The New 2016 CR-Z

It seems that after the BRZ and FRS were released the tuner industry exploded.  New parts were being made everywhere and these cars have aftermarket support rivaling traditional Japanese sports cars like the 240sx and the 3000GT VR-4, for example.  As a result, it's not a surprise that rumors of a new, affordable sports car are spouting from Honda enthusiasts' mouths.

 

We all know about the CR-Z.  It was Honda's attempt at a revolutionary sports car that would combine hybrid power with a fun-to-drive chassis.  With a chassis based off of the insight, and with a small weight of about 2,700 pounds this car was supposed to be a success in the tuner community.

 



 

If you follow the chassis or if you're an enthusiast you may be familiar with a few upgrades, like the Jackson Racing Supercharger Kit as shown above, or the full Mugen body kit.  But other than that, this car hasn't been hyped up all that much in terms of aftermarket support.  So what did Honda do?  They tried to make it cooler...and they did.

 

 

The Mugen CR-Z was released at a price tag of around $35,000 USD, however and that may be a little steep for a fancy body kit on a hybrid sports car if you ask me.  Honda also made the Mugen CR-Z RR which was only suppoed to be produced in limited production (about 300 units).  This is cool as well, but I'm uncertain as to whether this went into production or not in Japan.

 

Well, Honda may be trying to remedy ALL of these problems with the NEXT CR-Z.  Do you know what this is?  It's the new Civic Type-R...er well...we'll talk about that.

 



 

 

It's a chassis based off of the Civic Type-R which will supposedly be used for the new CR-Z.  And this would be pretty cool.  With 276 horsepower 2.0 L turbocharged engine, the Civic Type-R is being designed to be a serious competitor with high-performance FWD cars on the Nurburgring, and I'm sure the CR-Z will only come slightly short of that.

 

According to Motortrend Magazine, the new CR-Z which is currently sitting in R&D is sitting on a shortened Type-R platform and is anticipated to come with a turbocharged, 1.5 L engine with a 7-speed dual clutch transmission to transfer the power to the ground.  It is anticipated to still be a hybrid, but this will be no mama car.  This will be a serious competitor for the BRZ and FRS and the price tag is supposed to be below $30,000.

 

Let's see what Honda can come up with!  The ball's in your court now, Honda of America!



The Possibility of a New 240SX

With the uprising of the tuner culture into the mainstream that we've seen over the past couple of years, it's no surprise that car companies are coming back a little harder, trying to provide us with some better chassis to work with.  Just look at the BRZ/FR-S!  Perhaps the times are changing-- nevertheless, I digress.  You can read about that here.

Anyways, the real story starts here, and it doesn't sound pretty, but trust me...it gets prettier.  ;)

I was sitting in "the office" at work the other day after a hefty lunch reading an article from one of my favorite auto-related entertainment providers, GT Channel, when I noticed this...

One rendering acquired from GT Channel's website Source

What is it?  Is it a land shark or some sort of Nissan Murano Sports Coupe?  Uh oh, is this death for the Nissan Juke!?  Hahah, no it's not a crossover and it's not some sparky little hybrid either.

It's the supposed concept for a new Nissan 240SX

Fan-made rendering of a "Silvia S16" Source

A couple of years back before the recession hit, Nissan was supposed to come out with a successor to their Silvia line.  But when the money hit rock bottom, so did their plans for a new Silvia.  I mean can you blame them?  Gas prices were sky-rocketing and people were losing their jobs and even their houses, let alone their Japanese sports car.  However tough times call for tough decisions.  Engineers have been challenged, they have been thinking, and they have been deciding on new ways to save you gas and move your ass.

One way of doing what I just said is to down-size displacement, down-speed the crankshaft's rotations using a reducing gear, and increase volumetric efficiency by means of B00000ST.

2011 Mini Cooper Engine Source

And the reason I mention this is because Nissan is proposing to do exactly this to get more power while still achieving reasonable fuel economy from the supposed "new Silvia's" power plant.  Rumors say that the engine powering the new Silvia could be based off of the 1.6 L engine in the Nissan Juke, except it would likely be turbo or supercharged if it found its way into the love bird's little chassis.  Another rumor is that a 1.8 L engine shared with a Mercedes C 180 could find its way into the new "bay girl."

Mercedes C180 from 2008 Source

2011 Nissan Juke engine Source

The chassis for this new Nissan is supposed to be based off of the Infiniti G or the Nissan Z chassis.  This chassis, the FM chassis, is highly versatile and has been written about in Modified Magazine when the Z's and G's were first coming out.  This allows cost to be cut while not sacrificing driveability or fun!  Whoopee!

Source

The bottom line is, as always, we will just have to wait to see.  But based on rumors and stories circling the web along with comments from company execs, it's not unlikely that this could happen.

Thanks for reading as always guys.  My fans are the best.

The '13 Subaru BRZ STi-- What can we Expect?

Picture this...

The sun recedes and nightfall is upon you.  Cruising into the dusk, listening to music, hearing the engine of your car rev, and you're on top of the world.  This is one of the greatest feelings someone can get from their baby.  It's amazing and there is no stopping the love that you feel for your life at that moment.  Your problems, your fears, your troubles, and tears all flow away with the wind that washes by your car's body at cruising speeds.

Source

And as we all know these moments may be interrupted, even though they are still great.  But what better way to interrupt this moment with this?

Sitting at the stop light your heart and mind are at peace.  You are rested and waiting for the change from red to green, from work to home and all of a sudden you hear a low rumble.  It approaches you slowly from the left and you can TELL that it's a stick shift, but you KNOW that it's a Subie.  You hear the exhaust being chopped by the dynamic pumping effect and you hear the unequal length headers supplying that exhaust.  It's magic.

Source

The light turns green, and you both go.  And although you, in your car may not be able to keep up, the Subaru is gone-- RIGHT off the line.  No big-block, no muscle, just pure volumetric efficiency.  That, was a Subaru STi.

Source

Now break focus.

That was freaking awesome.  That was what made everyone love the STi brand.  And brand loyalty bull aside, you gotta admit that STi's are pretty awesome.  Having said that, it goes without saying that a Subaru sports car should have an STi variant of its base production model, right?

Enter the BRZ (or FR-S).

Source

Motor Trend released an article on October 31st talking about the possibility of a Subaru BRZ STi after spotting a test model being tracked at Nurburgring in Germany.

Source

Look at that shark-like car perusing the bends of the Deutsche track, preying on asphalt like it's job and with minimum body-roll as it appears.  Yes, yes it looks wondrous, but how wonderful is it really?

Source

I usually start an analysis of how "wondrous" a car is by first reviewing specs, then going over numbers, and presenting any dates that are relevant (that is after i do all of the artsy crap first).  And in favor of the tradition  I'll continue this blog with some specs.

In favor of Subaru Tecnica International's performance-oriented image, the car will be tuned to provide even more of its intended driveability.  I mean, by the looks of it, there is no turbocharger because there is no intercooler, so it may not be turbocharged, but it does look like it has a rear wing, front diffuser, bigger STi, four-pot brake calipers in front and back, with BBS Rims.  It's lower and it's showing less signs of body roll than a typical BRZ being pushed to the limits, so Subaru Tecnica International will most likely be modifying the car's suspension.

And although the car was shown as a concept without a hood scoop for a turbocharger's intercooler, there is a possibility that Subaru will be seeking more punch for power-- possibly in the form of a free-er flowing exhaust and ECU tune-up (source).

Source

Keep in mind that this idea was made for the spirit of driving.  Sure, slapping a turbo in it and boosting torque levels and horsepower to infinity would be a thrill, but would it really be "driver-spirited" if it was sliding around and over-steering everywhere from the factory?  No, it wouldn't be, and so keeping that in mind I'll try not to focus on numbers...that and I can't find numbers!

Eh, well, for you turbo lovers I know you may be disappointed, but for those of you who are in favor of a well-balanced cars with less than phenomenal amounts of torque, you'll be pleased to know that this car is intended to hit showroom floors in Japan in 2013 and soon after over here in the states (Source).

Until then, we'll be watching out.  Expect an article on Toyota's possible developments for the Scion FR-S.  Remember, it's the same car!

Have fun guys, and be safe!  :)

Car Brand Loyalty-- Good or Bad for the Community?

We've all been there-- you roll up to a meet and see some of your favorite muscle cars and a couple of 80's American Cars with big block engines as well and your jaw drops.  You hear the loud rumble of an All-American, All-Motor V8 rumbling and it gets your skin tingling.  All of this is going on to your amusement, when all of a sudden-- "RICER"-- someone has to be "THAT GUY."

Who hasn't seen this picture?

 

 

 

I myself drive a Honda-- yes a two-liter, four-cylinder that makes 100 horsepower per liter, and yet the critics STILL have something negative to say about my ride like, "there's no replacement for displacement" or "there's no torque."  (Even though a Mitsubishi Evolution or Subaru WRX STi owner will disagree saying..."TURBO!")

 

All-American big block with turbos Source

 

All-American, naturally aspirated drag car on the dyno Source

 

Yes, mine and many other Hondas are torque-deficient, but did you ever think of them as being well-balanced cars for road courses or for auto crossing?  No one ever said a car had to be ultra fast to be fun, and no one ever said a car had to be fun to be fast, get it?

 

And it's not just the oldheads that talk trash, it's the tuner community too.  We got tuner on tuner violence (Volkswagen and Honda(?))!  We got car meet drama!  We got meanie heads!  Ok-- retract that last statement, it doesn't make me sound cool...

 

Source

 

But anyway, the truth is I wish sometimes people would look past how fast they are on a straight line or how well they can drive on the street and I wish people could look at the mechanical integrity of the owner's car or even the owner's passion if they can't appreciate their car.  We're all in this together.  What's all the fuss?  Is this all just a result of brand loyalty?  I have the best car?  Or is it something less friendly-- is it something less loving-- is it something that is hurting our community?

 

Till next time, this is Lexi.Laron signing off.  Have a good one!