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This P-51 Mustang replica flies with a Honda Odyssey engine

The legendary WWII P-51 Mustang fighter ranks right up there with hot dogs, baseball, and apple pie. So sought after is the original Mustang that one of the 200 or so airworthy P-51s left will run you at least $1.5 million. That's why there's a thriving replica market with three-quarter-scale aircraft like this Titan T-51D Mustang. It looks every bit the part until you crack open the cowling and find not a howling Rolls-Royce Merlin V12, but the V6 from the Honda Odyssey minivan. To be precise, the Titan T-51 uses Honda's J35A6 60-degree SOHC V6. It's one version of the ubiquitous J-series engine, found in the Odyssey minivan as well as the Honda Pilot. Other variations of the Ohio-built powerplant pull duty in the Accord and several Acura models. But why a Honda V6? Titan Aircraft president John Williams says the company began production of the T-51 with a Rotax 912F four-cylinder boxer engine, but its 100-horsepower output wasn't cutting it for customers. They wanted "more power and more noise." So the search began for a lightweight, easily-packaged V6, leading first to a Suzuki 2.5-liter with 160 hp. "Our guys still wanted more power, so the next choice was either going to be a Chevy V8 or a Honda V6. The Honda is a little bit lighter and from a V6 standpoint, it's a brute. In the Honda Pilot or the Odyssey, it's rated from 240 to 250 horsepower," Williams explains. Converting the V6 to an airworthy powerplant requires minor modifications, such as swapping the stock engine control unit (ECU) for an aftermarket one. Car-specific parameters for things like anti-knock sensing and rev limiters simply don't work well in the air. "You don't want your timing retarded when you're trying to clear a tree," Williams chuckles. With a hotter Acura camshaft and exhaust modifications, the naturally aspirated Honda engine makes about 300 hp in the T-51D, Williams says. The V6 mates to a custom gearbox designed to yield a 2-to-1 reduction for the propeller. Rather than the original Mustang's crankcase oil, the Titan's nosecase uses automotive gear oil. And while the engine can obviously use regular unleaded from any gas station, it runs well on the 100-octane low-lead aviation fuel commonly found at airports. The T-51 is a kit airplane that buyers can build themselves for less than $100,000. And like most kit manufacturers, Titan offers a builder-assistance program to help with assembly.

Honda issues 'do not drive' order for older cars with recalled Takata airbags

Honda and Acura instructed owners of more than 8,000 cars built from 2001-2003 to park them until they can have their Takata airbags replaced as part of the ongoing global campaign to eliminate millions of deadly inflators. Honda says the "Alpha" generation Takata inflators can fail at rates as high as 50%, causing potentially fatal injuries from flying shrapnel in the event of a collision.  Honda and Acura models with the "Alpha" generation Takata airbags include:  2001-2002 Honda Accord  2001-2002 Honda Civic  2002 Honda CR-V  2002 Honda Odyssey  2003 Honda Pilot  2002-2003 Acura 3.2 TL  2003 Acura 3.2CL "Approximately 8,200 Honda and Acura vehicles with the most dangerous airbags are still being driven today. Honda has replaced or accounted for more than 99% of Alpha inflators, but it is absolutely critical that these remaining vehicle owners act now to protect themselves and their loved ones," Honda's announcement said. "These vehicles are 20 to 22 years old now, and the risk to vehicle occupants is dire. Alpha air bags are some of the oldest under recall, and they have a 50% failure rate. If the inflators rupture, the metal fragments ejected toward the driver’s face could kill or leave them with devastating, life-altering injuries." Honda and Acura are far from the only brands whose models were built with defective inflators. A campaign has been underway for the better part of a decade to replace millions of the devices worldwide as drivers continue to die from injuries caused by exploding inflators.  All such repairs are free of charge to customers. Acura/Honda Customer Service can be reached at 888-234-2138 or by visiting their Takata website.   Recalls Acura Honda Ownership Safety Takata airbag recall

Honda celebrates the life of Ayrton Senna the best way it knows how

Honda is returning to Formula One in 2015 with McLaren, and when that engine maker and that F1 constructor are mentioned together, two other words are never far behind: Ayrton Senna. There are engine suppliers, constructors and drivers that have bigger numbers, but those three form a triumvirate that came close to defining F1 in the eighties.
Honda Japan has produced a commercial called Sound of Honda that celebrates Senna at a race that turned out to be one of the most momentous of his career for good and bad reasons: the 1989 grand prix at Suzuka where he won, then was stripped of, the driver's championship.
The commercial has a terrifically simple premise - there's no CG, no old footage of Senna, no one says a word, it's just sound. And it's pretty damn good. Check it out below.