduction of an STI-tuned Legacy for the Japanese market. Offered in both sedan and touring (wagon) bodystyles the Legacy 2.5GT tS (as in, tuned by STI) gets a long list of upgrades to make it a more capable performer. We’re a bit sad to see that other than an exhaust...
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We’ve heard a great deal of rumors about the next-generation Mitsubishi EVO going hybrid, but now it appears Subaru is planning a more fuel efficient version of the WRX STI – thanks to the use of a diesel engine. That’s right, according to a report by AutoCar, the next-gen STI (likely due in 2012) will...
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The Toyota Yaris was voted as the 2010 Best Overall Value of the Year. V-A-L-U-E, not F-U-N. But hey, who is to stop crazy enthusiasts from turning it into fun? Much like the Honda Civic Hatchback from say 1995, the Yaris wasn’t meant to be turbocharged, or taken down the quarter mile. It was meant...
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It appears as though last month’s much-touted tie-up between Toyota and American electric car maker Tesla Motors was more of a publicity stunt than the start of a brave new electric world. In a recently filed IPO statement to the SEC, Tesla says that while there are a lot of good intentions to work together...
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