Elfin's new sportscar in August

Elfin is preparing to unveil a brand new sportscar this coming August, according to the latest reports. The small Australian automaker is known mostly for producing Lotus/Caterham 7-style classic roadsters, with the new model replacing the outgoing Type-3 Clubman kit car and joining the V8-powered MS8 Streamliner (pictured above) in the company's line-up.

The news was revealed by the company's owner Tom Walkinshaw, the Scottish racing driver behind the eponymous Tom Walkinshaw Racing outfit. According to Walkinshaw, the new lightweight sportscar – which has yet to be named – will feature "electrifying performance and go-kart handling" with an atmospheric power-to-weight ratio thanks to a 1500-pound curb weight and 260hp coming out of the turbocharged two-liter four from the Pontiac Soltice GXP. A six-speed manual will round out the package, along with ABS, power steering and traction control. The new vehicle, which will sell for under $60k, is anticipated to be based on a tubular chassis with a composite body that eschews the classic design of the Type 3 in favor of contemporary styling, while still integrating open wheels with cycle-style guards. The new model promises to separate Elfin from the myriad companies churning out Caterham replicas and distinguish the company as a competent sportscar-maker.

source:http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/01/elfin-to-unveil-all-new-sportscar-in-august/

Honda FC Sport Concept

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  Another drop dead gorgeous concept car by Honda, this FC Sport Hydrogen supercar is more than just a goodlooking thing — it’ll save the planet while making you look like a billionaire!

  Not too much talking — straight on the the beautiful pics I found on the green car site!

  
  Supersleek lines…

  
  Great sexy nose!

  
  Look at that cut in the side. Awww! I love the huge logo on the back too — very nice!

  
  It’s an environmentally-friendly Gallardo!

• The Success of the New Honda Civic

  There are some car manufacturers that rest on their laurels and then there are some who strive to take their successful car to greater heights. They never rest on their laurels and go as far as trying to improve the quality and build of the car by as much as a factor of 10. It takes a lot of courage to even think about this, far less attempt it, but this is exactly what the engineers at Honda have been doing, and doing it quite successfully too.

  

  More than a decade has passed since the Civic manufactured by Honda has made its debut and this car had set the subcompact segment on fire due to its comfortable cabins, driving comfort, efficiency and quality. The Civic is listed among the top five among the best selling cars and this should have satisfied the engineers at Honda, but no. They are determined to make this car even better and keeping this in mind the engineers of Honda in Ohio and at Japan are leaving no stones unturned to improve the quality of the Civic.

  
  

• Honda CR-Z

  This is a concept of a new and upcoming Honda CR-Z which wil actually be yet another Hybrid… I’m not saying I’m not all for alternative car fuels or hybrid cars, but come on guys — not every single new car you guys make HAS to be a Hybrid, is it?

  Oh well, it looks great (just like most of the new Honda’s) and I hope they make a non-hybrid non-diesel version. :p

  

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source:http://www.hondatalk.net/

2009 Honda S2000 – The Last Version!

manufacturer Honda recently disclosed that it will be the end of the line for the Honda S2000 sports car after the production of the 2009 variant.

The S2000 was introduced to the market in 1999 but was marketed as a 2000 model. The S2000 was a hit with car enthusiasts who enjoyed its effective manual transmission and its cool chassis work. Top Gear star Jeremy Clarkson was reported being a huge fan of the S2000, and the car always did great in their annual car surveys!

The first release of the Honda sports car was designed to pay homage to the company’s 50th anniversary. The S2000 was well received by consumers that the Japanese car manufacturer decided to produce the car..

The 2000 on its tag was coined from the 2000 cc engine that had an output of 240 horsepower. During that time, the horsepower per liter ratio of 123.5 was record breaking and was considered as very efficient.

source:http://www.hondatalk.net/

2007 Jeep Wrangler

New York Auto Show: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited

Jeep has released a spate of photos of its new 2007 Wrangler Unlimited four-door, which we should be seeing in the metal within a few hours here in New York. The Unlimited boasts the same modular-style removable top that engenders a lot of added flexibility, functioning as a t-top of sorts, a targa, and full-blown, wind-in-the-hair convertible. Be sure to click on the jump for more views inside and out, and click on each image for suitable-for-framing imagery.

source:http://www.autoblog.com/2006/04/12/new-york-auto-show-2007-jeep-wrangler-unlimited/

SCION IQ CONCEPT

Besides all the motorsport action going on this month, the auto show circuit is rolling on with the New York Auto Show this week. I've been keeping an eye on the news coming out of New York, and one of the cars I thought was worth a post here is the Scion iQ Concept. This concept is of course based on the Toyota iQ which is already on sale in Europe and Japan. There haven't been any details released on a production version of the iQ for the US market, but this particular car is the most heavily modified iQ I've seen yet....
source:http://speedhunters.com/archive/tags/New+Cars/default.aspx

NISMO 370Z & 370Z ROADSTER

Filed under: Nissan, news, Z, Roadster, New Cars, Mike Garrett, Nismo, 370Z, New York

A while back we posted about theparts that Nismo released for the new Z in Japan, but now there's a complete Nismo edition of the 370Z that will be going on sale soon for the US market. Nissan chose to debut both this car and the new 370Z Roadster at this week's New York Auto Show. As you'd expect, the new Nismo Z gets a healthy boost in power, plus chassis and exterior upgrades that set it apart from the normal Z....
source:http://speedhunters.com/archive/tags/New+Cars/default.aspx

THE 2010 MAZDA SPEED3

Another one of the noteworthy cars being shown under the lights of the New York Auto Show is the new 2010 Mazdaspeed3, the follow-up to the popular hot hatch that hit the market a few years ago. The current Mazdaspeed3 is known as one of the fastest front-drive cars of all time, and the new model simply brings that same formula to the new and improved 2010 Mazda3 chassis

RETURN OF THE HONDA BEAT?

Sometimes you just have to love Japanese car magazines and their never ending stream of concept renderings and "insider" information. The guys over at 7Tune.com have just picked up on a Best Car Magazine story that talks about the return of the Honda Beat, the pint-sized kei sports car that was an icon of the early '90s Japanese auto industry. Although the new Beat would be front engined and front drive (unlike the original mid-engined Beat), it would be an interesting to alternative to the Daihatsu Copen. Rumor has it the new Beat could be on sale in 2011, powered by the same 660cc motor from Honda's other kei offerings. Whether or not the new Beat actually reaches production, I wouldn't count on seeing it exported to many countries outside of Japan....

SEAT IBIZA BOCANEGRA

As its VW Group month, I thought I’d show off a new Supermini hot hatch which has just been announced by SEAT, one of the divisions within VW Group. The new SEAT Ibiza Bocanegra made its debut at the Barcelona Motor Show today, less than a year after it received rave reviews as a concept. For North American Speedhunters, who might not be aware of SEAT or the Ibiza, this car is based on the Ibiza SC, which is a 3door hatch (SC stands for Sports Coupe apparently….) in the VW Polo/Ford...

VW SCIROCCO R

Hot on the heels of our Scirocco GT24 post last week, Volkswagen have announced the new 2.0i TSI 265hp 'R' version of the Scirocco for the European market. As with all Volkswagen 'R' products it is presented in their 'Racing' Blue seen on the Golf R32 and GT24 race car. Visually, the car is similar to the GT24 with deeper front bumper and larger air intakes, compared to the standard version. A new gloss black grille with 'R' Insignia sits between the aggressive headlamps...

VW SHOWS GTI & POLO WORTHERSEE CONCEPTS

As you saw during Kevve's post yesterday, the Worthersee event is a huge one among the VW and Audi fans in Europe. In fact, it's big enough that Volkswagen itself has decided to display a pair of new concept cars at the event - the Golf GTI and Polo "Wörthersee '09" editions. It's quite a good idea really. What better place to build some hype for your cars than a big gathering of your most loyal enthusiasts?...

SUBARU IMPREZA STI SPEC C

Here's a fitting new car intro for AWD month - the Subaru Impreza STI Spec C, which has just gone on sale to the Japanese market. Like the Spec C's of the past, Subaru has equipped this limited production model with a number of changes that bring a little more edge to what's already a great driver's car....

THE 2011 INFINITI M REVEALED

At the recent Concourse event in Pebble Beach, Infiniti revealed the first renderings of the all new 2011 M Sedan. Using a clay model with projected with computer images, Infiniti certainly chose a classy place to show off their new flagship. With a bold new styling and more displacement under the hood, the new M should improve on what's already one of the best performing Japanese luxury sedans around....

THE MINI COUPE CONCEPT

Just in time for BMW month, here's an interesting bit of news coming out of BMW's Mini division. The newest model coming to the always-expanding is the Mini line is this new coupe model, which will be on display in concept form at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show. As the name suggests, this car takes the familiar Mini styling and adds a sweeping coupe treatment to the rear....

McLAREN MP4-12C

McLaren Automotive launched their new MP4-12C Supercar earlier this week at their Technical Centre in the UK. The new car will go into production in 2011 and feature a McLaren design and developed Twin Turbo V8 and cost around £150,000 CEO, Ron Dennis' plan is for McLaren to produce a range of sports cars in the coming years and the MP4-12C fits into the Ferrari 458/Lamborghini Gallardo class. Personally, I am somewhat underwhelmed with the styling, but I do understand the reasons for this...

M6 COMPETITION LIMITED EDITION

The Frankfurt Auto Show is now in full swing and BMW is one of the manufactures that has a massive stand. One of the cars they have on display is this M6 Competition Limited Edition. It will be an exclusive model because only 100 of them will be built. It will feature a new paintscheme called ‘Frozen Gray Metallic' it has a cool matt finish. Other upgrades include a revised suspension system that lowers the car 10mm in the front and 12mm in the back. The interior has also been upgraded..

MAZDA2 COMING TO THE USA!

It's been a long time coming, but Mazda has finally announced that the Mazda2 (or the Demio as it's known in Japan) is USA-bound. According to Mazda, the 2 will go on sale stateside in late 2010 and will be priced below the Mazda3. The Demio's Euro-like styling always caught my eye on the streets of Japan, and I can't wait to see them over here. The car in the photo above is the Demio tuned by Auto Craft Kyoto at the '08 Tsukuba Super Battle. Hmmm...is it time to make plans for a new daily driver? -Mike Garrett Source: GT Channel ...

TOYOTA FT86 CONCEPT

After so many rumors I think our prayers have been heard, at least at the design studio of Toyota in France. They designed this successor of the Corolla AE86 that will be debuted at the Tokyo Motor Show. Luckily for us Dino will be covering this show so I'm sure he will get us all the details surrounding this car. I do know that it will be powered by a 2.0 liter boxer engine that has been developed by Subaru and that it will be rear wheel driven. The engine has been placed as far back as possible...

HONDA EV-N

With Dino's fantastic Hakosuka feature and our JCCS coverage it seems like we've been on a bit of Nostalgic JDM kick this week. Sticking with that theme for a moment, we have the Honda EV-N Concept, which will be shown at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show. Although it features a high tech electric drivetrain, the exterior was clearly inspired by the original Honda N360 of the late '60s. Anyone else think this would look awesome dropped on 12 or 13-inch RS Watanabes or SSR's? -Mike Garrett ...

TSX WAGON COMING TO THE STATES

Just a couple weeks ago I posted a photo of a previous gen Accord Wagon from Japan, pondering how cool it would be if Honda decided to bring the new Accord Tourer to North America as the TSX Wagon. Perhaps someone from Honda was reading? Acura has just announced the TSX Sport Wagon will be joining the lineup for 2011. The car most likely will look very similar to the Euro/Japanese market Accord Tourer pictured up above. Hmmm...I wonder if it will be time to replace my daily driver come 2011? -Mike Garrett...
source:http://speedhunters.com/archive/tags/New+Cars/default.aspx