1994 Acura Integra Gsr 5 Speed W/ Busted Front End on 2040-cars

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Alonso wants an NSX, but did Honda block him from Le Mans?

One of the biggest changes in store for the 2015 Formula One World Championship will see Fernando Alonso moving back to McLaren. That means he'll be driving under Honda power for the first time, after spending the bulk of his career driving for Renault and Ferrari. And being Honda's new poster child, as the two-time World Champion is fast discovering, has its advantages and its drawbacks. According to the latest reports, Alonso had been negotiating a clause in his contract with McLaren that could have seen him driving a Porsche 919 Hybrid at Le Mans this year, but Honda reportedly stepped in at the last minute and scuttled the plan. The drive would have been Alonso's first in the famous 24-hour race, after having had the honor of waving the flag at La Sarthe last summer. In one of the wilder rumors that emerged during the prolonged silence over his move for this season, the Spaniard was also linked to a potential return for Ferrari to Le Mans. That prospect came to naught, and now the Porsche deal has been wheeled into the garage, as well. The upcoming F1 season is expected to be one of transition, adjustment and development for McLaren and Honda, but the Japanese automaker's involvement in his hiring may not be all bad news for Alonso. Following the reveal of the new Acura NSX, Alonso tweeted "You still don't know, but one day we will be together..." followed by a series of heart-eyed smiley-face emoticons and accompanies by images of Honda's new supercar. The implication is that the two-time World Champion is expecting to get his talented hands on an NSX of his own, and we can certainly see how Honda would appreciate the imagery of Fernando driving around in its flagship. Even if it doesn't, though, we're sure McLaren would be glad to hook him up with a company car of its own – though Lewis Hamilton encountered some trouble securing (a very specific) one for himself. Even discounting the front-running F1 machinery he's been tasked with piloting on track to an impressive 32 career wins, Alonso has had some lustworthy company cars at his disposal over the years. At Renault, he had a Megane RS to drive, and during his last stint at McLaren, he had an SLR 722. But since signing with Ferrari, he's been given the keys to FCA models as varied as a Ferrari FF, a special 599 GTO, a Maserati GranCabrio, a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT and an Abarth 695... and those are just the ones we know about.

Acura races into anime with 'Chiaki's Journey' web series

For the twelfth year in a row, Acura is a presenting sponsor and the official vehicle of the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Acura created a four-part anime series called Chiaki's Journey combining the medium Sundance celebrates, Japanese anime, the automaker's fuller Type-S lineup, and the new Acura Integra hatch. Unlike most of the films at the festival, however, Chiaki's Journey runs a total of four minutes and 12 seconds, each episode lasting just over a minute. The story centers on Chiaki, a young Japanese woman from a family of racers who knows how to hustle a car around a track, but who has a temper that runs faster than her vintage Integra can rev. The villain is Erich Kang, the same rich and insufferably arrogant hotshot from every video game and car movie, piloting a non-descript blue hot rod. He's clearly the guy everyone would like to beat, and he knows he's that guy. When Chiaki gets behind the wheel to teach Kang a lesson in lap times, her uncle Noboru steps in to teach her the lessons she'll need to need to win.  Being so condensed, each installment plays like a trailer for a longer episode. Acura managed to fit in all the cars, though: Spot the 2022 MDX Type S, NSX Type S, TLX Type S, and 2023 Integra. The car brand got the obligatory Japanese rock anime intro as well, thanks to the all-female metal band NEMOPHILA doing the song "Raitei.” You can see the first episode above and the rest at Acura's dedicated Type S site.  Related video:

Honda recalls more than 750,000 vehicles to fix faulty seat air bag sensor

DETROIT — Honda is recalling more than three quarters of a million vehicles in the U.S. because a faulty sensor may cause the front passenger air bags to inflate when they're not supposed to. The recall covers certain Honda Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V and Odyssey models from the 2020 through 2022 model years, as well as the 2020 Fit and Civic Coupe. Also included are the 2021 and 2022 Civic hatchback, the 2021 Civic Type R and Insight, and the 2020 and 2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline and Accord Hybrid. Affected models from the Acura luxury brand include the 2020 and 2022 MDX, the 2020 through 2022 RDX and the 2020 and 2021 TLX. Documents posted Tuesday by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration say that the front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, and fail to turn off the air bag as intended. The sensors are required to disable the air bags if children or small adults are in the seats. If that doesn't happen, it increases the risk of injury. Dealers will replace the seat sensors at no cost to owners. Owners will be notified starting March 18. Honda says in documents that it has 3,834 warranty claims but no reports of injuries or deaths from the problem between June 30, 2020 and Jan. 19 of this year. Featured Gallery 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid View 40 Photos Green Recalls Acura Honda